Parable of the Sower: There Went Out a Sower to Sow – Sow to Grow Part Five.
The Parable of the Sower is one of the most famous parables in the Bible. Mark explains its significance for evangelism.
The Miracle of Growth
The words of Jesus are recorded for us in Mark 4:3
Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.
Mark 4:3
W.E. Johns states,
One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.
W.E. Johns
It can be exciting to be involved in planting a garden and watching the miracle of it grow. But do we feel the same way as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, when we share the word of God with others and wait to see the results? If we are honest, most of us would admit that we don’t have any expectations. Maybe this is a big reason why we see so few conversions; we lack faith and intent in doing what the Lord has called us to do.
Seed Sowing
Seed sowing is an intentional action. The farmer sets out scattering with the purpose of the seeds geminating in the soil, taking root, growing healthy, and at the time of harvest gathering more than he scattered. His goal is to get more out than what he put into it. This requires effort on his part, determination, desire and drive. He must get out of bed in the morning with his heart set on doing this specific job. He puts on his work clothes, prepares his equipment, loads the seed, and sets out for the field.
For any of us, when a task is set before us, we have choices to make and our amount of determination to complete it will decide how effective we are in getting the job done.
Jesus and the Parable of the Sower
Jesus was by the seaside and many people started to gather to hear Him speak. He began teaching a parable about a sower sowing seed:
Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Mark 4:3-9
He begins by saying, “A Sower went out to sow…” Who is the sower? When Jesus explains to his disciples the meaning of the parable in verses 14-20, He tells them that the seed is the word of God, therefore the sower is an evangelist.
The Word Evangelist
For most people, when they hear the word “evangelist,” they at once think of it as a title, an occupation or a position that requires certain qualifications; to effectively evangelize you must be educationally and dynamically endowed. This is a very sad view. The spread of the gospel has been hindered because many believers in Christ have adapted their minds to this way of thinking.
When the Lord Jesus commissioned His disciples in Mark 16:15,
Go into all the world and preach the gospel…
Mark 16:15
He certainly did not add any stipulations to this command. The great thing about Jesus having said this to His disciples, was that he said it to people who were notably uneducated theologically, and according to the religious standards at the time, they were unqualified to preach or teach anything.
The Eleven Disciples and Evangelism
For example, some of the eleven disciples were fishers by trade, one a tax collector… this tells us these were ordinary men.
In the Book of Acts we read,
The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13
If Jesus had pulled a few men aside, perhaps only disciples like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea who had a theological education and commissioned only them with these words, how different Christian history would have ended up! Thankfully the Lord delivered His great commission to a mixed crowd of disciples from various backgrounds and experiences.
As we read through the book of Acts, we see the evidence that all who believed in the Lord Jesus submitted to His command. Even converted gentiles, who according to Jews, had no right to handle God’s word, they also evangelized.
Evangelism in Isaiah
The Old Testament prophet Isaiah said,
…I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And God said, “Go, and say to this people…”
Isaiah 6:8,9
The Lord gave the prophet Isaiah a vision of His heavenly throne room, and as Isaiah was seeing things not intended for mere men to look upon, he felt the insecurity of his sinful condition, he said
“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
An angelic being called a seraphim, flew to him holding a live coal plucked from heavens burning alter, and touched his mouth with it, and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” and at once Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord say; “whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Without hesitation and boldness, Isaiah commissioned himself saying, “here am I, send me!”
God does not begin by asking our ability, only our availability, and if we prove our dependability, He will increase our capability.
Neal A. Maxwell
Isaiah could have hesitated; amid seraphim’s, these heavenly beings, who existed in the presence of God, maybe they would have responded to the call, it would make more sense that Israel would listen to them. But no, Isaiah didn’t look to his left or right, to see if there was anyone else who might answer or be better qualified; he knew that when the Lord removed his guilt and forgave his sin, he was fully equipped for the task.
New Testament Believers
This is a wonderful picture for us as New Testament believers. What a perfect parallel of what the Lord Jesus did for us cleansing us of our sin.
…you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:11
Do we respond like Isaiah? Do we hesitate? “Is God really wanting to send me?” we might ask ourselves. If we feel we aren’t qualified to answer the call, then we must ask ourselves if we really believe that what Jesus did on the cross did clear us of our guilt and cleansed us of our sin. The answer to that puts us in a corner, doesn’t it? We don’t have an excuse. The great commission was not just for pastors, missionaries, elders and itinerant preachers but it is a call for all who believe on Christ.
Public Preaching and Evangelism
Another stigma is thinking that the only way the great commission can be carried out is by public preaching, this thought is a misunderstanding. Sowing God’s word and being a witness for Christ can be just as effective privately, one-on-one.
The word “preach” can also be translated; “proclaim,” or “publish.” Using social media, handing out gospel tracks, in casual conversation with co-workers, classmates, or neighbors, are all means of proclaiming the word.
Helpers in Spreading the Truth
John wrote in his third epistle another example of being used by the Lord encouraging Gaius, the recipient of his letter, to give hospitality to those who minister the word of God and in so doing he is a
fellow helper for the truth.
III John v 8
God does not send us out to do a task without enabling us, He has promised to give every believer His Spirit, to dwell in them and empower them. Note how He empowers us in the following passages:
Empowered to teach
..the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:26
For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
Luke 12:12
Empowered in knowledge:
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…
John 16:13
Empowered to understand:
When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.
1 Corinthians 2:13
Empowered by God’s love:
God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5
Empowered with inner strength:
..according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…
Ephesians 3:16
Empowered Wisdom:
..words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
1 Corinthians 2:13
What more would we need to carry out the task? Why would we hesitate to answer the call?
Assigned Different Tasks
Paul depicts the way God assigns believers different tasks in a united effort through agriculture. He sees himself as the evangelist who sows the word of God and Apollos as the one who waters the seed, encouraging growth in discipleship.
They do their part as a team recognizing that God is the one who is in control, giving the increase. We should not have the mind that a member within a body of believers works independently. There is joy to be reaped in working together in the Lord’s work.
The Lord Jesus needs sowers in His kingdom; to spread the seed of God’s word.
Who will go for Him?
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
Romans 10:14
Like the farmer we need to get out into the field to do the work, faithfully expecting results from the seed we have sown.
Wait to see what the Lord will do.
Is the Parable of the Sower relevant today? What do you think? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
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