Sabbath Devotional :: The Parable of the Sower

Julian Alden Weir – Connecticut Farm – y1942-63 – Princeton University Art Museum (WIkimedia Commons, public domain)

Earlier this year, as I read the Parable of the Sower, something new caught my attention. As the Sower went out to sow, it says that some seeds “fell by the way side,” some “fell upon stony places,” some “fell among thorns,” and others “fell into good ground.”

It’s that word “fell.” It seems so arbitrary.

The Sower, who is good, didn’t deliberately put the seeds in different kinds of ground. They fell there.

In the past few weeks, I have felt overwhelmed and burdened by events in the world and in our country. I find myself grasping for any threads of hope to hang on to. I fear the future. My natural tendency is to be preachy, so I tried to preach to myself: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out all fear” (1 John 4:18), and “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

These verses are true, and my self-sermon was excellent. But I also need some self-compassion. In the parable of the Sower, the seed refers to the word of the Lord. I believe we could also compare that seed to earthly trials of various kinds. These things hit us all differently. The same seed will fall differently for different people. And someone who has been carefully cultivating good ground might be surprised to find a seed falling on stony ground.

As I’ve studied this parable over the last few months, I have realized that it’s not the place where the seed falls but what I do with the seed afterward that matters. When something is hard for me, how do I respond? Do I leave it in bad ground, or do I work to cultivate good ground?

THE SEEDS THAT FELL BY THE WAY SIDE: These seeds were almost immediately devoured by fowls. Christ said this represented someone who hears the word but “understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart.”

Current events are leaving me confused and frustrated, lacking understanding. I had been moving forward with hope in the future and suddenly and quite unexpectedly, I feel like giving up. However, if I leave that seed in the way side of despair, it won’t be long until Satan will snatch away my carefully cultivated testimony.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland suggested: “In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, . . . hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.”

My covenantal commitment to Christ includes trusting him through events I don’t understand and holding fast to him in times of trial. Like Nephi, “I know in whom I have trusted.” And holding on to my testimony while moving forward in faith is my choice. “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever” (2 Nephi 4:19, 34).

THE SEEDS THAT FELL UPON STONY PLACES: In Matthew, it says that the seeds that fell in stony places had “no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.” Luke adds that “it withered away, because it lacked moisture.”

I feel in danger of being scorched in the sun and withering away, so I need to prevent that. These seeds in stony ground did not flourish because they lacked root, and they lacked moisture.

Jesus taught the Samaritan woman what he could offer her: “the water that I shall give . . . shall be . . . a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). Jesus is that living water, the water that will prevent us from being scorched by the sun. And his love provides us deep roots to endure trying times: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love . . . might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:17, 19).

THE SEEDS THAT FELL AMONG THORNS: Luke says that “the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.” It intrigues me that the thorns grow alongside the good seed. The thorns are described as “the care of this world.” I think we often define worldliness as focusing on power, fame, riches, popularity, frivolity, or other things without eternal value. But what of focusing too much on current events, on natural disasters, wars and rumors of wars, or backsliding democracies? It is so difficult to live in this fallen world when you feel compassion for human suffering. How do I carry on without letting the cares of the present world choke my testimony?

Just last month, President Nelson taught us to think celestial. “Thinking celestial means to be spiritually minded.” A few years ago, I attended a fireside on Zoom taught by Tom Christofferson. In sharing his personal story, he said that his life changed for the better when his desire to know Christ became greater than his need to know why. This phrase, which I have paraphrased, has made a tremendous difference to me. Coming to know Christ instead of dwelling on the various whys that plague me allows me to find joy in times of sadness, hope through despair, and charity for others when I would rather isolate myself. I believe that thinking celestial — or finding strength through Christ — is what will help me not be choked by the cares of this world.

THE SEEDS THAT FELL AMONG GOOD GROUND. According to Mark, these seeds “did yield fruit that sprang up and increased.” Because I want to be where good ground is, I focus on this.

The seeds yielded fruit. What is the fruit? “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness [and] temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23). When I develop these characteristics, I am yielding fruit. Sometimes, I can focus on increasing love and joy. Other times, all I can focus on is longsuffering. But it’s all worthwhile. Luke compares the seed in good ground to “they, which in an honest and good heart, . . . bring forth fruit with patience.” That patience implies that it will take time.

When I was growing up, my dad had a decent vegetable garden in our backyard. Our garden area was initially filled with rocks, which had to be removed. The ground in that area had a lot of clay. Dad had to till every year. He bought manure to fertilize the ground and sometimes he bought good soil. Good ground doesn’t happen by chance; it takes time to develop. And even when you have a good growing season one year, you can’t count on the soil to be primed for the next year. You continually need to adjust your approach to create the best soil for the crop you hope to grow.

As seeds fall in our lives, even when they initially fall on bad ground, we can turn to the Savior who will guide us in cultivating good ground. “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith . . . “ (Colossians 2:7).

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The Parable of the Sower is found in Matthew 13: 1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.