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    The Parable of the Sower
    The Parable of the Sower
    The Parable of the Sower
    Ebook138 pages1 hour

    The Parable of the Sower

    By Jack Marshall

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    About this ebook

    A parable is given for the purpose of comparison, as an example or pattern which illustrates the mysteries of the kingdom of God. In regard to the Parable of the Sower, Jesus asked His disciples, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” No doubt, these questions suggest that the Parable of the Sower is one of the most important that we could examine. Over the years, I have studied many of the parables, usually in conjunction with certain topics which enhance my understanding of the subject at hand. And I will be the first to admit that some are much more difficult to understand than others. Why? Perhaps due to the fact that there is usually more to a parable than what first meets the eye. As this study shows, the Parable of the Sower is one of these.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJack Marshall
    Release dateJul 18, 2016
    ISBN9781310413124
    The Parable of the Sower
    Author

    Jack Marshall

    I was born in California in 1957, but raised in Oklahoma, where my experience with Christianity began at the age of 19. After several years of attending various denominational and non-denominational churches, my love for the Bible and desire to understand the scriptures became a vital part of my life. Through in-depth study for the past 45 years, I have discovered that the message of scripture is truly one of hope, love, and encouragement for the entire world.

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      Book preview

      The Parable of the Sower - Jack Marshall

      THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

      Jack Marshall

      The Parable of the Sower

      Jack Marshall

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2016 Grain of Wheat Publishing

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This free eBook may be copied, distributed, reposted, reprinted and shared, provided it

      appears in its entirety without alteration, and the reader is not charged to access it.

      This book is dedicated to Wayne Roberts,

      who is truly a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24).

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      Chapter One: Parables

      Chapter Two: The Numbers in the Parable

      Chapter Three: The Seed

      Chapter Four: Sowing and Reaping

      Chapter Five: Four Ages

      Chapter Six: Intervention

      Chapter Seven: The Age of Grace

      Chapter Eight: The Works of the Law

      Chapter Nine: The Law is Spiritual

      Chapter Ten: The Age of Fullness

      Chapter Eleven: The Kingdom of Power

      Chapter Twelve: Resurrection

      Chapter Thirteen: The Sign of the Son of Man in Heaven

      Bibliography

      Introduction

      The Parable of the Sower has long been a favorite of mine. I cannot remember when I was first taken by it, but I know it’s been over twenty years ago. This parable, coupled with the passages from Galatians 6, verses 7 through 10, set the precedent for the principle of sowing and reaping, a principle which is universal in its scope and relevant to everyone on this planet. For this reason, all of my previous studies have included this divine injunction.

      Anyone familiar with the stories of the Bible know that it invokes a certain awe and mystery, bordering on fantasy. It is hard for us to imagine the reality of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Solomon, David, and of course, Jesus, their lives marked by a relationship with their Creator that leaves us to wonder. Ah, but there is something very deep in all of us which I believe, stirs a certain faith in our hearts and minds that leads us to believe these stories, regardless of the fact that we may have never seen a miracle or witnessed anything as great as these men saw.

      The very existence of all that we know is a miracle in itself; this planet, our universe beyond, and especially the way we are made. All of this speaks to us of a divine intelligence beyond the scope of our limited capabilities to perceive it. We are truly surrounded by wondrous and mystical things, mysteries if you will, that move us to want to believe. But there are always skeptics and critics who choose to believe in their own self-sufficiency apart from any divine intervention. And this despite the fact that we are failing at every turn and spiraling downward into our own self destruction.

      Understand, my friend, that the next president will not save us from what is happening in our country, nor will our government or any government find the answers they seek, for they are filled with corruption from top to bottom, steeped in pride, greed, and a lust for power that can only end in misery. We are in great need of a baptism of love and power that supersedes all the kingdoms of man.

