Parables of Jesus Christ

The scriptures

• Matthew 13:3-23
• Mark 4:1-20
• Luke 8:4-15

The setting

• We've covered this quite it depth already
• Briefly though
• The setting is by the seashore
• Outside of the house
• Possibly the house in Capernaum, his city

The setting

• It's by the sea of Galilee
• Jesus enters a boat and sat down to teach
• The people are standing on the seashore
• Matthew 13:1-2; Mark 4:1-2
• Luke emphasizes that many people came

The setting

• So Jesus is sitting
• The people are standing
• Many have come from the cities
• They've come to hear him teach

The moral

• All parables have a major moral truth
• They may have subordinate truths also
• This is how it is with the "sower and the seed"
• The moral is seen in the following

All who sow the seed of the Word of God have to recognize that there are different responses in the hearts of the hearers

The moral

• The fault is not the seed
• The fault is in the ground
• The ground is the hearers heart
• Results depend on their attitude to the seed
• This is the major moral truth of the parable

The moral

• There are many other supplemental truths
• We'll see these more as we go deeper

The key to all Parables

• This one's more easy to understand
• Jesus interpreted it for us
• First we have to realize that it is the "key"
• The disciples are alone with Jesus and ask him
• Mark 4:13 - implies you have to get this one first

The key to all Parables

• Understanding how Jesus interpreted the parable
• This is how we get clues to the rest
• Jesus takes most of the parts and interprets them
• He shows the symbolic significance and truth in them
• There is one central truth and many supplemental parts

The Exposition of the Parable

• The Sower
• Each gospel says "a sower"
• Jesus doesn't interpret who this is
• We can surmise it is Jesus in this case
• He is the sower of sowers - Mat 13:37

The Exposition of the Parable

• The Sower
• We could apply Psalm 126:5-6 here
• Jesus came weeping over Jerusalem
• But he will come again, rejoicing
• This parable speaks of sowing, not reaping

The Exposition of the Parable

• The Sower
• Could be believers 
• Paul says one sows another reaps(1 Cor 3:6-9)
• God gives the increase
• John 4:35-38 - sower and reaper rejoicing together

The Exposition of the Parable

• The Seed
• This part was interpreted by Jesus
• The seed is the Word!
• Mark 4:14-20 the sower sows?
• Matthew 13:19-23 the sower sows?

The Exposition of the Parable

• The Seed
• Luke 8:11-13, 15 the sower sows?
• The emphasis of this parable is "the word"
• In Greek "logos"
• 1 Peter 1:23 - "born again...by the Word of God"

The Exposition of the Parable

• The Seed
• 1 Peter 1:23 also says the seed in incorruptible
• There's nothing wrong with the seed
• Through this seed you can be born again into the Kingdom
• There is no fault in the seed! It is the word of God!

The Exposition of the Parable

• The Soil
• Jesus interprets this for us also
• Symbolizes the human heart
• Matt 13:19; Mark 4:15; Luke 8:12, 15
• Condition of the heart determines response

The Exposition of the Parable

• The Soil
• The heart condition is mentioned in
• Isa 6:9-10 and Matt 13:14-15
• There is no fault in the seed
• The problem is the soil - the heart of the hearer

The Exposition of the Parable

• The Soil
• Each kind of soil had the same seed
• Matthew says "he that received the seed"
• Matt 13:19, 20, 22, 23
• The seed brought different responses

The Exposition of the Parable

• The Soil
• Jesus mentions 4 kinds of soil
• 4 kinds of heart conditions
• 4 kinds of responses
• There is no mistake in interpretation here

The Exposition of the Parable

• It seems it comes down to 4 things
• receptivity
• response
• reaction
• results

The Exposition of the Parable

• The wayside hearer Mat 13:4, 19
• Each synoptic Gospel speaks of this kind
• Every congregation has these people
• It's a condition of the heart

The Exposition of the Parable

• Some characteristics of the wayside hearer
• They hear the word - It is only surface hearing
• The word doesn't sink down into their ears(Luke 9:44)
• The word goes in one ear and out the other
• They had ears physically to hear but not spiritually

The Exposition of the Parable

• They don't "understand" the word(Mat 13:19)
• There is no comprehension
• Instead of being enlightened (Eph 1:18)
• Their understanding is darkened (Eph 4:18)
• The seed is trodden under foot

The Exposition of the Parable

• It is the:
• wicked on(Matthew)
• Satan(Mark)
• the devil(Luke)
• The fowls of the air, catch away the seed

The Exposition of the Parable

• Satan and evil spirits are always there
• To make sure the word doesn't get into our hearts
• Birds of: doubt, unbelief, criticism, pride, and others
• The seed is taken away immediately
• There is no chance or time for results in the heart

The Exposition of the Parable

• The word is taken out of their heart
• Lest they should believe and be saved
• They were never really converted or obedient
• Their heart is: hard, unbroken, unresponsive
• As a result there are no results

The Exposition of the Parable

• The sower must still sow
• There's nothing wrong with the seed
• The heart of the wayside hearer is at fault
• It is open to satan to come and snatch away the seed

The Exposition of the Parable

• The Stony Ground Hearer
• Each of the Synoptics talk of this
• Much of the ground in Middle East is Stony
• The hearers would certainly understand this
• They hear the word and receive it with joy

The Exposition of the Parable

• Simon is an example of this - Acts 8:9-20
• Stony places don't have much earth
• Shallowness is their characteristic
• Allows seed to spring up quickly
• Receive the word with joy and gladness

The Exposition of the Parable

• Its an immediate response
• To quick to really last
• The stony place has no depth
• They have a surface, emotional experience
• The stony places are scorched by the sun

The Exposition of the Parable

• The scorching by the sun is interpreted
• Tribulation, persecution, affliction, temptation
• The heat is applied
• If there was more depth it wouldn't be as affected

The Exposition of the Parable

• The seed here has no root, it soon withers
• Eph 3:17; Col 2:7
• The root is the foundation
• They have no root in themselves
• They endure for a short time.

The Exposition of the Parable

• They are finally offended
• They stumble and do not last for very long
• Psalms 119:165; Mat 11:6
• Luke 17:1 - Offences come in serving God
• Deep love for the word will overcome this

The Exposition of the Parable

• Luke 8:6 The stony ground lacks moisture
• They are different from the wayside hearer
• They hear the word and receive it
• They are excited about it
• They respond and even believe it

The Exposition of the Parable

• They have no depth in their experience
• There is no deep root in their relationship w/God
• They are a shallow believer
• When pressure, trials, and persecution come
• They don't last long, they are easily offended

They fall away, all because of a lack of deep love for the Lord and for his word.
Psalm 42:1

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