33. The Story of the Farmer
What the Story Says
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Why did Jesus get into a boat to teach the people?
The people were crowding too tightly around him. So Jesus got into the boat so that he would have room to speak to all the people (#33-01).
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What happened to the seeds that fell on the path?
The birds ate the seeds that fell on the path (#33-02).
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What happened to the seeds that fell on rocky ground?
The seeds that fell on rocky ground did not have enough soil for their roots, so they withered and died (#33-03).
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What happened to the seeds that fell among the thorns?
The thorns choked out the seeds that fell among them so that they did not produce any grain (#33-04).
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What happened to the seeds that fell on the good soil?
The seeds that fell on the good soil produced 30, 60 or even 100 times as much grain as the seed that was planted (#33-05).
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What does the seed in the story represent?
The seed in the story represents the word of God that goes out to different people (#33-06).
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What does the path represent?
The path represents people who do not understand the word of God. Then the devil takes it away from them (#33-06).
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What does the rocky ground represent?
The rocky ground represents people who hear the word of God, but then hardship causes them to stop trusting in God (#33-07).
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What does the thorny ground represent?
The thorny ground represents people who allow money and other things to distract them from their love for God (#33-07).
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What does the good soil represent?
The good soil is the person who hears and believes the word of God (#33-09).
What the Story Means to Us
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Why do you think Jesus told this story to the large crowd?
There would be many kinds of people in the large crowd. They would respond to the words of Jesus in different ways. This story described how they would respond. They would all hear the words of Jesus, but only a few would believe his words and do what God wanted them to do. The other people would fail to love God for different reasons.
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How can hardship and suffering cause a person to stop trusting in God?
Many people wrongly think that God will only allow good things to happen to them. Therefore, when they suffer, they think that God has deceived them or that he does not care about them. They stop trusting in him and following him. But God promised that people would treat his disciples badly.
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How do worries about money and other things cause people to stop loving God?
Jesus said that people cannot love both God and money. They must choose to serve either God or possessions. Many people try do both, but they cannot. If they do not stop loving their possessions, they stop loving God. God is not pleased with these people.
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How does a person produce 30, 60, or 100 times as much fruit?
A single person can cause many other people to hear about Jesus and to love God. This may not happen all at once. But if they obey God throughout their lives and tell others about him, many people will respond to their testimony. The people may be their family, their friends, or even total strangers.
Summary
A large crowd came to hear Jesus teach. There were so many people that he had to get into a boat in the water so that he had room to speak to them all. The people in the crowd would respond to his words in different ways. Some would not understand at all. Others would believe for a while and then fade away. But some would believe his words and serve God for their entire lives. For this reason, Jesus told the story about a farmer sowing seeds. The seeds fell on different kinds of soil, and they grew in different ways. The different kinds of soil on which the seeds fell represented the different people in the crowd. Jesus was telling the crowd and his disciples that they should pay attention to whether they believed the word of God. They should also make sure that they did not let anything else in their lives take the place of their love for God. If they continued to believe, they would accomplish much for God.