Matthew 13:3-9,18-19 - Seed Snatcher
- Alan Salwei
- Aug 5
- 5 min read
The evil one seeks to snatch your seed. Find out how to guard against that!
Matthew 13:3-9,18-19 (NIV)
This week we'll be working our way through various verses in this passage.
3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Canons of Dordt
Point 4 - Irresistible Grace
Article 9: Human Responsibility for Rejecting the Gospel
The fact that many who are called through the ministry of the gospel
do not come and are not brought to conversion
must not be blamed on
the gospel,
nor on Christ, who is offered through the gospel,
nor on God,
who calls them through the gospel
and even bestows various gifts on them,
but on the people themselves who are called.
Some in self-assurance
do not even entertain the Word of life;
others do entertain it but do not take it to heart, and for that reason,
after the fleeting joy of a temporary faith,
they relapse;
others choke the seed of the Word
with the thorns of life’s cares
and with the pleasures of the world and bring forth no fruits.
This our Savior teaches in the parable of the sower (Matt. 13).
Summary
This week are studying the parable of sower. In this parable, Jesus uses four types of soil to describe four different responses to the preaching of the Word of God. Of these four responses, only one ends up being positive.
The first of these soils is the path. The seed that fell along the path was eaten up by birds.
We are fortunate that the parable of the sower is one which Jesus later explains to his disciples. From this we learn that when someone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was sown in their heart.
Dig Deeper
This parable speaks of these four different responses to the Word of God using the example of sowing seed. The practice described in this parable may seem off or different than farming practices today. While a farmer will typically work the field to prepare it for planting, in ancient Israel this was not the typical practice. Instead of plowing the field first, farmers would sow the seeds first and then plow them into the field.
This method was inefficient compared to modern standards, as it would lead to seed being sown in places where it would not or could not be plowed into the ground. With those being the agricultural practices of that time, hearers of this parable would have been familiar with this idea of seeds falling on soil that was not ideal for its growth.
The seed that fell along the path was devoured by birds. Instead of being able to sink down into the soil, the packed down dirt on the path would have made the seed easy to find. These seeds were not given the opportunity to germinate and grow.
When it comes to the preaching of the Word of God, it is not enough to hear; one must also be given the gift of faith so that they can understand. Where faith and understanding are not present, the truth of the Gospel cannot germinate and grow.
The preaching of the Word is only part of the equation. One must also have faith, which comes as a gift from God. This should affect how we approach evangelism. In additional to sharing the Gospel, spend time in prayer that this seed of God’s Word would take root.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who causes His Word to be sown in our hearts;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the evil one will not come and snatch away what was sown in your heart.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Corinthians 4
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