One of Jesus’ well known teachings is the parable of the sower, told to an immense crowd gathered on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. His closest disciples approached Jesus afterwards and asked “Why do you use these hard-to-understand illustrations?” Jesus explained that not all are able to understand about the Kingdom of Heaven. Some people hear and see but do not understand. Others are blessed to hear, see, and understand. And they are the ones who turn to God.

Jesus then explained the parable and the different outcomes when the seeds of God’s Word are sown:

“Now here is the explanation of the story I told about the farmer planting grain: The hard path where some of the seeds fell represents the heart of a person who hears the Good News about the Kingdom and doesn’t understand it; then Satan comes and snatches away the seeds from his heart. The shallow, rocky soil represents the heart of a man who hears the message and receives it with real joy, but he doesn’t have much depth in his life, and the seeds don’t root very deeply, and after a while when trouble comes, or persecution begins because of his beliefs, his enthusiasm fades, and he drops out. The ground covered with thistles represents a man who hears the message, but the cares of this life and his longing for money choke out God’s Word, and he does less and less for God. The good ground represents the heart of a man who listens to the message and understands it and goes out and brings thirty, sixty, or even a hundred others into the Kingdom.” Jesus, Matthew 13:18-23, TLB

Sow wisely. And widely.