This past weekend at Eastbrook, I continued our series, “Stories of the Kingdom: Parables of Jesus,” by looking at the parable of the sower and the soils in Matthew 13:3-9 and Jesus’ explanation of it in Matthew 13:18-23. This was also our annual Eastbrook Outdoors service.

You can find the message video and outline below. You can also view the entire series here. Join us for weekend worship in-person or remotely via Eastbrook at Home.

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“Then he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed….’”
(Matthew 13:3)

The Seed

• “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you” (13:11)
• “The message of the kingdom…sown in his heart” (13:19)

The Soils

• Basic contrast: good soil and bad soil
• Types of bad soil:
  • Soil along the path
  • Rocky soil
  • Thorny soil
• The nature of good soil

Three Perspectives on the Sower

• God the Father (Jeremiah 31:27-28; Hosea 2:23; Isaiah 55:10-11)
• Jesus the Son (Matthew 7:24-29; 9:35-38; 11:1; 13:1-3)
• Disciples of Jesus (Matthew 10:1-5; 28:18-20)

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Dig Deeper:

This week dig deeper into Jesus’ parable of the sower and the soils in one or more of the following ways:

• Journal about this parable, expressing your thoughts about it, what God is teaching you through it, as well as your prayers to God about it.
• Draw, paint, or ink the story of the sower as a way of reflecting on what Jesus is saying and praying about your own response to the Lord.
• Try to retell Jesus’ parable and its meaning to someone you know this week, discussing with them what it means for our lives.
• Watch the Bible Project’s video, “The Parables of Jesus”