As a sower began to broadcast seed, some of it fell on the hard-packed soil alongside the path leading through the field. The birds flew down and ate it. Other seed fell on a thin layer of soil covering rock. The seed germinated quickly, but the thin layer of soil made it impossible for a good root system to develop. Subjected to the sun’s intense heat, the sprouted grain dried up. Still other seed fell among thorns, which deprived the sprouting grain of essential growing conditions, choking it. The seed that fell on good soil eventually yielded a harvest one hundred times, sixty times, or thirty times greater than the amount sown. (Matthew 13:3-8; Mark 4:3-8; Luke 8:5-8)

Jesus revealed that his words involved more than just telling a story about a sower and what happened to the seed he broadcast. He called upon those with ears to listen. Jesus wanted the people to listen attentively and to seek to understand the spiritual truths being conveyed. (Matthew 13:9; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8)

The disciples appear to have noted a change in Jesus’ manner of teaching. They later asked him privately why he taught the people with parables. He explained that the parables served to hide the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens from those who chose not to be his disciples. (Matthew 13:10, 11; Mark 4:10, 11; Luke 8:10)

“To you,” said Jesus, “it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it has not been given.” In the case of those who “had” or were in possession of the precious truths Jesus had imparted, more would be given them, and they would come to have an abundance. Persons who did “not have,” failing to recognize the inestimable value of Jesus’ teaching and acting on it, would lose even what they may have had. Their memory of Jesus’ words would not stimulate further reflection and so would convey no real significance to them. (Matthew 13:11, 12; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10)

Continuing, he explained that he spoke in parables to conceal spiritual truths from those who, in their hearts or their inmost selves, really did not want them. They “looked,” but not with the intent of seeing. They “heard,” but did not hear or listen responsively. They did not comprehend. In their case, the words of the prophet Isaiah found fulfillment or applied, “Hearing, you will hear and not comprehend. And looking, you will look and not perceive. For the heart [mind] of this people has become dull. And, with difficulty, their ears have heard, and they have shut their eyes so that they may never see with their eyes and hear with their ears and comprehend with their heart [mind] and turn around, and I would heal them.” (Matthew 13:13-15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10)

These words of Isaiah (6:9, 10, LXX) indicate that the people deliberately shut their eyes and closed their ears, refusing to draw the correct conclusions from what they saw and heard. Instead of turning around, coming to repentance, they persisted in their unbelief or faithlessness and lost out on the healing available to them. Although hearing the parables Jesus related and seeing his works, they remained without understanding.

As for his disciples, he indicated that they were fortunate or in an enviable situation. Their eyes did see, and their ears did hear. “Amen (truly), I say to you,” Jesus continued, “Many prophets and righteous ones wanted to see what you are seeing and did not see [it], and to hear what you are hearing and did not hear [it].” Prophets and godly persons in the past looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, and the disciples enjoyed close association with him, hearing his teaching, witnessing his miracles, and experiencing his compassion and love. (Matthew 13:16, 17)

Unlike the unbelieving people, the disciples wanted to understand Jesus’ words. Discerning that his disciples would not comprehend other parables without his telling them the meaning of the one about the results from the sower’s work, Jesus gave them the explanation. (Mark 4:13)

The “seed” is the “word of the kingdom” or the “word of God” (the message that related to God’s royal realm and his appointed king, Jesus Christ, his unique Son). People who heard the message but whose “heart” or inmost self remained unaffected would lose all benefits. In their case, the circumstances would be comparable to seed falling on hard-packed soil alongside the path and which seed birds swooped down to eat. Although having heard the message, the individuals involved would never really think about it and then respond positively. Distracted by the traffic running through their lives or by constant activity, they would remain impervious to God’s word or message. Their heart or inner self would prove to be like the trampled-upon path and soil on both sides of it. The wicked one, Satan, or the devil would snatch the word from their heart, preventing them from believing the message that had been lost to them. Consequently, they would not be saved from divine wrath and would not gain the real life of a never-ending relationship with the Father, which relationship was only available through the Son. (Matthew 13:18, 19; Mark 4:14, 15; Luke 8:11, 12)

There are those whose response to the word is comparable to the sprouting of seed from a thin layer of soil covering rock. They accept the message with joy or an initial burst of great enthusiasm, but they do not truly give it serious consideration or appreciatively reflect on its inestimable value. The message does not become part of their deep inner self, merely proving to be like sprouting grain without essential roots. Theirs is an emotional surface acceptance of the word. Then, when faced with distress or persecution because of having believed the message, they are stumbled or give up, no longer letting it influence any aspect of their lives. (Matthew 13:20, 21; Mark 4:16, 17; Luke 8:13)

In its impact on individuals who give in to worries or daily anxieties about making a living, who desire to become rich, or who become preoccupied with pleasures, the message is like sprouting seed that the thorns choke. They may believe the word for a time and be positively affected by it. Eventually, though, the anxieties of life, the desire for riches, or pleasure seeking crowd out the desire to live a life of faith as loyal disciples of God’s Son. The end result is no fruit in the form of words and deeds based on acceptance of the word. (Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:18, 19; Luke 8:14)

All who accept the word and for whom it comes to be a precious deposit in their inmost selves are like good soil where the seed can sprout, grow, flourish, and produce fruit. Even for good soil, however, productivity may vary, with yields of thirty, sixty, and a hundred times the amount sown. Numerous factors beyond one’s control can affect what one may be able to do in advancing the cause of Christ. Nevertheless, the evidence of being a genuine disciple of God’s Son should be discernible from the expressions being made and the kind of life being lived. (Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:20; Luke 8:15)