The Parable of the Sower
Luke 8
1After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to
another, proclaiming the good news of the
4While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus
from town after town, he told this parable: 5"A farmer went out
to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it
was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6Some fell on
rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7Other
seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8Still
other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times
more than was sown."
When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him
hear."
9His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He
said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the
" 'though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not
understand.'[1]
11"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of
God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the
devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not
believe and be saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive
the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a
while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that
fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they
are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But
the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good
heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.