Golden Bells Stories Jesus Told
A sower went out to sow...
#421
Claire’s D Column
id you read the story? Don’t worry #421 is not going to be all about gardening or even farming. That is because the story you just read is not just a story. It is a parable.
In #420 I asked everyone to enter the competition
‘What is a Parable?’
Here are some of your best answers…
Joshua
Competition Winners Brandon Olivia
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Congratulations! Your prizes are in the post! If you didn’t win this time, here is another competition about parables...
New Task:
n o i t i t e Comp
the one d sue but is t ou think fool. Rea x e n the rich n what y ot the f w n o o s d le t’ b a te h es before para , wri #423 (t 5 words clues in the vers bout the 2 a n e a b l th il ss after) w ere are nd, in le to . Hint: Th :16-21 a is 2 1 le readers e b k ra u L verseas this pa o f r o fo n o e s m the les s more ti r. (this give 0 1 0 2 and afte th , May 18 Tuesday enter!)
Closing
Date:
Winners in #423! But let’s get back to the parable of the sower... Hundreds of Due:
people heard this parable when Jesus told it by the seaside. Most of them thought it was just a story about simple things like seed, soil, rocks, birds etc. etc. It was only the disciples who were serious about learning its deeper lesson. They went to Jesus afterwards to ask Him what He was really talking about. The disciples then discovered the hidden meaning… Hundreds (actually about 5,500) of us are reading the parable of the sower here in #421. We are from Africa, Australia, India, Solomon’s… etc. etc. Whatever you do, don’t just get your Golden Bells read the story, do some activities and throw it away! Get serious about finding the hidden meaning because the Lord Jesus has a lesson to teach YOU. If you have ears… then hear it!
m a e T e h t t e e M . I Priscilla because m I’ s ll , e e n B o t Golden Hi every st job a e b e th ! I have r I am activities e Sowe “Be e th th f ll o a e writ says, Parable ad the s which e e r m I 2). a J n e in Wh ly” (J1:2 n erse o v s r a e f r o a d olden d not he reminde sons in G od s word an le e e th f th o r read rd of G doers you neve ut them. The wo life! e r u s e k o r Ma get all ab ce in you r ti c fo a d r n p a to Bells ut in ays be p must alw
Priscilla
Kids Story
milk
Some farmers keep cows for Some farmers keep And some farmers keep seed
There was once a sower who went out t heavy b
e Som
Some went behind... .. Som e left.
w t wen Some went in front... ent right ...
Hard Some seed fell on the
..........
Shallow Some seed fell on the
hard ground.
Shallow Ground.
(It was called hard ground because it was actually the dry, cracked pathway around the outside of the field where people walked each day).
(It was called shallow ground because just underneath a thin layer of good soil was a hard bed of rock).
When the seed landed, it just bounced off. Suddenly some big black hungry birds swooped down, pecked the seed and ate it! They had been watching and waiting‌ the seed was gone!
There was no crop.
When the seed landed, it went into the soil and grew quickly. The little seedling looked very good on the top but underneath the roots did not go down very deep at all. When the hot sun came out, the weak little seedling shrivelled up and died.
There was no crop.
k.
p bulls for beef. Some farmers keep sheep for wool. to grow crops. These farmers are called
Sowers.
to sow. He walked up and down in his fields with a big, bag of seed. As he walked he threw the seed‌
.........Seed went EVERYWHERE!
Thorny Some seed fell on the
Good Some seed fell on the
Thorny Ground.
Good Ground.
(It was called thorny ground because lots of thorns and weeds were already growing there).
(It was called good because it was soft, deep and clean).
When the seed landed it went into the soil and started to grow up with the thorns. But the thorns had been there for a long time and they were very strong. They sent their roots down deep and sucked up all the water. They sent their leaves up high and hogged all the sunlight. The poor little seedling could not grow. It was choked by the thorns and it died.
There was no crop.
When the seed landed, it went into the soil and started to grow. The little seed grew downwards and upwards. There were no rocks, no stones, no weeds and no thorns. Everyday the seedling got stronger and stronger until eventually‌
There were lots and lots of crops!
Sower Key
U
se this key to help you unlock the meaning of the Parable of the Sower.
=
Anyone who spreads God’s message
The Sower
4 Soils
Seed
=
The Word of God (the whole Bible)
Thorny Soil Good
Soil
= = =
Shallow Heart
Soil
3 Enemies =
Hard Times (trouble, temptation, persecution)
Birds
=
Satan and his tricks
Thorns
=
Other Things
Sun
Worldly Heart
Shallow
=
Good Heart
Soil
Hard Heart
Hard
Activities
2
1
2
3
4 Draw the missing square here.
A
B C A1
For the activity above, write on each square its correct position in the original picture by using the grid. The first one has been done for you.