      As is true of all my studies, they are simply my opinions and theories, based on my own years of study. If you have read any of my previous works, then you know that I don’t adhere to the traditional vein of thought, that I am quick to challenge the status quo. This study is no exception. You will find that what I present here is unique in its presentation, most likely different from what you may have heard before, but again, it’s my own opinion and theory. Perhaps I am wrong. If so, I pray that the Lord will open my eyes to see the truth as it is intended to be.

      That being said, I will say as I’ve said in my previous studies that there are mistakes in this presentation, not by intention, but out of ignorance. I am still and always will be learning. It has been difficult to put aside what I have inherited in order to see from a fresh perspective.

      In His Grace,

      Jack Marshall

      Please note: All Hebrew and Greek definitions are taken from the Strong’s Greek and Hebrew Dictionary unless otherwise noted. All Bible passages are taken from the New King James Bible unless otherwise noted.

      Matthew 13:3-9 (NKJV)

      Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

      Chapter One

      PARABLES

      The word parables is defined by the Strong’s Concordance as, "A similitude ("parable"), i.e. (symbolic) fictitious narrative (of common life conveying a moral), apothegm or adage. It’s taken from the root which means, To throw alongside, i.e. (reflexive) to reach a place, or (figurative) to liken." Consider this explanation from Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament.

      Parables (παραβολαῖς)

      From παρά, beside, and βάλλω, to throw. A parable is a form of teaching in which one thing is thrown beside another. Hence its radical idea is comparison. Sir John Cheke renders biword, and the same idea is conveyed by the German Beispiel, a pattern or example ; bei, beside, and the old high German spel, discourse or narration.

      The word is used with a wide range in scripture, but always involves the idea of comparison:

      1. Of brief sayings, having an oracular or proverbial character. Thus Peter (Matthew 15:15), referring to the words If the blind lead the blind, etc., says, "declare unto us this parable." Compare Luke 6:39. So of the patched garment (Luke 5:36), and the guest who assumes the highest place at the feast (Luke 14:7, 11). Compare, also, Matthew 24:39; Mark 13:28.

      2. Of a proverb. The word for proverb (παροιμία) has the same idea at the root as parable. It is παρά, beside, οἶμος, a way or road. Either a trite, wayside saying (Trench), or a path by the side of the high road (Godet). See Luke 4:23; 1 Samuel 24:13.

      3. Of a song or poem, in which an example is set up by way of comparison. See Micah 2:4; Habakkuk 2:6.

      4. Of a word or discourse which is enigmatical or obscure until the meaning is developed by application or comparison. It occurs along with the words αἴνιγμα, enigma, and πρόβλημα, a problem, something put forth or proposed (πρό, in front, βάλλω, to throw). See Psalms 49:4 (Sept. 48:4); 78:2 (Sept. 77:2); Proverbs 1:6, where we have παραβολὴν, parable; σκοτεινὸν λόγον, dark saying; and αἰνίγματα, enigmas. Used also of the sayings of Balaam (Numbers 23:7, 18; 24:3, 15).

      In this sense Christ uses parables symbolically to expound the mysteries of the kingdom of God; as utterances which conceal from one class what they reveal to another (Matthew 13:11-17), and in which familiar facts of the earthly life are used figuratively to expound truths of the higher life. The un-spiritual do not link these facts of the natural life with those of the supernatural, which are not discerned by them (1 Corinthians 2:14), and therefore they need an interpreter of the relation between the two. Such symbols assume the existence of a law common to the natural and spiritual worlds under which the symbol and the thing symbolized alike work; so that the one does not merely resemble the other superficially, but stands in actual coherence and harmony with it. Christ formulates such a law in connection with the parables of the Talents and the Sower. To him that hath shall be given. From him that hath not shall be taken away. That is a law of morals and religion, as of business and agriculture. One must have in order to make. Interest requires capital. Fruit requires not only seed but soil. Spiritual fruitfulness requires an honest and good heart. Similarly, the law of growth as set forth in the parable of the Mustard Seed, is a law common to nature and to the kingdom of God. The great forces in both kingdoms are germinal, enwrapped in small seeds which unfold from within by an inherent power of

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