Seed Story #6: A Circular Parable

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by:  Staci Stallings

Now we get to one of the coolest insights into our seed stories, but stay tuned because they don’t even end here!

We’ve been studying Luke 8:4-15

“He spoke by way of a parable: ⁵ “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. ⁶ Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. ⁸ Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

⁹  His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. ¹⁰ And He said, “ To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

¹¹ “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. ¹² Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴ The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”

Now instead of reading this as a single parable, I want you to go deep and see that it is not a single parable, but a circular parable.  That is one reason I have been a little “scattered” myself in talking about it.  Why?  Because we are both the soil and the sower!

You see, it works something like this:

A seed is planted by a sower:

Simple enough, right?  You have seeds.  You plant them.  You water them, nurture them, protect them, and… then they sprout:

Now you wait, water, nurture, protect, and they begin to grow:

Eventually if given the right time to grow and the right nurturing, what happens?

They produce their own seed:

This is where our parable becomes circular.  See, at one time you were the soil where the Jesus Seed was planted, and He grew up in your life and His presence changed you.  When He grew up and died, His seed was joined with your life to create not a single plant but multiple plants!

Notice how the stalk of wheat has many seeds?  That’s what happens in believer’s life.  It might start off looking little, insignificant and pitiful.  But if that single Jesus Seed is allowed to grow, it becomes many Jesus Seeds that can then be spread into different soil–other people’s lives.

And at that point, you somehow continue to be the soil where new Jesus Seeds are planted and you become the sower into other people’s lives by sharing what has been given to you!

So you are the soil, and you should take your cue from that part of the story for the seeds Jesus is planting in your heart.  Be open.  Let Him clear your soil.  Nurture the seeds that are planted there, and when they are fully grown, embrace now being a sower who goes out and spreads the Jesus Seeds that have grown in your heart to everyone!