AVBC - Sunday - 09/20/26 - Sermon Title: “The Sower” - Matthew 13:3-23 - “The Parables of Jesus” – Sermon Series – (Part 3 of 6)

 Sunday 09/20/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church

Sermon Title: “The Sower” - Matthew 13:3-23 - “The Parables of Jesus” – Sermon Series – (Part 3 of 6)

(Cover Picture – The Sower – Parables of Jesus – Matthew 13:3-23 - Picture)  

          For the last two Sundays, we have been discussing “parables” or stories that Jesus told in the gospels. These stories were given by Jesus to connect to everyday people like us, but also to show us who He was and is as Lord and Savior. So far, we have talked about the parable of the “Prodigal Son,” and last Sunday I talked briefly about the parable of “The Good Samaritan.”

          This morning though, I want to talk about another great parable of Jesus, called the parable of “The Sower”. As I said a couple of weeks ago, the Bible was written in a world that was mostly agricultural. Most people farmed, fished, could not read, and knew how to grow food and live off the land. As a result, many of Jesus’ parables speak to a world that was very agricultural. Since our country has significantly less people in agriculture or farming today than one hundred years ago, and especially two hundred years ago, it is important that we read Christ’s parables in a way that everyone can understand now in 2026.

          The parable of “The Sower” is talking about planting. In fact, the Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines the word “Sower” this way:

“A sower is a person, machine, or tool that scatters or plants seeds in the ground for growth” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sower).

My guess is that most farmers in the United States are not planting there fielding by hand or “sowing” the seeds. Meaning, I don’t think most farmers in 2026 are throwing seeds on the soil. Instead, they probably have tractors and machines that do this. When I was a little boy, my Grandpa Winkelman would marvel at the amount a corn that an acre of land could yield, and how perfect and straight the rows of corns were. The way the corn was planted had progressed quite a bit for my late Grandpa Winkelman from the 1930s to the 1990s.

          For those that plant gardens and or grow flowers though, we know all about planting seeds and bulbs. In some cultures, though, it was not uncommon to toss a lot of seed on the soil for certain crops, to help ensure a large harvest. The crop itself then would not look nearly as perfect as many of the crop fields we see around here and in much of the developed world. There are still countries and places in the undeveloped world though where plows are still used and where seeds are still planted manually, or with simple tools or machinery. I have sown grass seed by hand before, but even with that there are devices and machines that will even sow even those now! At one church that I pastored we used a push lawn spreader to spread salt on the ice in the winter! It was so much easier than spreading cups full of salt!

          For farmers, even today there is much to consider. The cost and maintenance of equipment, fertilizer, the cost of seed, etc. Further, how much of the seed you sow will grow? Who here grows vegetables in the summer, and every single seed you plant always grows? I did some research, because I am a nerd, and the research said as a massive average, seed that is still good will germinate 85%-95% of the time when properly planted and cared for. From the research that I have done, in the first century that Jesus lived in 30%-50% of seeds, would germinate or grow. Further, people did not generally buy seeds from a store or order them to be delivered like they do today. Instead, farmers kept seeds for the next year. You would keep some corn kernels, or beans, or wheat seeds, etc. to plant for the next spring. If your seeds rotted, got some sort of fungus in them, or were eaten, you would have nothing to sow in your fields and gardens. Imagine if you grew all your own food and your seeds for this coming spring’s 2027 planting were no good? What would you do?

(The Sower – Jesus’ Arm - Picture) 

          For all these reasons and others, when Jesus told the parable or story of “The Sower,” people listened and understood. For sowing seeds and property storing seeds for the next year could literally be the difference between life and death. In fact, one of my favorite pictures of “The Sower,” who is Jesus himself, portrays His arm flinging seeds onto fertile soil. Or in our case flinging seeds of faith that will hopefully grow in our hearts and our souls.

          Many communities still have “Harvest Festivals” or big dinners, often in October, for that is when so much of the food for season has come in. An abundance, a feast, a large harvest dinner. Jesus knew his crowd, as many of them were in agriculture, but what He is teaching in His parables is still 100% relevant today. Imagine for a minute though, if Jesus came to this earth in this century and not 2,000 years ago. Imagine me preaching on the completely made up parable of “The I-Phone?” It might sound like this:

“There were two people, who both had I-Phones. Where they were someone was hungry and in pain. One person kept looking at their I-Phone, but the other put down the I-phone and fed and helped the person. Which person with I-Phone do you think was greater?” Then Jesus would say, “The one who put down there I-Phone and fed and helped the person hungry and in pain. For it is like this in the Kingdom of God”

 

          While the parable of “The Sower” is in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, I chose the telling of this parable from the gospel of Matthew for this morning. We hear in Matthew 13:1-23, once again:

The Parable of the Sower

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ² And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³ And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow (Mt. 13:1-2, RSV).

