Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 13:3-9

"And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow; and as he sowed, some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them: and others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth: and straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And others fell upon the thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked them: and others fell upon the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He that hath ears, let him hear." — Matthew 13:3-9 (ASV)

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them; but other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

On the very surface of it, this parable teaches those of us who have to sow that we must not expect to have our choice of the ground, and that we are not even to make a choice in the matter, but we are bound to go, as this sower did, and cast a handful there upon the hard-trodden road, and a handful there among the thorns and nettles, and a handful here again where there is no deepness of earth, and thank God if a handful shall fall on good ground. Still, for us to suppose that we are to sort out the characters and select the ground is a very great mistake. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. A distinction will soon come.

The seed will be the grand detective of the soil. It will show what the soil is. Just as Christ on the cross is the discerner of men's thoughts, that the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed, so is the preaching of Christ crucified the test of human condition. You will see now who it is that has the honest and good ground, and who has not. Not by a geological inspection, but simply by throwing a handful of seed on it. That will soon discern between the precious and the vile.