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Matthew 13:1-23

INTRODUCTION: We are starting a new section in the gospel of Matthew today which focuses on Jesus’ parables, specifically a series of parables that Jesus taught about the kingdom of heaven.

As we have seen throughout our series in the gospel of Matthew, the kingdom of heaven was a major theme in Jesus’ ministry. We began our whole study in Matthew with The Birth of the King in Matthew 1-2. Then when we studied Preparing the Way in Matthew 3-4, we saw that both John the Baptist and Jesus began their teaching ministry by focusing on the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 3:2, 4:17)

Then when we studied the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, we saw that the sermon shows us what life looks like in the kingdom. Jesus told the people, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:2) Then he preached the Sermon on the Mount which shows us what it looks like when we repent and when we submit our lives to God and his kingdom.

Then when we studied the Ten Miracles of Jesus in Matthew 8-9, we saw the kingdom of God in action. When Jesus came, he not only preached the good news of the kingdom. He demonstrated it. God’s kingdom refers to God’s rule, and God’s kingdom or rule extends over every realm, as Jesus demonstrated by the power of his miracles over sickness, Satan, suffering, nature and sin.

And then when we studied Mission and Conflict in Matthew 10-12, we saw how Jesus shared his kingdom authority with the disciples as he sent them out to preach the good news of the kingdom to others.

Now, here in Matthew 13, Jesus continues this theme of the kingdom. Jesus shares with us seven parables, each one telling us what the kingdom of heaven is like. Each parable reveals a different aspect of the kingdom, and when we look at them together we get a good picture of what the kingdom of heaven is all about.

The first parable Jesus shares is the Parable of the Sower. This is one of Jesus’ most famous parables. It appears in three out of the four gospels, in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Like most parables it is a simple story, and yet it contains essential teaching about God’s kingdom – both for Jesus’ original hearers and for us today. (Read Matthew 13:3-8 and pray.)

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Why is it that some people respond to the gospel while others do not? Why is it that you can talk about Jesus with a bunch of your friends, and some will respond positively while others will shut you down? Why is it that a preacher or evangelist can share the same message with a whole group of people all at the same time, and some will accept the message while for others it seems to fall on deaf ears? That is the question that Jesus raises and then answers in today’s parable.

Studying this parable and the truths that it teaches will make you more effective in your witness for Christ, and it will make you more effective in praying for people who do not know Christ. Both witness and prayer are essential to the effective sharing of the gospel, for as we will see, it all comes down to how the person receives the message.

I. Jesus tells the parable of the sower (1-9)

   A. Jesus teaches in parables (1-3)

So, let’s begin with the first section where Jesus tells the parable of the sower. Look at verses 1-2:

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. (Matthew 13:1-2)

Matthew sets the scene for us here. The lake here is the Sea of Galilee. The crowds gather around him so that he is forced to use a boat for his pulpit. Picture Jesus sitting in the boat a little way out from shore, and all the people gathered along the shore at the water’s edge to hear him. The shores along the Sea of Galilee slope upward creating an amphitheater effect, and so the people may have been sitting up along the banks listening to Jesus as he taught.

Matthew goes on to tells us in verse 3:

Then he told them many things in parables. (Matthew 13:3)

So, what is a parable? A parable in the Bible is any type of saying or story that contains a comparison or a parallel. The word parable itself means “a comparing together,” or “laying one thing aside another.” And so, a parable is simply a way of teaching a spiritual truth using a commonplace, down-to-earth story or illustration.

   B. Jesus describes four places where the seed fell

We have seen some other parables in the gospel of Matthew already, for example, the parable of the wise and foolish builders at the end of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:24-27), but the parable of the sower here is the first in a series of parables all compiled together in one chapter. It is a good example of what we might call a “story parable,” that is, a longer, drawn-out comparison or analogy. And in this parable Jesus describes a farmer sowing seed and then four places where the seed fell.

      1) “along the path” (3-4)

The first place where the seed fell was along the path. Look at verses 3-4:

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.” (Matthew 13:3-4)

The fields in Jesus’ day were set out in long, narrow strips, and the farmers would use the ground between the strips for pathways. These paths would eventually get beaten down from all the walking. It reminds me of when I was a kid there was a path that led through a field on the way to school. No one ever consciously made that path. It was formed over time from the constant walking of the children back and forth to school each day. The ground in that path was hard as rock, and no grass would grow there. That’s what this path in the parable was like. The seeds just lay on top of the path, and so the birds swooped down and ate them up.

      2) “on rocky places” (5-6)

The second place where the seed fell was on rocky places. Look at verses 5-6:

“Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” (Matthew 13:5-6)

We sometimes think of these rocky places as soil that just had a lot of rocks in it, but Jesus is describing something a little different here. The rocky places were those areas that just had a thin skin of earth resting on top of an underlying shelf of limestone rock. The dirt might be several inches deep at the most. The sun would warm this soil rapidly, the seed would germinate and spring up, but the roots stopped dead at the rock, and the plant would literally starve to death from lack of moisture. That’s exactly what happened to these seeds that fell on the rocky places.

