Parable of the Sower

May 10
 Think About It …
• What do you do to keep your house plants
alive?

• Jesus uses an object lesson about plants and

farming.
– He makes a spiritual application
– What makes for good spiritual growth?
Listen for different kinds of treatments
which affect plant growth.
Mark 4:3-9 (NIV) "Listen! 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. [5] 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.
Listen for different kinds of treatments
which affect plant growth.
[7] Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up
and choked the plants, so that they did not
bear grain. [8] Still other seed fell on good soil.
It came up, grew and produced a crop,
multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred
times." [9] Then Jesus said, "He who has ears
to hear, let him hear."
 Truth Offered to All
• Who do you think Jesus was implying for the
meaning of the symbol of the farmer?
• What do you think the “seed” symbolized?
• Into what various places did the seed fall?
• What happened to the seed in these four
locations?
 Truth Offered
Consider
Consider that to ififAll
that even
even people
people speak
speak
Karena
Karena Allah
Allah begitu
begitu mengasihi English,
mengasihi manusia
manusia diwe
English,
di we sometimes
sometimes
dunia
dunia ini, use
use religious
ini, sehingga
sehingga religious
Ia
Ia memberikan
memberikan
Anak-Nya
Anak-Nya yang
yang tunggal,
tunggal, supaya jargon
jargon
supaya setiap
setiap which
which
orang
orang has
yang
yang little
little meaning
meaning to
haspercayakepada-Nya
percayakepada-Nya to tidak
tidak
binasa,
binasa, melainkan the
the hearer.
hearer.
melainkan mendapat
mendapat hidup
hidup sejati
sejati dan
dan kekal.
kekal.

• You have not heard the gospel

message before and someone
comes and gives you the
good news of John 3:16.

• Why has this “seed” been snatched away?

 Truth Offered to All
• What other events snatch the “seed” of God’s
words away before they can even make an
impression on one’s heart and mind?
• What are some “thorns” that tend to choke
out a person’s faith in the words of God?
• What circumstances have a tendency to
“scorch” someone’s trust in scriptural Truth?
Listen for why Jesus spoke in parables.
Mark 4:10-12 (NIV) When he was alone, the
Twelve and the others around him asked him
about the parables. [11] He told them, "The
secret of the kingdom of God has been given
to you. But to those on the outside everything
is said in parables [12] so that, " 'they may be
ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever
hearing but never understanding; otherwise
they might turn and be forgiven!'"
 Insight when You Seek Truth
• How did the disciples respond to the Parable
of the Four Soils?
• How did Jesus defend His use of parables?
• How do stories and illustrations help us to
understand more clearly the message of the
Bible?
• Why do you think Jesus considered Isaiah’s
words relevant to His preaching about the
kingdom of God?
 Insight when You Seek Truth
• Knowing that most of the men in the crowd
were farmers and Jesus used an illustration
from farming, why did many in the audience
not understand His message?
• Why do you think Jesus explained the “secret”
only to his disciples and not to the crowds in
general?
Listen for the symbolism of the story
explained.
Mark 4:13-20 (NIV) Then Jesus said to them,
"Don't you understand this parable? How then
will you understand any parable? [14] The
farmer sows the word. [15] Some people are
like seed along the path, where the word is
sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes
and takes away the word that was sown in
them. [16] Others, like seed sown on rocky ,
hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
Listen for the symbolism of the story
explained.
[17] But since they have no root, they last only a
short time. When trouble or persecution
comes because of the word, they quickly fall
away. [18] Still others, like seed sown among
thorns, hear the word; [19] but the worries of
this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the
desires for other things come in and choke the
word, making it unfruitful. [20] Others, like
seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept
it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a
hundred times what was sown."
 Growth when You Receive Truth

• According to verse 13, what problem did this

exchange bring up?
• What did Jesus want us to understand about
God from this parable?
• How do you determine what kind of “soil”
represents you?
 Growth when You Receive Truth
• How can you make sure that the worries of
life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the other
desires of the world will not choke the life out
of your Christian walk?
• What can you do—and not do—to make the
message “take root” when you teach or tell
others about Christ?
• According to our passages today, what can you
do to increase your fruit as a Christian?
 Application
• In what area of your life do you need to start
listening to God?
– Is there something which you are worrying about?
– Is there something God wants you to start (or
stop) doing?
– What promises does God want to impress upon
you right now?
 Application
• Pray for people in your circle of acquaintances
who need to have the seed of the word fall on
“good ground”?
– They have heard the Gospel message
– They are struggling with issues which tend to
confuse them about God’s Truth.
– Keep sowing the seed
 Application
• Pray for the proclamation of the Gospel in
areas of the world where it has never been
heard before
– Pray that the Truth falls on “good ground”
– Pray that Satan’s efforts to snatch away the “seed”
will be thwarted
– Pray that their lives will demonstrate much fruit
(Fruit of the Spirit).
Parable of the Sower

May 10