Show Don't Tell: Matthew 13:1-9

Instead of saying "Jesus told the parable of the sower," scatter the seed. Jesus sits by the lake; crowds so large he gets in a boat. From there he teaches: a farmer goes out to sow. Same seed, four soils. Some falls on the path—hard-packed, impenetrable. Birds swoop down and eat it. Some falls on rocky ground—thin soil over limestone. It springs up fast but withers at midday because no root depth. Feel the scorching sun. Some falls among thorns—good soil but contested. The thorns grow faster, choking out the grain. But some falls on good soil—loose, deep, weed-free. Watch it multiply: thirty, sixty, a hundred times what was sown. "Whoever has ears, let them hear." The parable begs interpretation. Most of the seed fails. But the harvest from good soil makes it all worthwhile.