The Essential, Inconsequential Sower

Luke 8:4-15 - the Parable of the Soils

The parable of the soils is repeated in all three of the Synoptic Gospels.  In each, Jesus described two of the three elements of the parable, but not the third.  We know that the seed is the Word of God and that the kinds of soil are the kinds of hearts of men on which the Word falls, but we are not told who the sower is.
I believe that from that deliberate omission, Jesus expected us to place ourselves in the role of sower.  This is my supposition, but I believe that this puts the lie to all those hyper-Calvinists who do not “gospelize” – evangelize the gospel – under the excuse that it’s not necessary and to the Arminians who see themselves as essential to the process of “saving” the lost.  The sower is both essential and inconsequential.  He is only obedient.  All the “work” of salvation takes place because of the power in the word and the kind of soil.  The sower has no power or effect on either.

Perhaps this overstates or oversimplifies the case.  I will give more thought to this and invite comment.

“Our duty is not measured by the character of our hearers, but by the Command of God.”
C. H. Spurgeon

Notes added Friday morning, February 17, 2012

I ask myself, "what is the point of this parable of the soils?"

To answer that, I examined the context.  The most obvious point is that Jesus spoke the parable in public, but He only gave the explanation to His disciples in private.  That indicates that Jesus was speaking about the multitude not to the multitude.

A great crowd followed Jesus because of the miracles, but soon that crowd would fall away.  Jesus knew this, but the disciples did not, and they thought that the crows would only continue to grow.  Jesus knew that the "mega church" would not last because not every seed that sprouts will bear fruit.  He wanted to prepare His disciples for that reality.

In the twenty-first century, the principle has not changed.  Though it sounds harsh, not every one who responds to the gospel will bear fruit - those who leave were not genuine to begin with.

Coram deo