THE SOWER PARABLE COMBINED

THE SOWER PARABLE COMBINED

[Matthew 13:3-23; Mark 4:3-25; Luke 8:5-18]

A sower went out to sow his seed. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air came and devoured it.

Some fell on rock (stony ground, where it did not have much earth); but when the sun was up they were scorched [and] withered away because [they] lacked moisture, and because they had no root.

And some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty and some a hundred.

When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable, saying, “What does this parable mean?” and “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven (God), but to them it has not been given; [for] to those who are outside, all things come in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'”

“But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.“

And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? Therefore hear the parable of the sower: The seed is the word of God. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the wicked one (the devil–Satan) comes immediately and snatches away what was sown in his heart, lest they should believe and be saved. This is he who received seed by the wayside.”

“These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground (rock) who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness (joy); and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time (believe for a while). Afterward, in time of temptation, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble, and fall away.”

“Now he who received seed among the thorns are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things (pleasures of life) entering in, choke the word, and bring no fruit to maturity.”

“But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word with a noble and good heart and understands it, keeps (accepts) it, and bears fruit with patience: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lamp stand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret (hidden) that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden (kept secret) that will not be known and come to light.”

“Therefore take heed how you hear; for whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.” [He also said,] “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”