 

          After our scripture reading from Matthew 13:3-23 for this morning, Jesus will then give or tell the parable of the “Wheat and Tares” or “Wheat and Weeds”. Jesus will also give the parable of “The Mustard Seed,” and the parable of “The Yeast” in Matthew 13. Jesus taught about 30-40 parables in the gospels, depending on some that some may or may not be consider to be a parable. To put this in context, we are talking about just six of Jesus’ parables or stories in this sermon series.

          Picking back in Matthew 13:4, Jesus had just told us that a “A sower went out to sow in Matthew 13:3. Starting in 13:4, we hear, once again:

⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶ but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹ He who has ears, let him hear”                     (Mt. 13:4-8, RSV).

 

          While Jesus is talking about sowing seeds to grow food, the larger meaning here is sowing seeds of faith. So that the gospel of Jesus Christ may sprout in our hearts and grow abundantly. If we sow seeds, the of the gospel of Christ, imagine what the spiritual harvest could be?

          The disciples in Matthew 13:10 right after the parable of “The Sower” ask Jesus why speaks to them in parables. In Matthew 13:11 the scripture picks up saying:

The Purpose of the Parables

¹¹ And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says:

 

‘You shall indeed hear but never understand,
    and you shall indeed see but never perceive.
¹⁵ For this people’s heart has grown dull,
    and their ears are heavy of hearing,
    and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should perceive with their eyes,
    and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
    and turn for me to heal them.’

 

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

 

          If the seeds of the gospel of Jesus Christ, of Christ’s love never grow in us, then we will never have spiritual growth or a harvest through Him. Blessed though are those that see and hear what Jesus is truly saying. For when we grow closer to Christ, we see more and more of His glory, and we can live it out in the world in powerful ways!

(What Soil Is You Heart? – Matthew 13:3-23 - Picture) 

          After this, our Matthew 13:3-23 reading concludes with Jesus, once again, explaining His parable of “The Sower”. Picking up in the gospel of Matthew 13:18 we hear once again:

The Parable of the Sower Explained

¹⁸ “Hear then the parable of the sower. ¹⁹ When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. ²⁰ As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. ²² As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²³ As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty”                (Mt, 13:18-23, RSV).

 

          The analogies of sowing seeds on rocky ground, the path, among thorns, or on good soil is all about us receiving Jesus. Following Christ then, is something that we must not just decide to, but something that we must pursue. Sometimes we will be in the valleys, on the mountain top, and everything in-between. Through Christ though, if His gospel, His hope, and His love falls on the fertile soil of our hearts, then our faith will grow and flourish!

(Which Soil Are You? – Matthew 13:1-23 - Picture) 

          Which soil are you then? Do we choose to be the good soil? It is not always easy, but our faith and what God can use us to do, can create a spiritual harvest that sometimes we can’t even imagine!

(Choosing To Be Good Soil – Matthew 13:23 - Picture) 

          How does this parable of Jesus, this story of “The Sower” connect to our lives today? Here is how:

In Matthew 13:3–23 (the Parable of the Sower), Jesus uses four types of soil to show how people respond to God's word. Here are the key application points for each soil type:

 

1.     The Path (Hardened Heart)

 

·         The Condition: The seed sits on top of packed ground because the heart is closed, and Satan easily snatches the message away.

·         Application Point: Guard against a hardened heart. Ask God to break up uncultivated or bitter areas in your life caused by past hurts, pride, or habitual sin so that truth can actually penetrate.

 

2. Rocky Places (Shallow Heart)

·         The Condition: The seed sprouts fast with emotional excitement, but it has no deep roots, so trouble or persecution makes the person quit.

·         Application Point: Move beyond surface-level emotion. Build deep spiritual roots through consistent prayer, Bible study, and Christian community so your faith survives hard times.

 

3. Among Thorns (Distracted Heart)

·         The Condition: The plant grows, but everyday worries and the love of money choke out the spiritual life, leaving it lifeless and without fruit.

·         Application Point: Perform spiritual weed control. Actively prune out excessive anxieties, materialism, and busy distractions that crowd God out of your daily schedule.

 

4. Good Soil (Receiving Heart)

·         The Condition: The person hears, understands, holds fast to the word, and produces an abundant harvest.

·         Application Point: Cultivate a receptive, obedient life. Focus on action—letting God's truth change your daily choices to produce love, kindness, and spiritual fruit in your community.

 

Brothers and sisters, what kind of spiritual soil is in our hearts? Amen,