Luke 8:4-15                                                                                                                      Sexagesima

                            8 February, AD 2026

In our gospel this morning Jesus tells a parable about a farmer who sows his seed promiscuously, without regard for where it lands. Some of it lands on the path, hard packed by foot traffic, so its roots can’t penetrate the surface and the seeds become lunch for birds.

Some land on a rock, so these seeds sprout but because there’s no soil for the roots they die. They make a good beginning, but no more.

Other seeds land among sticker bushes, let’s say under the hedge around the field that keeps animals and trespassers out. These begin to grow among the thorns but lose the battle for space and sunlight so they wither as well.

Thorns came with the curse, imposed on us by God for our rebellion, Gen. 3:18. It makes everything we do harder yet we’re still bound by God’s command to work. Work is not an aspect of the curse but difficulty, frustration, failure, and danger are.

Doesn’t this sower know better than to throw seeds on the sidewalk, a rock, and under sticker bushes? Shouldn’t he be more careful? Doesn’t this sower know any better than to throw seeds where they won’t grow? Well, had he been more careful we wouldn’t have much of a parable here, so Jesus makes the man a sloppy sower. When He explains the parable to the disciples He says that the various kinds of soil represent various kinds of people, or hearts, and many present a challenge for the seeds.

Some seeds landed on hard-packed soil and amounted to nothing, like the seed that landed on most Pharisees. Does it make sense to toss good seeds at Pharisees? Well, you can ask Nicodemus and Joseph of Aramethea when you see them. 

Some seeds landed on a rock, which is what the Greek says, not just rocky soil, like those who only followed Jesus in case he made some bread, or to see His miracles or even benefit from one. In John 6 when Jesus told the Hebrews that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood to live, many lost interest rather than press Him to explain, rather than search the Scriptures to see if they speak of this Man.

Some were distracted by the cares of this world, like the man who told Jesus that he would follow Him right after burying his father. Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their dead; follow me.” Is this heartless? No, it’s basic logic. If it’s more important to follow Jesus than e.g. to bury your dad, then everything less urgent than burying your dad is less urgent than following Jesus.

These different kinds of people may never produce fruit, but Jesus threw seeds at them anyhow.

The chance is one in four (at least in the parable) that the seed will fall on good soil, which is a receptive heart. Having heard the word this heart keeps it like a treasure and doesn’t let the devil steal it. This heart doesn’t wilt in the heat, and is not distracted by the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life, let alone the tragedies. This heart is concerned with growing and spreading life, not with that which passes away. In this heart the word of God takes firm root and bears fruit.

The kingdom of God is one competitor among many for our attention, just another demand upon our time and treasure. The invisible things of God can be drowned out by the attention demanded by visible things. Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel whose hearts were hard, shallow, or bound up with thorns, so Jesus is speaking to the Church, not unbelievers.  

If we consider ourselves good soil we can thank God that someone, a parent, a brother, a neighbor, someone, was faithful enough to plant seeds in us, even though the quality of our soil was unknown at the time.

Just as there are different kinds of poor soil, there are different kinds of good soil. Matthew says that the good soil will bear fruit, some a hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, and some thirty-fold. Everyone is somewhere between the sidewalk where the seeds are useless and those that produce a hundred-fold. The only way to find out which is which is to throw seeds at everyone.

There is another metaphorical farmer in Scripture. In Psalm 126:5-6 we read of a man going forth “weeping, bearing precious seed.” Why is he weeping? Because he knows that the seeds he is throwing on the ground could feed his family for months. He is weeping with fear of failure and hope of success. If his crop fails he and his family will be ruined.

It’s an act of faith to throw grain on the ground where birds can eat it, or where the weeds and thorns might choke it. Maybe there will be a drought. Maybe the Midianites will steal the crop. Maybe it’s best just to make bread from these seeds so we can eat today rather than plant them and trust the Lord for an uncertain harvest. Nah.

Those who sow in tears
    shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
    bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
    bringing his sheaves with him. -Ps. 126:5-6

So the sower may water his seeds with his tears, but if he doesn’t sow them he has no hope for a harvest and therefore no hope of future joy, but if he trusts the Lord for a harvest and puts seeds in the ground he will bring in his sheaves with joy in their season.

Sales illustration.

No farmer would sow like the one in Jesus’ parable, which is why it made no sense to His disciples. Seed was precious; there’s only so much of it and wasting it is foolish, but we can sow like the sower of this parable because our supply is unlimited: we can quote John 3:16 thousands of times to people and A.) it won’t run out, and B.) some of it will take root and produce a harvest for the glory of God.

Strive to bring forth as much fruit for the Master as you can by throwing seeds everywhere. The Lord says, “with patience,” good soil will produce fruit. It just needs some seeds to land on it, and as you can see we have plenty of room here to accommodate the fruits of our obedience.

So sow all the seed you can. Sow promiscuously regardless of where it lands. When the gospel leaves your lips it may land on hearts the devil can steal it from, but Jesus assures us that some seeds will land on good soil too: but only if we plant it! So be diligent but also patient. Good soil will produce fruit, God will give us the joy of harvest, all we must do is drop the seed of His word onto whatever kind of soil is at hand.