Hear & See. Parable Of The Sower And The Seeds. Matthew 13:1-30 Sermon
Matthew 13:1-30
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.
2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.
3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop–a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
9He who has ears, let him hear.”
10The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
12Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
13This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ” ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
17For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:
19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
24Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28” ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29” ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.
30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”
Have you try gardening before? Do you like gardening? I like gardening since young. I helped out in gardening during my secondary school days. Last year, I started gardening outside my house at the corridor. I tried sowing red pepper, green pepper, yellow pepper seeds, xiao bai chai vegetable seeds to my 2 pots filled with soil but they only grew a short height and they died. Maybe they didn’t have much sunlight as is indoors shelter at my hdb flat corridor. Recently, I saw my onions growing some shoots. I decided to try grow spring onions from the onions. My 1st onion I tried planting into my pot of soil grew well into spring onions. I harvested it and my mum and I got to enjoy the harvest spring onions. A few days ago, I planted a few more onions hoping that it will be as good as my 1st onion. Only 1 onion started to grow into spring onion. The rest didn’t. When I saw that it grew on last Sunday 11 June, it was at a nice height. Let me show you the photo. Is standing up well.
Let me tell you what happened 2 days later, on Wed 13 June I checked on my plant again and saw that the spring onion has grown taller but it bended. I have to use my gardening rake to support it as a stick to lean on it to keep it straight. I wondered why did it bend? Then I saw at the corner of the pot, there are mushrooms growing. I was surprised to see this as I didn’t grow any mushroom. How come there are mushrooms growing? Are they poisonous? Is it affecting my onions?
Let me show you the mushrooms
A few hours later, I decided to take out the mushrooms and the soil that attached to them to avoid any more new growth of wild mushrooms. The mushroom didn’t tangle with my other onions roots. I was glad it didn’t. I threw the mushrooms away.
Why am I sharing my gardening experience with you? Is because is related to today’s sermon text on farming. Scattering seed having different results. Let’s look at the 1st parable verse 3-8.
“A farmer went out to sow his seed.
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop–a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
Do you understand this parable? Jesus spoke to the crowd in parable telling his disciples “ He who has ears, let him hear.” What does it mean he who has ears, let him hear. It is about understanding the parable. His disciples asked Jesus why did he speak to the people in parables? He told them these people though they see, they do not see; though they hear they do not hear. They did not receive the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Only his disciples receive it. Jesus was the one that came down from heaven telling them about kingdom of heaven yet many do not understand. Though they see Jesus. They did not see him as son of God. He is God. They did not see he is the prophesize Messiah. They did not understand his teaching, did not accept his teaching. Only his disciples did. Jesus said those who understand, know will be given more. Those who don’t, even what they have will be taken away from them. Their hearts are hardened. They can’t see or hear.
Jesus added that his disciples are blessed as their eyes can see and their ears can hear. Many prophets and righteous men longed to see what they see but they did not see it, and to hear what they hear but they did not hear it. What does this mean? Good righteous people can’t see or hear? Is referring to those who were gone, passed away.
Now let’s hear what Jesus mean in his 1st parable about the sower and the seed. Who is the one that sow the seed? Is God. And What is the seed? Is the word of God.
What are the 4 types of soil condition?
The 1st part about the seed that fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. What this means is that when the word of God fell into this person, he hears about God but do not understand it. It did not take root. The evil come and quickly take away what was sown in his heart causing him not to believe in God.
For the seed that fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. This is refer to believers who are joyful when they hear about God and accept it with joy but as they are not strong in faith, no roots, when testing, trials come, they fall away leaving God.
The other seed that fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants is referring to believers who hears God’s word but does not apply to it. Is not fruitful as the worries of life, getting rich wealthy successful takes over his priority more than God. They chock these believers causing it to die.
For the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears God word, understands it and apply them to his life. He produce a good crop a good harvest yielding plentiful harvest of fruits many times more than what was sown hundred, sixty or thirty times.
Which one do you fall under?
Now let’s look at the next parable that Jesus told. Is also about seed. “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ” ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”
Looking at this parable, does it relate to what I just experience with my spring onion plant and the wild mushroom which are weeds that suddenly grew? The onion which is the good seed has grown to spring onion but while I am sleeping, the wild mushroom weeds sprouted and formed heads. They suddenly appear. I did not plant these mushrooms. I was thinking should I pull out these weeds. Are they entangle with the onion roots? I remembered this verse for today and read them. It says let them grow together as if I will to pull out the weeds, I will root up the wheat as well. For my case, I think as is still small the mushroom, the roots are not deep, it should not be entangle with the onions root. So I decided to remove the weeds mushroom and threw them away. The weeds root did not affect my onions root yet.
What does this parable and my experience illustration tell you?
Jesus explained about this parable in verse 38-43. Let me read to you “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
From Jesus explanation, we can see that Jesus is the farmer that sow good seed throughout the world to people that they may grow. The good seed Is referring to believers who understand God’s word, accept God and apply what they learn from God in their life. They are the good seed. In life, Christian do suffer persecutions, trials in life, these are the weeds that came and attack Christian. The weeds are those who do not believe in God. They are sent by the evil to attack Christian. God told us to endure with the weeds as we are still growing more wheat with plenty of harvest. During harvest time when God come in his 2nd coming at the end of age, he will bring his angels the harvesters and collect the harvest, he will get rid of all the bad weeds that attack his people and burn them. These weeds will suffer. He will bring all his people into his kingdom and they are saved.
Which one do you want to be? The wheat or the weeds?
How to become the good seed, the wheat?
- Believe in God
- Get rid of past bad habits, sins
- Apply God’s word into your life. Be a good Christian. Honest, truthful, faithful to God
- Do not conform to the pattern of the world. Be transformed, renewal of mind
- Go to church. Bible study. Pray to God. Spend quiet time with God.
- Don’t give up.
- Share God’s word with others. Be fruitful.