MATTHEW: 13: 3-23 In the first verses from 3-8; we read:
"Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up they were scorched; and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit some hundredfold, some sixty-fold, some thirtyfold."
Jesus speaks the parable of the sower to His apostles and His many followers listening to Him.
His apostles ask Him, Why He spoke to the people in a parable? Jesus explains to them, that as his apostles, they had been gifted by God with the heart to feel, the knowledge and wisdom to understand, the eyes to see and ears to hear and receive God’s knowledge, but the people were not yet given such powers by God to understand that which Jesus was trying to teach.
Jesus wanted the apostles to understand that the people were not ready to hear and receive God’s Word for their hearts were not ready to receive the truth.
Jesus goes on to further explain to His apostles the story of the sower.
Those seeds, which fall by the wayside, are people who after hearing the Word of God, understands nothing, because their heart is hardened and refuse to hear and accept. Satan is quick to whisk away the Word of God and sow seeds of doubt seeds of the flesh, and seeds of evil and wickedness.
Those seeds which fall on stony ground, are those people who after hearing the Word of God, hears it receives it, but are lukewarm in their desire to accept the Word of God into their hearts. This person accepts things while things are good, but the first sign of hardship tribulation or persecution, flees and turns away from God’s Word.
Those seeds which fall amongst the thorns, are those people who hear God’s Word but are distracted by the hunger for wealth, riches, and deceitfulness. These people are unfruitful and do not live by the Word of God, but seek a different path.
Those seeds which fall upon fertile soil are those who hear God’s Word, take it into their hearts and understand the importance of God’s Word in their lives and apply it daily. These are the people who will bear much fruit and will share God’s Word with others each according to his ability.
This parable serves us in two different ways. It first allows us to examine ourselves to know what kind of person we are. Are we seed that fell on the roadside who are only interested in serving ourselves and could care less about others and could do more damage than good? Are we the seed that falls upon stony ground who receives the Word of God but are "Luke warm" not sure of whether we will accept God’s word into our hearts? Are we maybe wolves in sheep’s clothing seeking to destroy those who might welcome God’s truth out of greed or jealousy wanting everything for us alone? OR, are we among those who welcome God and God’s Word into our lives and seek to share it with others?
As Christians we can also perceive others with a similar awareness allowing our spirit to readily recognize people who will be receptive to God to His teachings through His Word or not. We will be able to recognize if someone is truly interested, is "Luke Warm" or could care less. This will enable us as Christians to spread God’s Holy Word to as many as wish to learn about God in less effort and time.
Jesus desires that the peoples of every nation have the chance to know God know Jesus and make an informed decision whether or not they wish to accept Jesus as their Savior.