The Parable of the Sower

Jesus came to the seaside, and a great crowd gathered around Him. He got into a boat and sat down, teaching the people with parables. A farmer went out to sow seeds. Some seeds fell along the path and were eaten by birds; some fell on shallow rocky ground and quickly sprouted but withered when the sun scorched them; some fell among thorns and were choked by the thorns and could not bear fruit. Only the seeds that fell on good soil produced fruit thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. The disciples privately asked Jesus the meaning of the parable. Jesus explained that the seeds are the words of God, and the four types of soil represent four different attitudes in hearing the word of God.