Luk 8:12-14 | KingComments | STEP | The Lord Jesus sows the Word of God. He travels around to preach and proclaim it. Wherever He speaks, the seed of the Word ends up in a certain kind of ground. We read of all kinds of ground that they ‘hear’ the Word. Yet it does not produce fruit in all cases. The seed reveals the character of the soil in which it falls. The seed is identified with the listener. The Lord speaks the Word of God. Those who are sown beside the road are those who hear. They hear, but the devil comes and takes away the Word from their heart. As a result, they do not believe and are not saved. These hearers are not fruit for the kingdom. Such a seed, that is to say such a hearer, is Simon from the previous chapter ( ). The second type of seed are those sown on the rocky soil. These hearers are not fruit for the kingdom either. For a moment it seems as if it is. They hear the Word and receive it with joy. However, the Word of God does not first bring joy, but sadness. It first does the work of the plow in the conscience and reveals sin to man. If that work does not happen, there is no root. Then there is faith for a while, but when faith is tested it turns out not to be there. The trial can be by oppression, but also by temptation. They fall away from their initial confession. There has never been an inner work of life-giving faith. It has only been an outer matter. The third kind of seed are those who hear, but grow up among the thorns. The thorns overgrow the seed. For a while they too seem to bear fruit, but they bring no fruit to maturity. The Lord mentions three reasons why the seed cannot really germinate and bring fruit to maturity. First of all, there are worries. Someone is overwhelmed by his cares, while he could have brought them to the Lord. That would have been proof that the seed had brought fruit to maturity. In contrast to the worries, there are riches. Someone can also be so preoccupated by it that the Word does not bring fruit to maturity. He has not given his riches to the Lord. Thirdly, the pleasures of this life can be a cause that the Word brings no fruit to maturity. People hear the Word, think it sounds good, but are absorbed in everything life offers. They do not find true pleasure in the life of and for the Lord. Finally, there is the good soil. These are those who hear the Word, and by whom it is absorbed and preserved in the heart. The Lord calls such a heart “an honest and good heart”. That heart is convinced of Who the Lord is and of the truth of His Word. In that hearer a life connection between his heart and the Lord had been created. In the parable, the Lord speaks of producing a crop a hundred times as great ( ). It is about the Word of God here. Then it is only for or against, all or nothing, a crop a hundred times as great or no fruit. Wherever the Word is received in an honest or excellent or convinced heart, there will be and remain fruit. The fruit corresponds to the seed. The fruit that is borne with perseverance is the love for God and the Lord Jesus. Those who hear and keep the Word will persevere, for the motivation for their actions is Christ. If there are difficulties, if there is disappointment, even of fellow believers, they continue, for they look at Christ.

‏ Luke 8:12-14

Explanation of the Parable of the Sower

The Lord Jesus sows the Word of God. He travels around to preach and proclaim it. Wherever He speaks, the seed of the Word ends up in a certain kind of ground. We read of all kinds of ground that they ‘hear’ the Word. Yet it does not produce fruit in all cases. The seed reveals the character of the soil in which it falls. The seed is identified with the listener.

The Lord speaks the Word of God. Those who are sown beside the road are those who hear. They hear, but the devil comes and takes away the Word from their heart. As a result, they do not believe and are not saved. These hearers are not fruit for the kingdom. Such a seed, that is to say such a hearer, is Simon from the previous chapter (Lk 7:36-47).

The second type of seed are those sown on the rocky soil. These hearers are not fruit for the kingdom either. For a moment it seems as if it is. They hear the Word and receive it with joy. However, the Word of God does not first bring joy, but sadness. It first does the work of the plow in the conscience and reveals sin to man.

If that work does not happen, there is no root. Then there is faith for a while, but when faith is tested it turns out not to be there. The trial can be by oppression, but also by temptation. They fall away from their initial confession. There has never been an inner work of life-giving faith. It has only been an outer matter.

The third kind of seed are those who hear, but grow up among the thorns. The thorns overgrow the seed. For a while they too seem to bear fruit, but they bring no fruit to maturity. The Lord mentions three reasons why the seed cannot really germinate and bring fruit to maturity. First of all, there are worries. Someone is overwhelmed by his cares, while he could have brought them to the Lord. That would have been proof that the seed had brought fruit to maturity.

In contrast to the worries, there are riches. Someone can also be so preoccupated by it that the Word does not bring fruit to maturity. He has not given his riches to the Lord. Thirdly, the pleasures of this life can be a cause that the Word brings no fruit to maturity. People hear the Word, think it sounds good, but are absorbed in everything life offers. They do not find true pleasure in the life of and for the Lord.

Finally, there is the good soil. These are those who hear the Word, and by whom it is absorbed and preserved in the heart. The Lord calls such a heart “an honest and good heart”. That heart is convinced of Who the Lord is and of the truth of His Word. In that hearer a life connection between his heart and the Lord had been created.

In the parable, the Lord speaks of producing a crop a hundred times as great (Lk 8:8). It is about the Word of God here. Then it is only for or against, all or nothing, a crop a hundred times as great or no fruit. Wherever the Word is received in an honest or excellent or convinced heart, there will be and remain fruit. The fruit corresponds to the seed.

The fruit that is borne with perseverance is the love for God and the Lord Jesus. Those who hear and keep the Word will persevere, for the motivation for their actions is Christ. If there are difficulties, if there is disappointment, even of fellow believers, they continue, for they look at Christ.