The parable presents the failure and success of a sower who sows seed that falls on four different types of earth, which Jesus explains as the varied responses to hearing the word by four different kinds of people. Three of the responses are unproductive, while only one of the four is fruitful, although impressively so, producing up to a hundredfold.

It is important to note that Jesus calls this not the Parable of the Soils, but the Parable of the Sower (13:18). This is important because it determines how one interprets the passage. While Jesus describes the kinds of soil upon which the seed lands, the emphasis is on the Sower, who, despite hazard and opposition has a bountiful harvest. It is not the supposed wasteful sowing that is highlighted, but the fact that despite many closed hearts and intense opposition, God, in the end, will still produce a magnificent harvest.

Since the parable is interpreted only for the disciples, it seems that the primary application was for them. They may have been wondering, "If the kingdom has arrived, why are so many of our countrymen—and especially our religious leaders—not responding in obedient faith?"

The parable of the Sower was told to lift the disciples’ hearts. The seed of the Kingdom will bear fruit. The majority may reject the Kingdom; they may let trials and cares choke out the seed that has begun to grow. But Jesus tells the disciples not to lose heart, because the fruit borne by those who do accept the implanted Word will be astounding. The abundance of the fruit will more than compensate for the lost seed.

It is important for us to acknowledge that all four kinds of soil exist in every nation and region on earth. Our task is to sow the seed in every culture so the receptive people in that culture can be found. In every nation and continent, we must search for those who are hungry for the Lord. As J.M. McCaleb wrote long ago, "where sin has gone must go His grace" (J.M. McCaleb, "The Gospel Is for All"). Receptive or not, "the gospel must first be preached to all nations, and then the end will come" (Mark 13:10). This is the divine "must," not a suggestion or a probability. God will certainly bring it to pass; it will surely happen.

I have seen in the eyes of our people who are laboring in difficult areas the same discouragement that may have characterized the disciples of Jesus’ day. I want to tell them that they may not always see the fruit of their labor, but that Christianity is not always about the modern view of success. It is about faithfulness, perseverance and sometimes even about disappointment.

And, thanks to this parable from Jesus’ own lips, it is still about hope.

If we can derive a message for resistant fields from this parable, it is this: The messenger’s job is to (1) sow the seed of God’s Word, (2) let the Lord handle the ultimate results, and (3) trust the Lord that His Word will bear an abundant harvest.