Luke 8:1-15

Soon after this Jesus went around the towns and villages announcing the good news of God's kingdom. The twelve disciples went with him, along with a number of women who had been healed from evil spirits and sickness: Mary called Magdalene from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Herod's manager Chuza; Susanna; and many more who provided support from their personal resources. Once when a large crowd of people gathered, coming from many towns to see him, Jesus spoke to them, using a story as an illustration. “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he scattered the seed, some fell on the road where people trampled on it and birds ate it up. Some fell on stony ground, and once the seeds had sprouted they withered for lack of moisture. Some seeds fell among thorns and as they both grew the thorns choked the plants. Some seeds fell on good earth and after they grew they produced a harvest one hundred times more than what had been sown.” After he told them this, he called out, “If you have ears, then listen!” But his disciples asked him, “What does this illustration mean?” Jesus replied, “You've been given insights into the mysteries of God's kingdom, but the rest are given illustrations so that, ‘Even though they see, they don't really see; and even though they hear, they don't really understand.’ This is the meaning of the illustration: The seed is God's word. The seeds that fall on the road are those who hear the message, but then the devil comes and steals away the truth from their minds so they won't trust in God and be saved. The seeds that fall on the stony ground are those who hear and welcome the message with joy but don't have any roots. They trust for a while but when difficult times come they give up. The seeds that fall among thorns are those who hear the message but it's choked out by life's distractions—worries, wealth, pleasure—so they don't produce anything. The seeds sown on good earth are those who are honest and do what is right. They hear the message of truth, hold on to it, and through their perseverance produce a good harvest.