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While Jesus walked this earth, he taught us the truths of God and the secrets of living well. In just 3 years of ministry he said everything he needed to say, and he said it perfectly. Now, over 2000 years later, his words are our perfect guide for life.

Some of Jesus’ teachings were on deeply spiritual things that he knew we would struggle to understand. Not all things needed to be understood, but for some things we would need to understand so we could live well. For these things, Jesus often taught in parables.

Parables are stories. The word parable means “to throw alongside”. So, Jesus is teaching using a story thrown alongside a truth. These are earthly stories with Heavenly meaning.

Today, we begin our study of the parables of Jesus. We will read the stories he told, understand them, and apply them to our lives so we grow and get better. Through these parables we will see how a holy God speaks to ordinary people with everyday stories we can see, understand and remember. Some things God says are mysteries and simply cannot be figured out – but these are not. God essentially leaned down and brought his wisdom in a way we would actually get it.

(Now you will notice with these parables, they are often found in a few of the gospels. Remember the 4 gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the accounts of 4 of Jesus’ disciples as they walked with him. They are retelling everything they saw, experienced, heard and learned from Jesus. So, you may read the same parable in the gospels and that’s why. For simplicity, I’ll just be choosing one of the gospel accounts and reading it. You could also study the other books to see if there’s any special differences noted by the authors.)

Ready to get it? Let’s dive in to the Parables of Jesus!

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Part 1: The Parable of the Sower

Scripture: Matthew 13: 1-23

Here’s the setting. Jesus is in his 3 years of actively teaching and preaching here on earth and more and more people are beginning to follow him. On this particular day Jesus was staying at a house near the sea and when he walks outside a large crowd starts gathering around him. So, Jesus gets in a boat, goes out a little on the water and sits down in the boat to start teaching. The crowd of people stood on the beach to listen.

First, just knowing that the King of the Universe, the Savior of the world, the divine Creator in human form didn’t choose a fancy synagogue like all the other teachers. He didn’t choose a formal stage or a platform. No, he chose a boat floating on the sea, wearing his ordinary robe and sandals like everyone else there that day. We see through this example that Jesus really didn’t come to judge the world, he came to save it. In humility, he met us right where we are to teach us the highest of lessons.

And here, in this boat, is where Jesus begins teaching in parables – again earthly stories with heavenly meaning.

“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

That was Jesus’ story. But what was the point in this? Was he giving a gardening lesson?

For some listening, it would seem like nothing more than that – but for those God was calling to follow him and setting apart as his people, he was speaking in a way they could truly understand.

Everyone in this day understood farming. Everyone had to grow crops to survive. Their survival depended on a successful harvest. They knew seeds, they knew soils. And for those who were called as followers of God, he was about to open their minds to how his word works in their lives through the example of the sower, the seed and the soils.

The disciples heard Jesus’ story and came to him asking why he was speaking in such a different way, then Jesus explains the story.

The seed is the word of God. This seed falls on 4 different types of soil, and it is the soil that makes all the difference. It’s the same seed. The same sower. Different soil.

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Soil #1: The Path
Verse 19, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.”

Do you ever read your Bible, skim the words, get through the whole chapter so you can check the box, but not actually understand it? Yip, that’s seed hitting the soil along the path. That’s seed that won’t grow. That’s knowledge that quickly gets snatched up by the evil one. He swoops in like a bird and takes the surface level seed.

Growing in God’s word isn’t about speed reading and getting through chapters. That’s just the path – that’s where everyone is walking – that’s ground that can’t really grow anything. If it’s worn with traffic, fast moving ground, it’s not growing ground. Surface level knowledge of God’s word will get snatched up every time by the evil one.

Satan knows the life changing power of the Bible even more than you do – that’s why he continually tries to hinder you from really diving into it. He’s perfectly fine with you keeping it on the surface, speed reading to check a box, and never have it actually grow in your life. Life doesn’t change on the soil of the busy path.

The seed never changes. The Sower never changes. The harvest is determined by the soil.

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Soil #2: The Rocky Ground

Verses 20-21, “As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.”

