Mark 4:2-20
2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
14 The sower soweth the word.
15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - Parable of the Soils, Luke 8:4-8, 11-15 (cf. Matt. 13:1-9, Mark 4:2-20)
(Salvation) Interpretation: The parable teaches that there are some who profess Christ but are not truly saved, or they are saved but lose their salvation because they do not go on to bear fruit.
(Discipleship) Interpretation: The parable teaches that there are some who believe and do not go on to produce fruit and some who do.
This is the first of Christ's parables, and it is intended to explain the purpose of all parables and show how people respond to God's truth. Jesus uses parables to enlighten those who are receptive to the truth and to obscure it from those who are not receptive to it. Christ explains this purpose before He interprets the parable for his disciples (Matt. 13:10-17; Mark 4:10-12; Luke 8:9-10). In the larger context of the preceding chapters 11-12, the leaders of Israel have rejected Christ's teaching, and He has condemned them. He now speaks truth they will not comprehend, but His followers will. If Jesus is compared to the sower, the seed sown is truth about His claims as Israel's Messiah, which is the issue in the context.
There is no disagreement that the first soil, which has its seed snatched away by the birds representing the devil, represents those who were never saved. Luke helps us in this interpretation by adding that these are people from whom the devil keeps the truth "lest they should believe and be saved" (Luke 8:12). Neither is there much disagreement about the fourth soil that represents those who accept the truth and continue in it to bear fruit (though some would say we cannot know if they are saved unless they produce fruit until the end of their lives).
Speaking of the first soil, Jesus demonstrates that salvation is based on believing. It is only in this first soil that no germination occurs because there is no belief. It is the second and third soils where interpretations diverge, because these two soils bear life implying there was belief. The second soil produces life, but it quickly withers because the soil is mostly rock with no moisture. The third soil also produces life, but thorns that represent the cares and pleasures of this life choke it. It is "unfruitful" according to Matthew and Mark (Matt. 13:22; Mark 4:19), but Luke is more ambiguous saying those represented "bring no fruit to maturity" (Luke 8:14). It is possible they have fruit, but it never matures. Do the second and third soils represent people who simply profess Christ as Savior, or were they truly saved?
We observe several things that help our interpretation. First, both soils demonstrate the presence of life, as opposed to the first soil that never demonstrates life because the devil does not allow the truth to reach their hearts. This would argue that the truth reaches the hearts of the second and third groups and divine life is brought forth. Luke clearly says that the second group "receive the word with joy... who believe for a while" (Luke 8:13). The issue is not the sincerity of their faith, but its duration. The third group also shows life, but it is choked out - not out of existence, but out of fruitfulness.
The (Discipleship) interpretation makes more sense because the issue the parable illustrates is not perseverance unto salvation, but perseverance unto fruitfulness. Some people who believe in Christ do not go on to be very fruitful. The reason is the nature of their hearts. Those who go on to fruitfulness have hearts that remain responsive to God's truth, so responsive that challenges and distractions to their faith do not prevent growth to fruitful maturity.
The parable reveals important truth to believers: Everyone has the opportunity to respond to God's truth, and He desires everyone who responds to His truth to persevere in faith for a fruitful life. The reality is, many are distracted by trials that challenge their faith, or distractions of worldly pleasures that choke out strong growth. It is a lesson for us to stay in the truth of God's Word and to monitor our own hearts so that we are always responsive to what God says.