The Story of a Farmer

Luke 8:1–15
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Recently, the “Leaning Tower of Pisa” was finally reopened to the public, after having been closed for almost a dozen years. During that time, engineers completed a 25 million dollar renovation project designed to stabilize the tower. They removed 110 tons of dirt, an … More

Soil

Jesus was famous for His parables. He used parables in order to gain the attention of men and to teach spiritual truths. The parable of the four soils is found in every Gospel except John’s. The four types of soil represent the different kinds of hearts in the minds of men (vv. 1-11). The sower is Jesus Christ. The seed is the Word of God which has life and power and can produce spiritual fruit. However, the seed can do nothing until it is planted. The four kinds of soil are as follows:

The hard soil (vv. 12,15) - This soil represents the person who hears the Word but immediately allows the devil to snatch the seed away. (Unresponsive heart)
The shallow soil (vv. 6,13)- This illustrates the emotional hearer who quickly responds to the message, but soon loses interest and does not continue. (Emotional heart)
The crowded soil (vv. 7,14) - This soil illustrates the person who does not repent and “weed out” the things that hinder him from producing fruit. (Distracted heart)
The good soil (vv. 8, 15) - This shows a person who hears the Word, understands it, receives it and is truly saved. He proves it by producing fruit. (Fruitful heart)

Application

What type of soil best represents my life today? What kind of a crop am I going to produce this year? Am I sowing seeds that will produce spiritual fruit?

Luke 8:1-15 (English Standard Version)

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