The Sower, the Seed, the Soil
—Seed by the Wayside
By Capazin Thornton
Jesus’ frequent method of teaching was through parables. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The Lord used natural every day things to which people could easily relate to cast alongside and illustrate a deeper spiritual truth.
Multitudes of people came to Jesus’ crusades. Yet, the majority was more interested in getting their needs met than they were in seeking to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God. (Mt 13:13)
On the other hand, Jesus’ true disciples, who give up all to follow him, are given inner illumination to see and understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God.
Mark 4:1-20 is a foundational parable. Jesus said it is crucial we understand this parable if we are going to understand the rest. (Mark 4:13)
The Sower, the Seed, the Soil
“Listen! Behold,” Jesus says, “a sower went out to sow” (Mark 4:3)
This story has three main characters: the Sower, the Seed, and the Soil. The Sower is a type of Jesus and His ministers. The seed is God’s Word. The soil represents people’s hearts and their different responses to God’s Word.
Seed by the Wayside
“And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds of the air came and devoured it.” (Mark 4:4)
Some of the seed fell by the wayside or along the side of the road. The seed landed on the surface of the path. So the birds of the air swooped down and gobbled up the seed. The result: the seed produced no fruit.
In verses 14-15, the Lord explains the deeper meaning of the story:
“The sower sows the Word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the Word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts.” (Mark 4:14-15)
Satan and his evil spirits are the fowl of the air. As soon as one hears the Word, Satan comes immediately to take the Word that was sown. Here the Greek word for take is airo, which means to lift up or take. Mt 13:19 uses a more forceful word (harpazo) that means to openly and violently strip, spoil, or snatch away; to seize upon with force; to rob.
How can Satan snatch away God’s Word from us?
“When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and understands it not, then comes the wicked one and snatches away the Word that was sown in his heart. This is he who receives the word by the wayside.” (Mt 13:19)
When one casually or nonchalantly hears God’s Word without seeking to understand it, or when one has only surface knowledge of the Word, the devil can snatch away the Word that was sown.
Keys for the Word to bear fruit
Here are five keys to implement so the Word can bear fruit in your life.
- Pay attention to the Word you hear.
- Seek to understand the Word with your heart, not your head.
- Abide in the Word and let the Word abide in you. (Jn 15:7)
- Hold fast to your confession of faith in God and His Word. (Heb 10:23; Heb 10:35-36)
- Be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only. (Jas 1:22)
Will you agree with me that we will go deeper into the Word in the coming year?
Capazin Thornton is a Christian speaker and author based in Orange County, California.
