Matthew 13:18-23 - The Parable Of The Sower Interpreted

¹⁸ "Listen then, to the parable of the sower. ¹⁹ "Whenever any one hears the message of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. ²⁰ "This is the seed sown by the wayside. And the word, and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ "But he has no root in himself; he continues for a time, but when trouble arises, or persecutions, on account of the word, at once he stumbles and falls. ²² "And the seed sown among thorns is he who hears the word, but the anxieties of the age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²³ "But the seed sown in good soil is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit, and makes now an hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty."

¹³ "You do not understand this parable," said Jesus. "Then how will you understand the other parables? ¹⁴ "What the Sower sows is the Word. There are those 'on the wayside' where the Word is sown. ¹⁵ As soon as they hear it, Satan immediately comes and snatches away the Word which has been sown in them. ¹⁶ And like the sowing upon 'stony ground' are those who, whenever they hear the Word, at once receive it with joy, ¹⁷ but because they have no root in themselves they last for a time; but when suffering or persecution ensues because of the Word, they at once fall away. ¹⁸ There are others who are 'sown among thorns.' ¹⁹ When they have heard the Word, the anxieties of life and the snares of wealth, and all sorts of other ambitions, come in to choke the Word, so that it proves unfruitful. ²⁰ But those, on the other hand, who were sown on that good soil, are those who listen to the Word, and welcome it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold."

¹¹ "This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. ¹² "Those by the wayside are people who hear, but then comes the devil and carries off the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and not be saved. ¹³ "Those on the rock are people who, upon hearing, receive the word with joy; but they have no root. For a time indeed they all believe, but in time of temptation they fall away. ¹⁴ "And that which fell upon thorns is those who have heard, but as they go on their way of word is choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of life; so they bring no fruit of perfection. ¹⁵ "And that in the good soil is those who have listened to the message and, in an honest and good heart, hold fast, and bring forth fruit with patience.