Parables are unique -- they are more than stories; more than illustrations; they have great depth of meaning. Why did Jesus begin to speak in parables?
In Matthew 12 of the same day the pharisees confronted him several times without seeing what God was doing -- he healed the man with the shriveled hand; he delivered a man from demons and the pharisees said it did it by the power of Satan; they asked for signs and he said the only sign they were get was the sign of Jonah. Time after time the pharisees refused to believe and just wanted Jesus to follow their rules. He was done. So, he began to speak in parables.
30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." Matthew 12:30-31
We should read a parable looking for what is surprising about God's grace to us in that parable.
Explanation of the parable:
Path:
The seeds that fell on the path: when we have a mindset of the "path" or "road" we are hard-hearted. We refuse to believe even though the evidence is all around us.
"20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." Romans 1:20
Rocky Soil:
Emotion based -- not belief
Jumping on the bandwagon -- a fan, not a follower
Love the highs -- can't handle the lows.
Weeds:
They don't finish; Jesus is no longer first. No time for Jesus. They started out great but then they chose the world over Jesus: no relationship, no fruit.
Good Soil:
Accepts the seed. The full cycle: acceptance, growth, maturity, fruit. A field that yields to grain is soft.
We need to feed the seed with the Word of God; prayer, fellowship, testimony. Weeds will come but we need to keep pulling them out. Some are harder to get rid of. Just keep doing it though. We have to be intentional in order to grow. We gotta do the work. Intentional and specific. The sower scattered the seed everywhere because God loves everyone. He wants everyone.
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.' John 3:16