Jesus Speaks in Parables
February 15
Matthew 13:11–15 refers to Isaiah’s prophecy that the Messiah will speak in parables. So what is a parable? The Greek word behind “parable” means “to throw alongside.” As Jesus went about ministering, He often drew word pictures from what He and His disciples encountered.
The parables were designed to reveal secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven to hungry and thirsty souls. At the same time, Jesus’ parables concealed the true meaning from those who had no interest in His Kingdom. Jesus spoke in parables in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that the Messiah would speak in parables. (Matthew 13:14–15) It might sound funny, but an easy way to remember the purpose of His parable ministry is the rhyme: to reveal, to conceal, and to “fulfeel.” Now you can say you know the rhyme and reason for Jesus’ parable ministry.
As a master teacher, it’s clear that Jesus believed in “teachable moments.” Here in this chapter He tells the parable of the sower. I can imagine the Lord and His disciples walking past a field where workers were sowing seed, and Him stopping to relate this very important lesson. (Matthew 13:3–9)
Oftentimes, Jesus explained the meaning of a parable He just told. He did that in the following verses. (Matthew 13:18–23) An important note here, though, is that this parable is easy to misunderstand and has led some Christians to worry that they could lose their salvation. We’ll get to that in a moment.
Jesus said that a sower threw out seeds which fell in four places. The first seeds fell on the path. Birds came and ate those seeds. The second seeds fell on rocky ground. These seeds sprouted quickly but, because they didn’t have much soil, they were unable to send down roots before the sun scorched them. The third seeds fell on fertile soil, but were unable to grow because the plants were choked out by thorns. Finally, the fourth group landed on fertile soil. These germinated and grew into even more plants than there were seeds.
Four places where seeds fell.
But the seeds were only able to grow and multiply in one. We noted that some Christians worry about losing their salvation. This story is not about that. Remember where the seeds fell among thorns? Remember where they fell on rocky ground? The seeds were never able to germinate in either of these. The parable is about the seeds producing and yielding fruit. In John 15, Jesus told His disciples that the purpose of branches on the vine was to bear a lot of fruit. (John 15:8) The same is true of seeds sown by the Sower. It is by growing and producing fruit that we prove we are Jesus’ disciples. Some of that fruit is holiness, and other fruit is love for each other. (John 8:31; John 13:35)
Application
To assert that this parable is about losing one’s salvation is to completely misread it. Among all four places where the seed landed, only one supported life. That’s the point! Our purpose is to grow in relationship with Jesus and produce fruits of love and obedience. (John 14:15, 21, 23) Lost people cannot grow in relationship with Jesus because that relationship doesn’t exist.
Do you have a relationship with Jesus? Are you growing in it? What are you doing to grow?
Practicing spiritual disciplines cultivates growth in our relationship with Jesus. Spiritual Disciplines include things like:
• Bible Meditation, which includes reading, study, & memorization (Isaiah 34:16; Ezra 7:10; Ps. 19:11)
• Giving to support God’s work, whether in regular donations or special offerings (Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:7)
• Prayer, which Paul divides into supplication, prayer (simple requests), intercession, & thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Timothy 2:1)
• Witnessing—telling others about Jesus (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8)
• Worship with other believers (Psalm 29:2; Colossians 3:16)
• Fasting (Ezra 8:21, 23; Isaiah 58)
By the way, this list of spiritual disciplines is not exhaustive. God wants us to be creative in the ways we commit to growing in relationship with Him.
© Copyright 2026 Craig Beaman