Jesus Taught in Parables

Jesus Taught in Parables

Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8

Dear families,

Some people have natural green thumbs, but for most amateur gardeners, making plants grow takes skill and hard work. This is because the curse has placed many obstacles in the way of natural growth. The soil may be too tough, the heat too stifling, the shade too restrictive, or the water too scarce. What looks healthy one week, can quickly wilt the next. Growing something is harder than it looks. 

Maybe that’s part of what makes Jesus’ parable about the sower and the seeds so relatable. In Jesus’ day, farmers would scatter seed as they went through their field. Everyone listening to Jesus that day would have been familiar with this practice. In His parable, Jesus described four kinds of soil—four different heart conditions—with only one of them producing lasting fruit. 

The seed, which Jesus says is the Word of God, lands in a variety of places, but not every setting leads to growth. The difference isn’t the seed; it’s the soil. 

The good soil, Jesus says, represents those who “hear the word with an honest and good heart” and “hold on to it” (Luke 8:15). The Greek phrase for “hold on” means “to cling tightly, to keep secure.” It’s the picture of someone refusing to let go, even when life gets hard. That’s the difference between hearing and holding. 

Growth takes time, and good soil doesn’t happen by accident. God softens it through repentance, waters it through His Spirit, and keeps it fertile through His Word. 

As you prepare to lead the kids in your care this week, ask the Lord to till the soil of their hearts to make them receptive to His Word. May the seeds you plant through teaching them about Jesus produce a future multiplied harvest.

Check out The Gospel Project At Home for resources designed to help you lead a family worship experience as well as suggestions for morning and evening prayer times and family activities.