      3) “among thorns” (7)

The third place where the seed fell was among thorns. Look at verse 7:

“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.” (Matthew 13:7)

This looked like good soil, but it also contained the roots of weeds that were natural to that area. And so, the dormant weeds and thorns would grow up together along with the plants and then choke them out before they could bear any fruit.

      4) “on good soil” (8)

And then the fourth place where the seed fell was on good soil. Look at verse 8:

“Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:8)

The seed that fell on the good soil grew up and produced a crop. And the hundred, sixty, thirty-fold yield here – this was a very good crop. Most farmers would be happy with a ten-fold increase, so this represents an exceptionally abundant harvest.

   C. Jesus exhorts the crowd to hear (9)

So that’s the parable. Jesus tells a simple story about a farmer sowing his seed. The seed falls on four different types of soil with four corresponding results. Then Jesus closes out the parable with an exhortation for the crowd to hear. Look at verse 9 where Jesus says:

“He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:9)

Jesus uses these words several times in the gospels, and they imply more than just hearing with your physical ears. Simply hearing the word is not enough. You must not only hear; you must also understand and obey for the word to bring you any benefit.

II. The disciples ask him about the parables (10-17)
   – Isaiah 6:9-10

Now Jesus is going to go on to teach the crowd a number of other parables that we will get to in the coming weeks. But Matthew interrupts the flow here for a moment and jumps ahead to a later time when Jesus was alone with a smaller group of people. Look at verses 10-13 where we read:

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’” (Matthew 13:10-13)

Before explaining the parable to them, Jesus gives them some insight into why he teaches with parables. And part of the reason is so that the truths he is teaching will remain hidden to those who do not believe, to those who do not have “ears to hear.” Those who do not approach Jesus’ teaching in an attitude of faith remain ignorant of the parable’s true meaning. They see Jesus teaching, and they hear his words, but they do not really understand or believe.

Jesus goes on and quotes to them from the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament. Look at verses 14-15 where Jesus says:

“In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For 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.’” (Matthew 13:14-15)

Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 6:9-10 here, where God spoke words of judgment against Israel because they refused to hear the truth of God’s word. And so, Jesus is saying here that he uses parables as a teaching vehicle both to conceal and reveal. The parables are meant to conceal truth from those whose hearts are hardened towards God, and they are also meant to reveal truth to those who listen with an open heart and a willing mind.

Jesus goes on to pronounce a blessing on the disciples because their hearts are open to God’s word. Look at verses 16-17:

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For 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.” (Matthew 13:16-17)

Many others before them longed to see and hear the things that were seeing and hearing now. The disciples are blessed because unlike so many in the crowds, their hearts are open to God and his word as they see Jesus’ miracles and hear his teaching.

III. Jesus explains the parable of the sower (18-23)

So, Jesus has told the parable of the sower. The disciples have asked him about the parable. Finally, Jesus goes on to explain the parable to them.

   A. The seed represents the word of God (18-19)

The first thing he explains is what the seed represents in the parable. Look at verses 18-19:

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom….” (Matthew 13:18-19)

The gospel of Matthew calls the seed “the message about the kingdom.” The gospels of Mark and Luke simply call it “the word of God.” And so, sowing the seed represents sharing God’s word with others, especially the message about the kingdom – the gospel, the good news that God sent his Son Jesus into the world to be our Savior. Some people try to equate the sower with Jesus, but we should probably keep it more general than that, so the sower is anyone who shares God’s word with others.

   B. The first three soils represent three hindrances to the gospel

Jesus then goes on to warn about three obstacles, three hindrances that keep people from receiving the word of God as it is sown.

      1) Satan (19)
         – 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Peter 5:8

The first hindrance is Satan. Look at verse 19 again where Jesus says:

“When 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.” (Matthew 13:19)

This means that Satan has the power to take away seeds that we plant. I remember sharing the gospel with a friend in high school. I shared about God and sin and Jesus and the cross, but every time I would get to the point of trusting Christ for salvation, he would say, “I don’t get that part. I just don’t understand it.” What was happening? As soon as the seed was being planted, Satan was taking it away, before he had time to understand or believe.

2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) Satan is the god of this age, and he has blinded the minds of unbelievers to the truth of the gospel.

1 Peter 5:8 says: “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) So, what do you do? God says, “Resist him!” We must stand firm in our faith and firm in prayer against the enemy stealing the seeds sown in other people’s hearts.

Whenever you are witnessing to someone, whenever you are listening to a sermon, whenever an invitation is given, whenever God’s word is preached – pray! Pray for people to hear and receive God’s word. And pray against Satan taking that word away.

Don’t wait until later. Pray right then and there. Why pray right away? Why not wait to pray? Because Satan doesn’t wait. Satan comes immediately to take God’s word away. He doesn’t waste any time, and therefore neither should we.

