The Seed Is the Word
“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” Lk 8.5-8a I’ve always associated the Parable of the Sower with evangelism: when people hear the gospel it goes one of four ways. This made sense to me, since I heard the gospel for four decades without it ever taking root and bearing fruit in my life. But the other day, these words popped into my head, and I suddenly realized the parable applies to much more than evangelism: “The seed is the word of God.” (Lk. 8.11b) This parable is for every one of us, every day. Every time God’s word is read, preached, or remembered, the sower is sowing his seed. Everyone who hears is the soil. And every time we hear, the