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

¹⁸ "Now listen closely to the story of the sower. ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and carries off the seed that was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰ And what was sown upon the thin rocky soil illustrates the man who hears the message and bubbling over with joy at once accepts it, ²¹ but it takes no real root in him, and he lasts only a little while, and just as soon as suffering and persecution come for the truth's sake, he at once yields and falls. ²² And what was sown among the thorns illustrates the man who hears the message, and the worries of the times and the pleasures of being rich choke the truth out, and he yields no fruit. ²³ And what was sown in rich soil illustrates the man who hears the message and understands it, and yields fruit, one a hundred, one sixty, another thirty-fold."

¹³ Then He said to them: "If you do not understand this story, how, indeed, can you understand any of my stories? ¹⁴ The message is what the sower sows. ¹⁵ The ones along the path are those who have the message sown in their hearts, but as soon as it is sown there, Satan comes and carries off the message that has been sown in their hearts. ¹⁶ In like manner these are the ones sown on rocky ground; as soon as they hear the truth, they accept it with ecstasy, ¹⁷ but it does not take real root in them, and so they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes on account of the truth, they at once fall by the way. ¹⁸ A different class are those people sown among the thorns. They are people who listen to the message, ¹⁹ but the worries of the times, the deceiving pleasures of being rich, and evil desires for other things, creep in and choke the truth out, and it yields nothing. ²⁰ And the people sown in rich soil are the people who listen to the message and welcome it and yield thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold."

¹¹ This is what the story means: The seed is God's message. ¹² Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved. ¹³ The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. ¹⁴ And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit. ¹⁵ But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit.