We are going to compare and contrast the different accounts to gain more insight. We want to look at BOTH the parable itself and the explanation given by Jesus in each passage.
3 passages are:
Matthew 13:1-23
Mark 4:1-20
Luke 8:4-15
1. Read them all
2. Which account do you think was written 1st?
3. There are four soil types listed. We will discuss them one at a time. This week we will be looking at the soil on the path. List the similarities and the differences between the passages and why these may be important.
4. Explain what is meant by this soil type and how we can apply it to our lives today.
Answers:
2. Scholars disagree on which of these 3 gospels were written first. There is no disagreement with the fact that they are very similar. This is called the "synoptic problem." You will sound very intellignet if you use that phrase. 😉("syn" refers to things that are similar- synonyms. "optic" refers to sight- looking.) They look very similar. The Gospel of John is a totally different type of book. Personally, I go for the belief that Mark was the first one written. Part of my reasoning is the fact that we find 91% of the book of Mark repeated in the gospel of Matthew. We also find 53% of the book of Mark repeated in the gospel of Luke. Matthew and Luke usually "add to" the things that Mark had written.
3. As we look at the soil types and Jesus' explanation we discovered that the easiest way to compare and contrast these passages is to write them out. I have put the differences in bold type.
The parable:
Mark 3:3-4- Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Matthew 13:3-4- Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Luke 8:5- “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.
The explanation:
Mark 3:14-15- The farmer sows the word.15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
Luke 8:12- Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
The other area we spoke about was the fact that both the crowds and the disciples heard the parable. However, the explanation was given only to the disciples. Why? Because they asked. They wanted to know the truth. It is the same with us. We have to want to learn; to be willing to dig for the truth. When we do, we will discover nuggets of truth that will change our lives.
One thing that we are exploring is the fact that all of us can have portions of our hearts that become hard from time to time. We can encounter a "mixture" of soil types in our hearts for many different reasons. We need to learn to recognize "symptoms of hardness" early on so we can be set free.
Hosea 10:12- Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness on you.
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