The Parables of the Seed
Yeshua was an excellent teacher. He was able to relate commonly-understood things, such as growing plants, to the principles of Spiritual things. Simply said, He used earthly examples to explain heavenly things.
The Messiah was prophesied to be a great teacher, in that He would teach the Torah to the whole world. Isaiah’s prophecy speaks of that goal.
And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; so that He may teach us about His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For the Torah will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:3
But while the Messiah is an exceptional teacher, many people do not comprehend His teachings. Yeshua spoke to the gathered crowds in word pictures while teaching and explaining the deeper meaning of His parables to the disciples.
The Sower of Seed
And He told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. “Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and they sprang up immediately, because they had no depth of soil. “But after the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. “Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. “But others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much. “The one who has ears, let him hear.”
Matthew 13:3–9
What does the parable mean? Why did the people not understand the meaning?
And the disciples came up and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” And Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You shall keep on listening, but shall not understand; and you shall keep on looking, but shall not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and return, and i would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. “For truly I say to you that 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”.
Matthew 13:10–17
He then went on to explain the parable of the sower.
“Listen then to the parable of the sower. “When 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 the one sown with seed beside the road. “The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”
Matthew 13:18–23
Before we continue hearing the teaching to the disciples, let us examine what Yeshua said. Like the disciples, we believe that Yeshua is the Messiah and that we have received the Holy Spirit to guide us to all truth with the proper understanding.
God’s word, His testimony to all of us, has been spread out for all to hear, like the seed that has been scattered by the sower. So, in this first parable, the seed represents God’s message to man. The Bible is the record of God’s testimony about Himself and His creation and His expectations for that creation, which is the seed given to all generations. Yeshua has given us examples of what happens with that spiritual seed.
In the first instance, the seed is laying bare on the edge of the road. It has no chance to germinate and take root. It is snatched up by birds. Many never hear the word of God because it is completely ignored or stolen from them.
In the second instance, the seed has been cast among rocks. It has no chance for its root to reach the soil to gain nourishment. The nourishment among the rocks is short-lived, and the seed withers and dies within a short time. Some hear the word but walk away from it quickly.
In the third case, the seed has been cast onto the soil to take root and grow. But it is in competition with other plants—plants that have roots that take the nourishment from the new plant. Above ground, the growth of the other plants blocks out the sun and entangles itself with the new plant. As a result, the plant does not develop and is suppressed. These are likened to believers who begin the walk of faith but are not successful in their relationship with God. Their priorities are still the things of the world, and the word of God is choked out.
Finally, the fourth seed finds fertle ground, free from obstacles and damaging elements. This plant thrives and achieves its potential. This believer makes his relationship with God the priority of his life. He produces spiritual fruit and is faithful to God.
Now consider this. When you heard this parable and its explanation, you probably had the same thought that many believers have. They say they understand, and additional explanation is not needed.
But Yeshua said the average person does not comprehend it. He had to give additional explanation even to the disciples. Think about that for a moment. How is it that we can understand but others cannot? I think it has to do with how we personally process the parable. “Which seed am I?” is the question that forms in our thinking. The average person does not identify as one of the seeds. He just passes over the parable with a yawn and moves on. The believer who asks which seed he is hopes that he is the fourth one, but deeper down knows he is more likely the third.
Yeshua continues this teaching for the disciples by comparing the different seeds. In the next parable, Yeshua gives a different perspective of the seed. There is a seed sown by God, but it is in competition with a seed sown by Satan.
Wheat and Weeds
Yeshua presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. “And when the wheat sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also became evident. “And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No; while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
Matthew 13:24–30
Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. “So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear.
Matthew 13:36–43
Yeshua has taught us that there is a conclusion (judgment) coming for all seeds (mankind). The bad weeds will be gathered and judged, whereas the good seed will be reaped for the Kingdom. It is interesting to note that the disciples asked about this judgment coming for the bad seed. Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field. Again, this is another concept that the average man does not receive nor understand. The average man does not process that a Holy God, who owns the land (the whole creation), has the right to remove that which is not His choice or productive for His Kingdom. The average believer does not want to think about the Day of the Lord that is coming. They prefer to listen to the “good stuff,” like getting rewards in heaven.
Yeshua then shared a parable that focuses on us personally as believers.
The Mustard Seed
He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”
Matthew 13:31–32
A mustard seed is a very small seed, smaller than many other seeds, and round like a BB pellet. However, this little seed has tremendous potential. A mustard seed has the ability to grow to a 20-foot tree in the short period of six years. This will have many branches and its breadth will be as great as its height.
Here are a couple of other things we should note about what this little mustard seed does. Once germinated, it grows deep roots first. It grows to about 18 inches and puts forth yellow flowers in approximately 80 days. Its stem pushes up those flowers and produces the seed pods. Each seed pod produces close to a dozen seeds in a single line.
In the Arab world, the mustard plant is called the “toothbrush” plant. It turns out that the extract of the plant has both antibacterial and antifungal benefits. Toothbrushes are made from the plant.
As a food source, mustard seeds are ground to form our favorite condiment of yellow mustard for the hot dogs or Dijon mustard for our sandwiches. Mustard is a popular condiment in the world for cooking. Connoisseurs like to take the powdered mustard seed and mix it with wine grapes to produce a very unique and pleasurable taste. In some cultures, mustard seed oil is used for hair and skin care. It is believed to promote hair growth, strengthen hair, and improve skin health.
The mustard plant’s roots grow deep and are water-seeking. It is also salt-tolerant and grows where other plants cannot. That is how they can thrive in the Middle East. However, the nation that grows the most mustard for the world is Canada. The 80-day growth cycle fits Canada’s growing season for their climate. Some varieties will produce a double harvest in a single year.
As the tree forms, the bark and resin of the tree also have benefits. The cover of the leaves makes for an excellent shaded area of some size and supports bird nesting for a number of bird species. A single mustard tree will actually form its own ecosystem, supporting many creatures. The wood of a mustard tree resists decay. Utensils and tools are made from mustard tree wood.
Finally, the tree produces a mustard fruit. This fruit can be dried and then eaten as a flavor enhancer and appetite booster. The fruit is used in nutrient supplements and contains dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, in addition to calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and selenium. Mustard has shown itself to aid in the medical treatment of hypertension, blood disorders, migraine headaches, symptoms of rheumatism, and symptoms of asthma.
Now, consider why Yeshua used this little seed and specific plant to explain how a believer grows in the Lord. At first we see ourselves as small and incapable of doing anything in the kingdom. But if we will be grounded in the Lord and seek deep roots in Him, then we will grow strong very quickly and we will produce a variety of products for the kingdom. The principles of growing roots and being grounded are explained in other Scriptures.
He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.
Psalm 1:3
Therefore, as you have received Messiah Yeshua the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with the Messiah.
Colossians 2:6–8
A believer who grows in the Lord offers benefit to others in a variety of ways, from encouragement to brotherly love. With more growth, he is able to spiritually reproduce, helping others come to faith and grow. With experience and wisdom, he changes the world about him and becomes established in the Lord, teaching and ministering to many.
Yeshua’s example of a new believer as a mustard seed was profound. “Fruits” is defined as that part that has the seed, the part that is able to reproduce. Don’t look down on the fruit you bear for the Lord, even if it is as small as a mustard seed. ■
Shalom,
Article written by Monte Judah
* Scripture references from the NASB95
