Luke 8:4-15 (Holman Christian Standard)

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The Parable of the Sower

4 As a large crowd was gathering, and people were flocking to Him from every town, He said in a parable: 5 "A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky ate it up. 6 Other seed fell on the rock; when it sprang up, it withered, since it lacked moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground; when it sprang up, it produced a crop: 100 times [what was sown]." As He said this, He called out, "Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!"

Why Jesus Used Parables

9 Then His disciples asked Him, "What does this parable mean?" 10 So He said, "The secrets ^a does not mean "mysteries" in the Eng sense; it means what we can know only by divine revelation. of the kingdom of God have been given for you to know, but to the rest it is in parables, so that Looking they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. ^b

The Parable of the Sower Explained

11 "This is the meaning of the parable: ^c The seed is the word of God. 12 The seeds along the path are those who have heard. Then the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the seeds on the rock are those who, when they hear, welcome the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and depart in a time of testing. 14 As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit. 15 But the seed in the good ground-these are the ones who, ^d having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, bear fruit.

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