Before getting into the meaning of the parable for today’s study (Mark 4:3-8, introduced in the previous article), let’s be sure that we have a good picture about what is being described here.
“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
Mark 4:3-8 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.4.3-8.NIV
Those in first-century Galilee probably had a more “agrarian” perspective than the average American today, even those who weren’t farmers. While I grew up in a small town, I still learned plenty about farming because farms were all around (and because my family had a garden). In the same way, even first-century followers of Jesus who had a different trade (like fishermen and tax collectors) could probably understand the basic principles of growing plants for food.
At the start, we have a “sower”: someone who is sowing. Now, this isn’t “sewing” with a needle and thread, but rather “sowing”: spreading seed so that it will grow. In today’s world, many farmers have machines to plant or spread seeds for them, but in my experience, the kind of sowing mentioned here in the Bible sounds more like scattering handfuls of grass seed to fill a dirt patch in my yard, versus my childhood memories of placing individual beans or kernels of corn at specific intervals in a line of cultivated ground.
I think that some illustrations of this story show the sower with a sort of sling strapped to their side, full of seed that can be picked up and thrown out across the ground. However, just like the food truck worker making a funnel cake for you spills powdered sugar over the edge of the paper plate, seed that is thrown out doesn’t all fall exactly where the sower wants it to.
Do you ever run into that problem? Maybe you’re trying to pour something from one container into another (like when I try to scrape the leftovers from a large skillet into a smaller container for tomorrow’s dinner), or maybe you’re applying for a job and are sending out lots of applications. Regardless of the situation, though, what you send out doesn’t always necessarily land where you want it to. So, some of your effort doesn’t produce the results you hoped for (although nothing done for God goes to waste), while others may produce results that you weren’t looking for. If this is your situation, you’re in good company: life is messy and, as human beings, our plans are based on too little data to always know the outcome.
However, no matter what happens, remember that God is never surprised. (Think about that for a moment!) His plans for you and me never need to be adjusted, never need to be scrapped, and are never in vain. So, if you find that something you worked really hard on doesn’t pan out, or new information means you have to start over on a project, take a moment to remember that the Source of all good has already accounted for that, and His promises are always secure.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for September 21, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Mark, by Allen Black. © 1995 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 