Living LifeWise: Parable of the SowerSample

Since she was old enough to stand on a chair at the kitchen counter, my daughter has loved baking. In the beginning, she carefully watched as I gathered ingredients and mixed them together—always begging to lick the dough off the beaters as I slipped a sheet of cookies into the oven. As she’s gotten older, she’s learned each skill: following a recipe, measuring, sifting, scooping … now she can make chocolate chip cookies with little supervision.

So when I sat with her one evening to work on math homework, I had an idea. The concept I was explaining just wasn’t making sense. I could see the confusion and frustration in her eyes. So I decided to use a different approach. By relating the concept to something she already grasped well—baking cookies—she soon got it.

This experience reminded me of Jesus’ method of sharing truth with His disciples. When Jesus taught about the kingdom of God, He used stories called parables to explain ideas that may have been confusing. The Gospels record dozens of Jesus’ parables. Each parable taught a lesson and revealed secrets of God’s kingdom for those who would understand. These stories related to things the listeners were already familiar with, like sowing seeds. In presenting the truth, Jesus wasn’t only focused on accuracy; He prioritized clarity and relevance too.

As followers of Jesus, God calls us to tell His truth to others. When we share the gospel, the good news about Jesus, we must be prepared to share in a way that is accessible and understandable. At the same time, we share indiscriminately and trust the Lord is preparing hearts to receive His word.

Reflect: Read Matthew 13:1-9. Reflect on Jesus as the Sower who shared the truth about God’s kingdom. Think about how truthfulness plays a role in understanding and sharing the gospel. Consider the state of your own heart and your openness to God’s truth.

• Where does truth come from?
• What does God want us to do if we understand and believe the gospel?
• Have you ever told someone about Jesus? How did he or she respond?

Pray: Ask God to open your heart to His truth and help you identify any obstacles that hinder you from living with truthfulness.