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PARABLE: The Sower

 {PARABLES} The Sower_ 

Matthew 13:1-23_ 

 
Have you ever wondered why / how the SAME message (or book or song) can produce very different results in different people? 
For example, some people just seem to ‘get it’ while others really struggle. 
In the ‘parable of the sower’ Jesus talks about different types of soil in order to tell us why this happens... 

 
[Group discussion starter] Describe a first-hand experience (serious or funny) that you have had with farming or caring for plants. What have you observed about the role of the soil in relation to a plant’s ability to survive? 

 

The parable of the sower is arguably Jesus’ most important parable because it provides more clues, than any other parable, about parables and why / how they work, as well as how they should be interpreted. It’s why we begin this study here! 
This parable is one of only a few that are followed with Jesus’ own interpretation and discussion of the stories contents...  

 
[Read Matthew 13:1-23] 
 

 
Imagine yourself as a farmer or a farmer’s child at the time of Jesus, listening to this story with the rest of the crowd. What immediate responses might you have to Jesus’ use of images of seeds and soil? 
 

 

In verse 10, the disciples ask Jesus, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” How would you summarise his answer (verses 11-16)? 
 

 

How do parables help Jesus’ followers understand his kingdom but hinder the understanding of those who don’t follow him closely (verses 12-17)? 

 

In verses 18-23, Jesus explains the meaning of this parable to his disciples. 
The seed is the message of the kingdom (verse 19). 
Who is the farmer and who is the soil? 

 
 

In his telling of the parable, ‘birds’ destroyed the value of God’s word for the first group of people. Why? What did these hearers lack? 
 

 

What can we do to help people understand God’s message? 
 

 

Verses 20-21 describe the kind of person referred to as ‘stony’ or ‘rocky’ soil. 
What examples have you seen of people who respond this way? 
 

 

How can we avoid this in our own lives and discourage it in the lives of others? 
 

 

What kind of person does the third type of soil describe (verse 22)? 
 

 

How can we avoid being choked by the ‘weeds’ and ‘thorns’ that Jesus mentions? 
 

 

Which of the four kinds of soil do you most identify with? 
Explain. 
 

 

What are some practical examples of how we can become ‘good soil’ (verse 23)?  

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