Word Scramble 6 words are scrambled in this ear of wheat. Unscramble the 4 that describe the 4 grounds in the parable. 1_____________2____________3_____________
3 _4______________
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Colouring with Curly
2 4
Plant a Seed Draw a seed (or a plant) in the holes with:
Example >>
1. The name of a food 4. Types of plants 2. Words beginning with the letter ‘s’ 5. The name of a disciple of Jesus 3. Words which rhyme with ‘sow’
3
he
carrot
throw
sunshine
who
low
has
james
potato
rose
ears
cactus
to
hear
let
mow
violet
him
Use the leftover words to write what Jesus said at the end of the parable ____________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
peter
hear
___________________________________________________
The parable of the sower teaches us that we should listen to the word of God with our ____________ and accept it in our ____________
12
Which two body parts belong in the blanks? Draw them above.
God’s Word
T
he parable of the sower is all about what different people do when they hear the Word of God. Many people do nothing, other people do something. But only a few people actually do the right thing. It all depends on the person’s heart inside them.
The Lord Jesus wants you to take a good look at yourself. Have a hard think about your heart. What do you do with the Word of God?
you must
listen read love obey to it
you must
it
you must
it
you must
it
If you do not do all these things… then be careful because you may not be a true Christian at all! You will not keep on growing, you may just shrivel up and die!
T Christians
Young
Page
his parable is very important. Jesus was using it to explain how people would respond to the preaching of the gospel. Not everyone would believe it. Not everyone would receive it. Just as there are different soils so there would be different responses to the message. Everyone’s heart is different.
with Dr Paul
The people Jesus spoke to knew all about sowing seed. The fields were open with no fences. The only boundaries were the footpaths around the fields. The sower would walk up and down throwing the seed from side to side. The seed represents the word of God. There is only one type of seed because there is only one message of salvation. It is found in only one book, the Bible. The Bible is the word of God. The Lord Jesus was the first sower. He came and spoke the message of salvation. He taught the word of God. Now that the Lord Jesus is gone it is the work of every Christian to sow the seed. To continue the work of preaching the message of the gospel. Remember that there is only one seed. It is the word of God. We must read our Bibles, know our Bibles and tell others what it says.
:: Quick Summary
We must carefully read God’s word, find its meaning and do it. Hard Hearts: These people hear the Word of God, but dismiss it straight away. Shallow Hearts: These people reject the word as soon as it causes them persecution or becomes hard to keep. Crowded Hearts: These people allow concerns and interests of this world to choke the word away. Good Hearts: These people hear the word, truly understand it, accept it, do it and bear fruit.
:: Too Hard The first seed fell on the footpath around the field. This was where the people walked. It was packed down hard - so hard that the seed could not get in. It just lay on the surface and very quickly the birds came and pecked it up. It was not long before there was no sign of any seed. It was just as if it had never been there. This is the heart that is hard and will not let the message in. Some people have hearts like that. Hardened by sin and unbelief. They are hostile to God. They reject the message. They have no room for it. They ignore it and continue on as if they had never heard it. You will find some people like that. Their hearts are too hard. They do not understand that they need Gods word.
:: Too Shallow
The next lot of seed fell into ground which seemed alright on the surface, but just underneath it was full of hard rocks. At first the seed grew. It looked good. But as time went by the sun grew very hot. The plant needed water to survive, but its roots could not go deep to find it. It couldn’t cope with the heat and so it withered and died. This is the heart of the person that hears the word and at first eagerly responds. Happy to hear it, they want it. They are happy to be a Christian and they decide to be one. The problem is that they don’t have a deep understanding of what it means. When they are laughed at, rejected or persecuted by others, they are not willing to suffer. They are not willing to pay the price of following Christ. They lose interest and they do not continue to grow. They go back to being what they were before. They wanted happiness, not Christ as Saviour and Lord. They may continue for a while, but they don’t last. They are not true Christians at all. Continues
over the Page
YCP P3
:: Too Crowded The next lot of soil was full of everything! It had never been cleared out. Full of weeds and thorns, there was no room for the seed to grow properly. It was choked and never really grew to bear fruit.
This is the person whose life is full and busy. Time for pleasure, fun and fame. Time for work, money and wealth. Time for sin and time for self... But no time for God and His message. They make room to fit all these things, but they have no room left for Jesus Christ. It is not that they do not understand it, it is just they will not make room for it and soon the message is forgotten.
:: Just Right
This ground is not too hard, not too shallow, nor is it too crowded. It is ready to receive the seed. The seed can penetrate and it has room to grow properly. It lasts and produces the fruit it was meant to produce. This is the person whose heart is open to receive the word of God. They understand the message of the gospel. They know they are sinners. They are not hardened by sin. They believe Jesus Christ to be the only Saviour. They are not hardened by unbelief. They know they need salvation more than anything else in the world. They make room for God’s word. They truly want to hear it because they know they need their sins to be forgiven. They receive the word. Time goes by and they continue to grow. They are changing and they are bearing fruit. They have true life. They have been born again by the living and abiding word of God. They can face trouble, overcome temptation, accept persecution and still continue to grow. These people, and these people only are true Christians. This is what the message of salvation does. it changes a person’s life. It lasts. It is the power of God unto salvation.
Bible Bits 1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” 10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the
[NKJV] Matthew 13:1-23 prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘ Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. 18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
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Jesus Said ‘Blessed are those who hear the word of God and Luke keep it’ 11:28