Daily Devotional For Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Good morning Southside! Thank you for taking your time to read and reflect on these devotionals. We are making our way through Matthew’s Gospel and today we come to a parable by Jesus. To do this, I am going to take some time to set-up the context which will make this devotional a little longer.  So, we are going to break it into parts so we can really gleam from the truth Jesus wants for us. Look at Matthew 13:1-9:

“That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. (2) And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. (3) And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, ‘Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. (5) Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. (6) But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. (7) Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. (8) And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. (9) He who has ears, let him hear” (NASB).

Matthew tells us that Jesus went down to the Sea of Galilee and got into a boat to teach. There is a bowl-shape inlet on the Sea of Galilee that provides the perfect acoustics, that provides a teacher the ability to be heard by a large crowd sitting on a sloped hill. To maximize this, the speaker or teacher had to be in the water facing the shore so that the sound of their voice was deflected on the water and carried ashore. Jesus used this to His advantage to teach so that the people could hear Him. All in all, Matthew 13 actually contains 7 parables:

• In Matt. 13:1-23 is the parable of the sower and the soils, focusing on receptivity to the gospel message.
• In Matt. 13:24-35 are three “little power” parables about the weeds, seeds, and leaven. 
• In Matt. 13:44-50 are three “end time” parables about the treasure in a field, the pearl, and the net.

New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton writes this about Jesus’ use of parables:

“Parables are short stories that use familiar scenes and everyday objects and relationships to explain spiritual truths. A parable compares something unfamiliar with something familiar. It compels listeners to discover truth, while at the same time concealing the truth from those too lazy or too stubborn to see it . . . In this parable, the farmer represents Jesus, the soil represents Israel, and the seed represents the proclamation of the kingdom. The parable shows the contrast between the results of acceptance and rejection of the gospel message” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” P. 256).

As we make our way slowly through this Parable of the Sower, pastor and author John MacArthur writes this in his introduction about this parable:

“There seems to be no end of the books being written today on the mission of the church. From many sources and from almost every possible viewpoint, the church and its task in the world are being studied, scrutinized, analyzed, praised, blamed, exalted, damned, criticized, and shored up. Every sort of program, principle, method, and scheme is being applied to its operation. With high visibility, the church is being discussed everywhere from the back room to the boardroom, from the kitchen to the seminary class, and by pastors, theologians, laymen, and even the people of the world. Yet with all that study and concern, in few times of its history has more of the church been less certain about what it is, what it should be, and what it should do” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 342).

This means as we come to the 13th chapter of Matthew, Jesus is laying out some foundational truths about the mission and purpose of His church. The words “that day” are referencing the day His mother and brothers came to do some intervention on Him. It says that Jesus spoke in “parables.” This word is the Greek New Testament word [παραβολή, parabole] and it comes from two Greek words: first a verb, hallo, which means “to throw, to lay or to place” and “para,” which means "along side of.” 

It carries the idea of placing something alongside something for comparison. Sometimes a deep spiritual truth would be laid alongside an actual physical object so that the truth is easier to grasp. A common, observable object or practice was used to illustrate a subjective truth or principle. This is why preachers and teachers use illustrations to help people grasp and understand a deeper truth. Jesus was a master at doing this. One more word about parables from New Testament scholar Kent Hughes:

“Parables have two primary purposes: parables conceal and reveal. First, parables conceal the truth from those who will not submit to Christ and his rule; and second, parables reveal the truth to those who by God’s grace will submit to Christ and his rule” (Source: Kent Hughes, Preach The Word, “Matthew: All Authority in Heaven and on Earth,” p. 356).

The text does not tell us, but it is possible as Jesus began to tell this parabable, “Behold, the sower went out to sow . . .” the crowds could actually see a sower on the hill sowing seed. The word translated as “road” is [ὁδός, hodos]. This does not refer to an actual road but a path that separated fields. In Jesus’ day they did not put up fences but used paths to separate one owner’s field from another. Since people used these paths to travel to other parts of the country, these paths would be hard from so much foot traffic.

Seeds that fell on these paths were easily accessible and exposable to the birds to consume. Since farmers scattered or sowed their seeds by reaching into a bag of seeds and with their hands, casting it or scattering over the land, it was impossible to keep some of that seed from landing on the path. It was possible for a farmer to have all 4 types of soil and Jesus knew this. 

Some seed fell on very shallow dirt and as it began to grow quickly, the hot sun scorched. Some seed fell on very rocky soil and as it began to grow, it could not get the depth for the roots to sustain life and it died. Some seed fell among thorns. No farmer would intentionally cast seed in thorns, but this would happen. Thorns deprive a plant of the water and nourishment it deserves and so the seedlings would die. Some seed fell on good soil and its results were a plenteous crop. This parable will encourage any believer who shares his or her faith. This parable by Jesus shows there are many factors that determine a person coming to accept the Gospel and come to Christ. 

Assignment: Do you prefer illustrations in sermons and lessons or do you prefer the basic raw facts? When you share your faith, which I pray you do, what do you use to maximize your ability to be heard and understood? The purpose of the church, you and me, is to spread the seed of the Gospel in a way that can be easily understood. Using huge theological terms, as the Pharisees did, only confuses people and they lose interest. Think about this: what is some common everyday tool or something everyone uses that you could use to share the seed of the Gospel with someone?

Scripture To Meditate On: 1 Peter 3:15, “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, reveal to me every day tools or devices or and etc. to use to illustrate the Gospel to someone. I realize that if they reject it, not to take it personally because there is a process people go through to receive the life You offer. I will not take their rejection personally, but I will be personal in sharing You though my testimony. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!”

I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly