The Parable of the Soils

Our blessed Lord was truly a Master Teacher!  He made regular use of teaching by way of parables.  A parable is an earthly story which teaches some heavenly or spiritual lesson.  Many of Jesus’ parables were but descriptions of His Heavenly Kingdom, which He was about to bring forth based on New Testament Gospel realities. 

Now as the story is told, several things become clear. One, nothing is said about the sower and his skill and the sower is the same in every case. There's only one sower here. And nothing is really said to distinguish the seed. It's not the problem that there was a different sower in each case, or that there was a different seed, it becomes very clear that the sower is not really the issue, the seed is not the issue, the issue is what? The soil.. So it has to be explained that the soil is a representation of the hearer's heart condition.

The Parable of the Soils is an important one since it helps to interpret (or shed understanding on) all other parables.  In this parable, Jesus uses the illustration of a farmer casting seed across his field.  The seed represents the Word of God [which is always Good Seed] as it is communicated either by print or by the public proclamation of the Gospel.  As the seed falls, it falls upon four types of individuals' hearts.  Only one responds to the Gospel in a saving, evangelical manner.  The others, however, are not saved and will perish due to a lack of genuine Gospel faith in the Saviour.

 A brief description of each hearer is provided here:

v     The First Ground Hearers—The Way Side Hearers—are those who hear the Word and reject it due to Satanic activities.  They hear it and reject it so often they become hard-hearted to the demands of the Gospel and the convictions of the Holy Spirit.  They begin to “toy and tinker” with their minds, rejecting any idea of a Supreme Being and begin to live a life as if there is no God nor a judgment to come.

v     The Second Ground Hearers—The “Fair-Weather” Believers—are those who hear the Word and receive it with great joy, great emotion, and great interest. They may even get baptized, join a church, and—like a shooting star—last only for a season.  Persecutions, trials, and offenses due to the cross cause them to get offended and they walk no more with Christ, nor His people.  Some may call such persons “carnal Christians” but scripture reveals that these individuals are lost.

v     The Third Ground Hearers—The Cluttered Ground Hearers—are those who hear the Word and also receive it, but bear no fruit unto perfection.  The message of the Gospel must compete with the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of this world.  This person has no time for God, the Scriptures, the Church, nor for living to the glory of God.  In time, the pull and tug of this world chokes the Word and they too fall away.

v     The Fourth Ground Hearers—The Genuine, Fruitful Believers—are those who hear the Word, are regenerated by God the Spirit, and thus are given a new heart that is able to understand, receive, and keep the Word.  In time and despite the trials, persecutions, and the offenses of the cross, these believers will persevere until they cross Jordan into the Celestial City.

 I have had the privilege of preaching this parable on two other occasions.  However, this series is a more expanded treatment of the Soil.  My hope and prayer is that it will bless the hearts of the saved and awaken those who currently have no concern for their souls!

 --Bob Spagnuolo

The Parable of The Soil

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