This parable of the sower mirrored the hearts of the people who crowded around Jesus.  He started the story while the people were still gathering from many towns and as they jostled to hear Jesus.  A few would have heard everything; others would pick up fragments.  And of those who physically heard His words, only a few might have understood the meaning He intended.  But Jesus was speaking about them: people whose hearts were careless, hard, or distracted; but also some who wanted to receive God’s Word for themselves (Matthew 7:24-27).

But who was His primary audience?  The Twelve, the disciples who Jesus had chosen, who He had commissioned as Apostles (Luke 6:13), were with Him (Luke 8:1).  They were on a training course to prepare them to lead the Early Church.  It was only they who asked Jesus the meaning of the parable (Luke 8:9) which Jesus described as a secret of God’s kingdom which He would reveal to them (Luke 8:10-11).  It was to be a masterclass in the dynamics of evangelism – to encourage them but also to explain the reasons for apparent failure.

Jesus taught by using farming illustrations which were familiar to all His hearers.  The disciples needed to understand the hard ministry truth that although the gospel offers wonderful blessings, many will refuse to let God’s Word have any place in their lives (John 5:40).  The different soil-types described in the story show a range of heart-responses to what God says.  If the Word fails to produce a crop, it is not the seed which is defective, but the soil which is unreceptive and therefore unproductive.

This information is as valuable to us as to the apostles whose ‘sowing the seed of the Word’ precipitated the growth of the Early Church (Acts 6:7).  We must expect that spreading God's Word will meet both resistance and rejoicing.  But negative responses are no reason to stop sharing the Word.  This parable encourages us to keep witnessing despite discouragement and disappointment - because where it is welcomed, the blessing is disproportionally great (Luke 8:8).  So, if you honour Jesus as your Saviour, please do not stop identifying yourself with Him and telling the gospel story (www.crosscheck.org.uk), because somebody somewhere will have receptive soil (1 Corinthians 9:22).  And when it seems that nobody is interested, do not forget that somebody will be hungry for forgiveness, love and peace with God.  Start by telling them about Jesus, who is the only Way to God (John 14:6).