The parable does not contain any description of the day, the season, or even the weather, it does contain a description of the various soils encountered. The seeds that were sown had the potential to sprout wherever they were tossed just as the gospel message is meant to be shared with every type of person we encounter. Jesus’ invitation is clear: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16) and And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21). When we are sharing the gospel of Jesus, we are extending His invitation to others and, as shown in the parable, do not have the right to restrict whom we share the gospel with. The sower didn’t stop and pick up the seed sown on the rocky ground. He simply sowed the seed. We are simply to share the gospel of Jesus Christ without any thought to the physical appearance, the background, or family of the person. Again, we see this clearly understood by the apostle Peter: Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).
Our vision is tainted, shallow, and limited; it is human nature to base our judgment of others on appearance. It is for this very reason it is natural for us to not be bold in our sharing of the gospel. Many are afraid to approach people of a different race, a different social class, differing educational levels – and the list could literally go on for ever. It’s easy to be dismissive of someone’s opportunity to respond to the gospel and our role in sharing the gospel if we are going to base our actions by sight alone. We must take our cue from the sower who indiscriminately tossed out the seed; we must be indiscriminate in our sharing of the gospel, seeking out every opportunity to share it with whomever we come across as the sower tossed his seed out to every type of soil he encountered.
The parable: the sower was doing what was set before him
The parable doesn’t tell us if it was a sunny day, if it was cold out, or even if it were raining. I believe that Jesus did this intentionally because of human nature. If the parable had said, “on a spring day, a sower was…” many Christians would only share their faith during spring, or when the weather indicated within the parable was present. We’d justify such efforts as being within the confines of scripture and the teachings of Jesus just as the scribes and pharisees of Jesus’ day had taken the intent of the Old Testament laws and turned them into a very harsh and judgmental religion. Jesus rebuked their interpretation of the law; Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone (Matthew 23:23). The Holy Spirit, through the prophet Jeremiah, even warned those who would make the Law as the central point of their faith: How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain (Jeremiah 8:8).
I’ve heard church members claim that the Great Commission to share the gospel message was not meant for the average Christian but for those holding positions of leadership within the church – this being based on the idea the commission was only shared with the disciples. If that unscriptural view is held about the instructions Jesus gave us about sharing the gospel, imagine how we would use the timing – whether it be the season, the day, or the weather – to not share the gospel. I think of the scriptures, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (1 Peter 3:15) and Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine (2 Timothy 4:2). Just as parable does not contain any description of when the sower was sowing seed, we are to be about sharing the gospel of Jesus without any mention of the time of year, the day, or weather – we are to be sharing the gospel at any time with all who we meet.
The parable: more lessons we can learn
There are other lessons we can learn from this parable, as we can each of the other parables used by Jesus to teach the crowds that came to hear them. We could focus on the work ethic of the sower, the seed itself, and, of course, the type of soil where the seeds fell. That’s the beauty of the parables – there is so much spiritual wealth in the timeless teaching of Jesus. Perhaps in the future, we will revisit this parable and gain additional wisdom of our Lord, but for now, I’ve shared with you what Jesus has laid on my heart for today.
