March 2, 2026
(Craig Kozminski)
Matthew 13:1-23 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9He who has ears, let him hear.”
Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“ ‘You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
“Hear then the parable of the sower: 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
———————
Here in Matthew 13, we see the third of Jesus’ five widely recognized discourses. The first of these discourses is the Sermon on the Mount covered in chapters 5-7. The second comes from chapter 10 when Jesus instructs the disciples on how to mission to the people of Israel (Matthew 10:6). The third discourse includes a series of parables, all of which describe the varied responses to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus speaks from a boat by the sea to a crowd that has gathered on the beach, and it is difficult not to connect this image to that of Jesus’ calling the apostles in chapter 4, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Jesus is preparing to cast the words that give life out into the crowd, and only some will hear it.
In the parable of the Sower, Jesus identifies four types of soil, each of which represents the different conditions of the human heart upon hearing the Word of God: the path, the rocky ground, among the thorns, and lastly, good soil. Jesus’ use of parables initially confuses the apostles, and his response to them, a quote from Isaiah 6, provides a difficult truth to the apostles and us alike. Jesus uses the parables to illuminate truth for those to whom it has “been given to know the secrets of the kingdom,” while simultaneously acting as a judgement that conceals the truth from those with hardened hearts. In other words, the work of regeneration and the bearing of fruit is completed not by people but by the Holy Spirit.
The use of parables also represents a more nuanced revelation of the Kingdom of Heaven as compared to earlier portions of Matthew, such as the Sermon on the Mount. Following the opposition from the Pharisees in Matthew chapters 9 and 12, Jesus puts his finger on something that the apostles would have no doubt sensed and been confused by, which is the opposition that his ministry has received from the Pharisees, the supposed righteous people of Israel. Jesus says to the apostles, “For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to” (v. 17) see and hear what the apostles have. Additionally, the use of seeds to describe the Kingdom of Heaven is interesting. It may explain in greater detail than the apostles would have understood that the true Kingdom of Heaven will not arrive as a singular moment of immediate and overwhelming political force, but as a seed that is sown and requires the cultivation of a sovereign God in preparing the “good soil” of a regenerate people.
What are we to take from this passage? Most importantly, it should lead to praying daily for eyes to see and ears to hear the “word of the kingdom.” In the Gospel of John, Jesus says that if we abide in him and he in us, then we will bear much fruit (John 15:5). Here in Matthew, we are again reminded that our fruit bearing comes not from our own desires or longings but from God’s love, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the work of the Holy Spirit. Unlike our own plants or gardens where we can adjust the soil moisture, pH, aeration, and minerals for optimal plant growth, we are not able to create the good soil necessary for spiritual fruit bearing. For true abiding in Christ, we confess that we are humbly reliant upon the grace of the Holy Spirit to live as followers of Christ.
———————
An audio version of each devotion will be posted on our church podcast “Life Together at CRPC,” which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.