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A farmer went to sow some seeds on his land. He threw big handfuls of the seed all around him. Some of it fell on the hard path where he was standing. As soon as the farmer walked away, hungry birds swooped down and ate it all up.

Some seeds fell on rocky patches of ground, where there was just a thin layer of soil. The seeds grew up quickly at first. The roots reached down into the soil for moisture but because of the rock underneath they could not grow far. They could not soak up enough water and so the hot sun shriveled them up.

Some seeds landed on ground that was full of thorns and thistles and other weed. The weeds grew strongly and took all the food and water from the seeds. Some of the little plants were overcome by the weeds and died.

Some seeds fell upon very rich soil and grew to be big strong plants, a hundred times as large as the farmer had planted.

Then Jesus said to his audience, anyone has listening ears, now’s the time use them and try to understand what I mean this story!

But his followers were puzzled. ‘What does this story mean?’ they asked him.

Jesus replied, ‘The seeds are like the message I am trying to tell you about the kingdom of God. The seed that fell on the hard path is like the person who hears my message but doesn’t understand it.

The devil comes and take away what has been sown in that person’s heart, just as the birds took away the seeds.

‘The seed that fell on rocky ground is like the person who hears my message gladly and is happy to hear the news. But without roots nothing can survive. As soon as something bad happens to that person, they forget my message’ The seed that fell amongst the thorns and weeds is like a person who hears my message but has so many other cares and worries that he does not have time or space to concentrate on it. Everything he has heard is lost.

‘The seed that falls on rich soil is like the person who hears m words, understands them completely and keeps on believing in me. That person can then go out and convince hundred or people that the word of god is true. This is what the story of the sower and the seed is all about.