So, that’s the first obstacle or hindrance to people receiving the gospel – Satan himself.

      2) A false profession of faith (20-21)
         – Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Colossians 2:6-7

The second hindrance is a false profession of faith. Look at verses 20-21:

“The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.” (Matthew 13:20-21)

In this scenario the person professes faith with gladness but then falls away. I have seen this happen a number of times. Someone receives the gospel gladly, they are excited about being a Christian, they start coming to church or Bible study, and then, all of a sudden, something comes up, and they stop.

So, what happened? Jesus says they had no root. It was a false profession. Colossians 2 tells us: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him.” (Colossians 2:6-7) Colossians says that you need to be rooted in Christ, and so a person with no root is a person without Christ.

Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) A surface faith is shallow and superficial. A true profession of faith in Christ comes from your heart. That’s the problem with the group of people represented by the second soil. They only had faith on the surface. And a surface faith is not a saving faith.

So, how do you prevent a false profession of faith in Christ? I don’t believe we can eliminate false professions completely, but there are certain things we can do to make them less common.

First of all, we can help people count the cost of following Jesus. We don’t just present the gospel as a “get out of hell free” card, but we help people understand repentance from sin and the cost of discipleship.

Secondly, we present not just a message but a person. The basic Christian confession is not “I believe a gospel presentation,” but “Jesus is Lord.” We are winning people to Jesus, not to a church or religion.

And then thirdly we can pray for true understanding. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The things that come from the Spirit of God … are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) We need to pray that God would open their hearts to truly understand the gospel and not just repeat a prayer.

I saw a cartoon once. There was a man in the pastor’s office, his head on the desk, obviously troubled, and the pastor had his hand on his shoulder and was saying to him, “Why of course you’re saved, Bill. I prayed the prayer with you myself!”

But you see, that’s the problem. Simply saying a prayer does not make you a Christian. Confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead does. That’s the second hindrance to people receiving the gospel – a false profession of faith.

      3) A worldly focus (22)
         – Proverbs 30:8-9; Matthew 6:21; 1 Timothy 6:9-10

And then the third hindrance to people receiving the gospel is a worldly focus. Look at verse 22:

“The 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.” (Matthew 13:22)

Jesus says here that a worldly focus can choke the word out of a person’s life. And he gives us two examples of what a worldly focus looks like.

First, there are the worries of this life. Some people say, “Well, I would receive Christ, but this is such a bad time. I have so many problems at home, with the kids, with the car, etc. Once I get everything all straightened out, then I’ll come to Christ.” And so, the word gets choked out, because the person gets distracted by the worries of this life.

How do we handle this distraction? We need to help the person focus on God who will help them with the worries of life instead of focusing on the worries of life that keep them from God.

And then the second thing is the deceitfulness of wealth. Think of the rich, young ruler who walked away from Jesus because he could not part with his wealth. That seed got choked out real fast! But you don’t have to be wealthy to get tripped up by this one. The Bible says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) You don’t have to have a lot of money to have your heart set on it.

So, how do we handle this distraction? We need to expose worldly wealth for what it is. The Bible calls it a trap and a snare. (1 Timothy 6:9-10) I’ve always liked the attitude of Agur son of Jakeh in the book of Proverbs who said: “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8-9)

And so, this is the third hindrance to people receiving the gospel – a worldly focus rather than a focus on God.

   C. The good soil represents the growing believer (23)

And then finally we come to the seed that produces a crop in verse 23:

“But 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.” (Matthew 13:23)

The seed in the good soil represents the person who hears God’s word, understands God’s word and then grows in God’s word. Now that’s what we’re looking for! We want to see God’s word take root in people’s hearts, and we want to see people growing in Christ. This last part of the parable would have been especially encouraging for the disciples as they prepared themselves to go forth and preach the gospel.

CONCLUSION: We have covered a lot of application already throughout the message today, but let me close with three overall application points from this first parable in Matthew 13:

1) First of all, be careful how you hear. That is really the main point of the parable. The seed that grows is no different from the seed that lands on the path, or on the rocky ground, or among thorns. It’s all the same seed; it’s all the same message. But you need to receive it with an open heart and a willing mind. Be careful how you hear the word of God.

2) Secondly, sow God’s word wisely. Be a good witness for Christ. Share God’s word with people whenever you can. But do it wisely. Know the three hindrances to the gospel from this parable and guard against them accordingly. Most of all pray that God would prepare people’s hearts to receive his word.

3) And then thirdly, be assured of the harvest. When you share the gospel with others, yes, some of the seed is going to land along the path. Some is going to fall on rocky soil or among the thorns. But some is also going to fall on good soil, and so you may expect that there will indeed be a harvest. Share the gospel, pray for people, and then watch as God does his work. That’s what the parable of the sower is all about.

© Ray Fowler

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