Rocky soil is shallow dirt mixed in with rocks. This little bit of soil warms quickly with the sun and the rocks, creating fast growth of the new seed, but it simply won’t last. The rocks keep the seed from ever growing roots. While it sprouts up fast, the first hard rain will wash it right out.

That can be us. We can get all excited about what God says to us, we can be all gung ho in the beginning, convinced we’re going to really do it this time, but as soon as life gets hard and the storms hit, we just get washed right out. Life hits and we’re out – why? Because our soil was rocky and allowed for no permanent growth. Everything was temporary and short lived.

Have you noticed how you get excited fast but fizzle? That’s rocky ground. There’s ground work to be done.

The seed never changes. The Sower never changes. The harvest is determined by the soil.

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Soil #3: Thorns

Verse 22, “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.”

Notice something. The seed actually grows here. This isn’t the path where nothing happens. This isn’t the rocky soil where it dies immediately. The plant starts growing, it just never produces what it was created to produce.

Why? Because something else is growing right beside it.

Jesus says the thorns are “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t have to plant weeds. Have you ever noticed that? You can spend all weekend pulling weeds out of your flower beds, and two weeks later they’re back like they own the place.

You never planted them. You never watered them. You never invited them. They just showed up. Our hearts work the same way.

Nobody wakes up and says, “Today I’d really like to become anxious.” Nobody decides, “I’m going to slowly make my job my identity.” Nobody plans to let social media steal their contentment. The weeds just grow.

The bills. The schedules. The kids. The comparisons. The endless to-do lists. The pursuit of more. The fear of not having enough. The pressure to keep everyone happy. None of these things may be sinful by themselves… But together they quietly choke what God is trying to grow.

Notice Jesus didn’t say the thorns killed the believer. He said they made them unfruitful.

You can know Jesus, love Jesus, go to church, read your Bible… And still have a life where God’s Word never reaches its full potential because everything else is competing for your attention.

Maybe today isn’t about planting more seed. Maybe it’s about pulling weeds. Sometimes growth doesn’t require adding one more Bible study. Sometimes it requires removing what has been choking the life out of the one you’re already doing.

The seed never changes. The Sower never changes. The harvest is determined by the soil.

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Soil #4: The Good Soil

Verse 23, “As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
This is beautiful. Notice Jesus doesn’t say good soil is perfect soil. He simply says it receives the seed. It welcomes it. It protects it. It gives it room. It lets it sink deep. It keeps coming back day after day. And eventually… Fruit.

That’s God’s goal. Not information. Transformation.

God isn’t trying to make you a Bible trivia champion. He’s trying to make you look more like Jesus.

Fruit takes time. An apple tree doesn’t apologize because it didn’t produce apples the week after it was planted. Growth is slow. Roots grow before fruit shows.

Sometimes you’ll wonder if anything is happening at all. Keep showing up. Keep reading. Keep praying. Keep obeying. The roots are growing even when you can’t see them. And one day the fruit everyone sees will simply be the evidence of what God has been growing underground all along.

So today… Which soil are you? Actually… That’s the wrong question.

The better question is… Which soil is your heart today?

Maybe today you’ve been living on the busy path. God’s Word has stayed on the surface because you’ve been rushing from one thing to the next.

Maybe today your heart is rocky. You love the excitement of following Jesus until life gets hard.

Maybe today you’ve got weeds. Not terrible sins. Just too many things competing for your heart.

Or maybe… By God’s grace… Your heart is becoming good soil. Not perfect. Just open. Soft. Hungry. Ready.

Here’s the best news of this whole parable: Soil can change.

A hard path can be broken up. Rocks can be removed. Thorns can be pulled. The condition of your heart today does not have to be the condition of your heart tomorrow.

So before you close your Bible today, don’t just ask, “What did I learn?” Ask, “God, what kind of soil is my heart today… and what do You want to do with it?”

Because the seed never changes. The Sower never changes. But when the soil changes… Everything changes.

“Lord, soften whatever has become hard. Remove whatever is keeping me shallow. Pull whatever is choking my growth. Make my heart good soil so your word doesn’t just inform me – it transforms me.”

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