Mark 4 

1) And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
2) And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
3) Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4) And it came to pass, as he sowed, some  fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5) And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
6) But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7) And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8) And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9) And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Let's now read the interpretation of this parable.

10) And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11) And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12) That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13) And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

This parable is especially important to us in our Christian life. It is essential for us to understand the meaning or as Jesus stated we will not understand any of the parables he taught.

14) The sower soweth the word. 15) And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16) And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17) And have no root in themselves, and so

The Sower 20x16 Fine Art Print

endure but for a time: afterward, when  affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. 18) And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19) And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 20) And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some  sixty, and some an hundred.

Here are some examples of each sowing that I took from Dr. Bullinger's work in the Companion Bible. 

By the Wayside - This must of been the proclamation by John the Baptist (Matthew 3, Mark 1:1-8, Luke 3:1-18, John 1:6-36) This was "by the wayside" and the opposition of the evil one is shown in the birds of evil omen (as in the case of the mustard tree, vv, 31,32) Hence the seed was devoured and the word was not understood (vv 4,19)

Stony Ground - This second sowing was by Christ Himself (Matt. 4:17), the twelve (Matt. 10:7), and the seventy (Luke 10:1-20). This sowing was on the stony ground and was received with joy (Matt. 13:20 see Mark 6:20 and 12:37. Luke 4:22) This was unfruitful (Mark 4:16-17)

Among Thorns - This,  the third sowing was by Peter and the twelve and by them that heard Him, the Son (Heb. 2:3) during the dispensation of the Acts. Peter proclaimed the Kingdom (Acts 3:18-26), and repeated the call to national repentance, which was the one abiding condition of national blessing. But the seed was chocked. The thousands of Jews who at first received the word, continued all zealous of the law. (Acts 21:20, Gal. 3:1-5, 10-13, 4:9, 5:1-4) The sowing came to a crisis in Acts 28, when the Kingdom was rejected and has since been in abeyance.

Of course the last sowing being that that would fall on good ground. These being those who would hear the word, understand it and bear fruit. If you have received the word and understood it then your goal is to produce more fruit. The only way for us to accomplish this is to sow the seed. Not only can we learn how Jesus was received during His ministry (here on earth) from this parable but this is also what we can expect when set out to produce fruit for our Lord. Not all of it will fall on good ground but we have to have patience and be diligent in our service to our Father. 

Looking back on our lives we can all probably remember a time when we weren't fertile for seed. Whenever I read this parable I often think back on my own journey to find God and His truth. At different stages of my life I would have fit into each of these categories. Knowing this I am often reminded of these verses in Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 

3:1) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
3:2) A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted

Not everyone is ready for the truth that we want to share with them. It's important that we always remember we are just the sowers and only God can make the seed grow. Paul would bear witness to this fact in 1 Corinthians Chapter 3.

5) Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but  ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
6) I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7) So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8) Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9) For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

These verses should keep us humble and ever thankful to the Father. Not only that we did receive His word but that we have the opportunity to serve Him. As verse 21 below tells us we shouldn't hide our Light. We are commissioned to share the ministry of Jesus with the world.

21) And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
22) For there is nothing hid , which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. 
23) If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

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