MATTHEW 13:1–8
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
The kingdom of God, also known as the kingdom of heaven, refers to the realm or sphere in which God rules as King. It is not limited to God’s rule in heaven, but also includes the kingdom of God on earth, where Jesus reigns as King. Jesus told many parables to describe the kingdom of heaven. His first parable on the kingdom, the parable of the sower, was meant to provoke His listeners to think about how they would respond to the message of the kingdom of heaven. The imagery was that of a sower sowing seeds which fell on different kinds of soil. The types of soil represented different kinds of people according to how they responded to the message of the kingdom. As we study this parable, we too should consider how to respond to the truth we will encounter.