Jesus tells of a sower whose seed falls on four kinds of ground: the wayside, rocky places, thorny ground and good soil. The lesson began with the sovereignty of God over salvation. To the disciples it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and the Father has hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to infants. Seed on the wayside is taken by unbelief, which shows itself in dullness of hearing and an unwilling spirit.
The rocky soil pictures those who fall away when trouble comes, and the lesson set beside it the marks of a true believer who overcomes the world and endures. The thorny soil shows the cost of following Jesus when the world’s desires crowd out the Word. The good soil is a heart made new. God promises to cleanse His people and give them a new heart and a new spirit, and then the Word bears fruit.