Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

The Parable of the Sower is Intended to Encourage Us

One of Christ's best known parables is the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23; Mark 4:3-9, 13-20; Luke 8:4-8, 11-15). This, of course, is the parable in which the Sower (Christ) scatters the seed (God's Word) on four different kinds of soil (hearers/receivers of the Word). It is well known that only the fourth soil bears an abundant crop. The previous three do not. The seed along the hardened path which the birds eat up is the person who hears the Word but does not understand. The devil takes the Word away. The seed on the rocky, shallow soil, which immediately springs up but then whithers when the sun scorches it is the person who hears the Word, receives it with joy, but then falls way when persecution or suffering comes. The seed scattered among the thorns, which begins to grow but then is choked by the weeds, is the person who hears the Word but then the cares, riches and pleasures of life take precedence and chokes the spiritual life.

The real question is, is this parable intended to be prescriptive or descriptive? The usual interpretation sees it as prescriptive: that Christ intends the parable to motivate Christians to be the good soil and not be the three inferior soils. This interpretation sees the parable as imperative or command (even though there is not one imperative or command anywhere in the parable), as if Christ were saying through it, "Be the good soil!"

But this is not right. The parable is intended to be primarily descriptive. It describes for us not what should be but what will be. It tells us that from the beginning of the kingdom of God to the end, whenever or wherever the Word of God is preached, the Word will be received in one of these four ways. Sometimes the Word will be received in faith and understanding and bear long term fruit. But more often, the Word will not be received the way we all hope and will not bear the fruit we expect. Is this depressing? Yes! But it is intended to be encouraging.

How so? By this parable Jesus wanted to prepare His Church and her pastors and show them beforehand what kind of success they could expect for the preaching of the Word. There will be sucess, praise God! But more often, far more often, there will not be. Such was the case in Jesus' ministry (as we see in the Gospels), such was the case for the apostles, and such has always been the case for the Christian Church. This parable is encouraging precisely for those congregations and pastors who are greatly discouraged over the seeming failure of their ministry. It encourages them to be realistic about the kind of growth to expect. It tells them that if they are faithfully proclaiming God's Word, the problem is not them, but the sinful nature of man.

February 1999

© Dr. Richard P. Bucher