Sower, Seeds, and Soil – Matthew 13:1-8, 18-23
The parable of the sower is the first of the kingdom comparisons in the 3rd discourse of Matthew. The first 3 parables, of the 7 in this section, are all agricultural in their imagery and communicate in escalating fashion, the realm of the kingdom of God from its individual aspects as touching the human heart to the corporate aspects, to its historical reality. Note additionally: the genius of the Word of God in its choice of analogies... agriculture, wealth, and industry. These are necessarily timeless social norms for mankind and even communicate beyond the immediate subjects of the parables to Biblical economics.