What is Parable of the Sower?
[[File:Canterbury Cathedral, window nXV detail (47082503752).jpg|thumb|A window in [[Canterbury Cathedral]], illustrating the sower sowing seeds on the path.]] The '''Parable of the Sower''' (or '''Parable of the Soils''') is one of the [[parables of Jesus]]. It is found in the [[Gospel of Matthew|Gospels of Matthew]], [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]], and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]], and the [[Apocrypha|apocryphal]] book known as the [[Gospel of Thomas]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Gospel of Thomas|url=https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/thomas.html|access-date=2024-03-30|website=www.earlychristianwritings.com}}</ref> [[Jesus]] starts this parable with a farmer who sows seed on a path, rocks, thorns, and good soil. In the path, the seeds are taken by the birds as food, and stepped over by people. In the rocks, the seed does not grow into a plant. In the thorns, the plant is destroyed by the thorns surrounding it. But on the good soil, the seed grows into a plant and provides. According to Jesus, the farmer represents him, the seeds are the [[Gospel|Gospels]], and the way the seed grows represent how the people react to the Gospels. == Text == “'Listen! A farmer went out to sow seed. While he was scattering the seed, some of it fell by the road. The birds came and ate all that seed. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where there was not enough dirt. It grew quickly there because the soil was not deep. But then the sun rose and the plants were burned. They died because they did not have deep roots. Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. The weeds grew and stopped the good plants from growing. So they did not make grain. But some of the seed fell on good ground. There it began to grow, and it made grain. Some plants made 30 times more grain, some 60 times more, and some 100 times more.'” —Mark 4:3-8 ([[Easy-to-Read Version|ERV]])<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bible Gateway passage: Mark 4 - Easy-to-Read Version|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%204&version=ERV|access-date=2024-03-30|website=Bible Gateway|languag