Luke 8:4-15
New Catholic Bible
The Parable of the Sower.[a] 4 When a large crowd gathered together as people from every town flocked to him, he said in a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some of the seed fell along the path and was trampled upon, and the birds of the sky ate it up. 6 Some fell on rock, and when it came up, it withered for lack of moisture. 7 Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. 8 And some fell onto good soil, and when it grew it produced a crop of a hundredfold.”
After saying this, he cried out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Purpose of Parables.[b] 9 Then his disciples asked him what the parable meant. 10 He said, “To you has been granted knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but for others they are made known in parables, so that
‘looking they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.’
11 The Explanation of the Parable of the Sower.[c]“The meaning of the parable is this. The seed is the word of God. 12 The seed on the path represents those who hear, but then the devil comes and carries off the word from their hearts so that they may not come to believe and be saved. 13 Those on rock are the ones who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a short while, but in time of trial they fall away.
14 “That which has fallen among thorns are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the concerns and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. 15 But that which is on rich soil are the ones who, when they have heard the word with a good and upright heart, keep it and yield a harvest through their perseverance.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 8:4 Since the time of the Prophets, harvesting was a current image of the Judgment (Joel 4:13). Sowing evokes the activity of Jesus. Jesus knows from experience that preaching the Gospel converts only hearts that are well disposed. Nevertheless, he underlines with optimism the growth of the seed: despite all risks and obstacles, the Word of God will make progress among human beings.
- Luke 8:9 At the moment, only the disciples are sensitive to the riches of the Gospel; the others do not yet have a free heart. See also note on Mt 13:11.
- Luke 8:11 In the meditation of the early communities, the parable of the sower becomes a lesson for the believer. In daily life, in trials, in the pleasures of life, the work of the demon is an obstacle to the Gospel. Jesus knows this. He also knows the generosity of which humans are capable. He puts us on guard but also calls us to make a persevering effort to let our life be transformed by his teachings.
