BEARING FRUIT: THE SOWER & THE SEED
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Bearing Fruit
a) The parables of the Vine and the Branches, the Barren Fig Tree, and the Sower, are collected together because they picture garden plants bearing fruit. Fruitfulness is one of the many characteristics of true obedience to God.
b) The three parables teach us about the importance of obedience to God.
c) We also observe, in the parable of the Barren Fig Tree the mercy and long-suffering of God. The parable of the Vine and the Branches the severity of God (John 15:1-6, Luke 8:5-15, Luke 13:6-9).
2. The Sower And The Seed
Luke 8:4-8
“4 A great crowd was gathering and people from many towns came to Jesus. He told this parable: 5 "A sower went out to sow his seed. As he spread the seed, some fell along the path. It was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some seed fell on the rock. As it grew up, it withered away, because it had [no depth of soil and] no moisture. 7 Some seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some seed fell into good soil. This seed grew and yielded a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear"...”
Luke 8:11-15
“11 Now this is what the parable means: The seed is the word of God. 12 The plants along the path are those who have heard, but then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so they won't believe and be saved. 13 The plants on the rock are those who hear the word, receive it with joy, but have no root. They believe for a while, but in trying times fall away. 14 The plants that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as life goes on they are choked by its cares and riches and pleasures. Their fruit does not mature. 15 As for the plants in the good soil, they are those who hear the word and hold it fast in an honest and good heart. They bear fruit with patience.”
a) This parable is about a sower who distributed seed which fell upon different kinds of ground, some fell on the trodden path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil. The seed on good soil grew and bore fruit abundantly. The Lord explains the meaning of the parable after telling it.
b) Luke 8:5, 11 show that the seed represents the word of God which Jesus Christ and his preachers spread all over the world.
c) Luke 8:5, 12 describe the soil on the trodden path. The seed was trampled underfoot and eaten by birds. This soil represents the hearts of those who allow the devil to trample upon the word of God and snatch it from them so that they do not believe. These bear no fruit.
d) Luke 8:6, 13 describe the rocky ground. This soil represents the hearts of those who allow temptations to harden their hearts so that they do not remain faithful but fall away. These also bear no fruit
e) Luke 8:7, 14 describe the soil riddled with thorny weeds. This soil represents the hearts of those who allow the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life to choke their faith. These also bear no fruit.
f) Luke 8:8, 15 describe the good soil. This soil represents the "honest and good" hearts of those who do not allow anything to take away the word from their hearts or to stop it from growing within them. Rather, they hold fast to the word and will not let it go or die. These bear fruit one hundred fold.
i) What does the one hundred fold relate to? A hundred fold compared to what? We think probably the other soils even though they produced zero fruit, and when you multiply zero by 100 you can only get zero, not "one hundred fold". However common sense rather than strict mathematics is required here. If our garden yields no pumpkins, and yours yields a hundred pumpkins, then you have a hundred times more pumpkins than we do, the power of zero notwithstanding!
ii) The parable of the Sower and the Seed is also recorded in Matthew 13:1-23 and Mark 4:3-20. where there is an enhancement: the fruitfulness is measured as 30, 60, and 100 fold. This carries much the same idea as the parable of the talents. Everyone is expected to bear fruit commensurate with the advantages, blessings, and gifts they are given.
The End ...
1. Bearing Fruita) The parables of the Vine and the Branches, the Barren Fig Tree, and the Sower, are collected together because they picture garden plants bearing fruit. Fruitfulness is one of the many characteristics of true obedience to God.
b) The three parables teach us about the importance of obedience to God.
c) We also observe, in the parable of the Barren Fig Tree the mercy and long-suffering of God. The parable of the Vine and the Branches the severity of God (John 15:1-6, Luke 8:5-15, Luke 13:6-9).
2. The Sower And The Seed
Luke 8:4-8
“4 A great crowd was gathering and people from many towns came to Jesus. He told this parable: 5 "A sower went out to sow his seed. As he spread the seed, some fell along the path. It was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some seed fell on the rock. As it grew up, it withered away, because it had [no depth of soil and] no moisture. 7 Some seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some seed fell into good soil. This seed grew and yielded a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear"...”
Luke 8:11-15
“11 Now this is what the parable means: The seed is the word of God. 12 The plants along the path are those who have heard, but then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so they won't believe and be saved. 13 The plants on the rock are those who hear the word, receive it with joy, but have no root. They believe for a while, but in trying times fall away. 14 The plants that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as life goes on they are choked by its cares and riches and pleasures. Their fruit does not mature. 15 As for the plants in the good soil, they are those who hear the word and hold it fast in an honest and good heart. They bear fruit with patience.”
a) This parable is about a sower who distributed seed which fell upon different kinds of ground, some fell on the trodden path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil. The seed on good soil grew and bore fruit abundantly. The Lord explains the meaning of the parable after telling it.
b) Luke 8:5, 11 show that the seed represents the word of God which Jesus Christ and his preachers spread all over the world.
c) Luke 8:5, 12 describe the soil on the trodden path. The seed was trampled underfoot and eaten by birds. This soil represents the hearts of those who allow the devil to trample upon the word of God and snatch it from them so that they do not believe. These bear no fruit.
d) Luke 8:6, 13 describe the rocky ground. This soil represents the hearts of those who allow temptations to harden their hearts so that they do not remain faithful but fall away. These also bear no fruit
e) Luke 8:7, 14 describe the soil riddled with thorny weeds. This soil represents the hearts of those who allow the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life to choke their faith. These also bear no fruit.
f) Luke 8:8, 15 describe the good soil. This soil represents the "honest and good" hearts of those who do not allow anything to take away the word from their hearts or to stop it from growing within them. Rather, they hold fast to the word and will not let it go or die. These bear fruit one hundred fold.
i) What does the one hundred fold relate to? A hundred fold compared to what? We think probably the other soils even though they produced zero fruit, and when you multiply zero by 100 you can only get zero, not "one hundred fold". However common sense rather than strict mathematics is required here. If our garden yields no pumpkins, and yours yields a hundred pumpkins, then you have a hundred times more pumpkins than we do, the power of zero notwithstanding!
ii) The parable of the Sower and the Seed is also recorded in Matthew 13:1-23 and Mark 4:3-20. where there is an enhancement: the fruitfulness is measured as 30, 60, and 100 fold. This carries much the same idea as the parable of the talents. Everyone is expected to bear fruit commensurate with the advantages, blessings, and gifts they are given.
Comments
Post a Comment