Matthew 13:16-23, NIV
Map stones: Kingdom of God, the parable of sower and seeds explained: path, rocky ground, thorn bushes, good soil
Matthew 13:16-23
[16]“As for you, how fortunate you are! Your eyes see and your ears hear.
[17]I assure you that many prophets and many of God’s people wanted very much to see what you see, but they could not, and to hear what you hear, but they did not.
[18]“Listen, then, and learn what the parable of the sower means.
[19]Those who hear the message about the Kingdom but do not understand it are like the seeds that fell along the path. The Evil One comes and snatches away what was sown in them.
[20]The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who receive the message gladly as soon as they hear it.
[21]But it does not sink deep into them, and they don’t last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once.
[22]The seeds that fell among thorn bushes stand for those who hear the message; but the worries about this life and the love for riches choke the message, and they don’t bear fruit.
[23]And the seeds sown in the good soil stand for those who hear the message and understand it: they bear fruit, some as much as 100, others sixty, and others thirty.”