Matthew 13:3–8, 18–23

The Parable of the Sower

Jesus taught a parable about a man sowing seeds. These seeds fell on different types of ground, which resulted in different outcomes. Likewise, the word of God is received in various ways by those who hear it. This lesson will help you prepare your heart to receive and nurture the word of God.

Using objects and pictures. Objects and pictures can help students visualize the people, places, events, things, and symbols in the scriptures. For example, instead of just talking about objects in the scriptures, invite students to draw them.

Student preparation: Invite students to ponder this question fromthis week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: “Why is it that sometimes our hearts are receptive to truth, while at other times we’re tempted to resist it?” (“March 20–26. Matthew 13; Luke 8; 13: ‘Who Hath Ears to Hear, Let Him Hear,’” Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023).

Possible Learning Activities

Prepare yourself to hear God’s word

Consider starting class by inviting several students to share their answers to the question they were invited to ponder in preparation for class.

Take some time to evaluate how willing you are to receive the word of God. Use this scale with each of the following statements:

Frequently—Sometimes—Rarely

Display the statements or read them slowly so that students have time to think about their personal receptivity to the word of God. Students are to ponder their responses quietly, not answer aloud.

I study the scriptures with the intent to learn and grow.
I try to notice the Spirit’s influence in my life and follow the directions I am given.
I listen to and obey the counsel offered by the Lord through His prophets and apostles.
I seek to strengthen my personal testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel.

Now that you have examined your attitude about God’s word, you are ready to study the parable of the sower. In this parable, the Lord outlined some potential problems that could prevent seeds from growing, taking root, and producing fruit. As with all of His parables, the Lord used familiar elements to teach spiritual lessons.

Use the following four-step pattern to study the parable of the sower. Regardless of how you responded to the statements above, this lesson is designed to help you prepare your heart to receive the blessings the Lord wants to give you. As you study, look for ways to have a meaningful experience with the word of God.

If this pattern was introduced in the previous lesson, consider asking students to recall each of the steps, and then write them on the board.

Find important details.
Make spiritual comparisons.
Discover valuable lessons.
Determine personal application.

Find important details

For the following activity, students could work in pairs. One student in each pair could read the first set of verses while the other points out important details. They could then each draw a picture in their study journals. Students could then switch roles and repeat the process for the other sets of verses.

One way to visualize important details is to draw each part of the parable. Divide a page in your study journal into four sections. Read the verses and make a simple drawing of what is described.

Drawings of a bird with a seed, the sun shining on a plant, thorns growing around a plant, a wheat plant.

Make spiritual comparisons

Read Jesus’s explanations of the parable in the following verses. Write down any comparisons He made next to your drawings.

Students could work individually, in pairs, or in small groups. If they work in groups, divide the verses among the group members and ask students to report to their group what they find.

Discover valuable lessons

To discover valuable lessons, it can be helpful to ask questions that allow the Holy Ghost to teach you personally. In addition to the following questions, think of others you might ask.

What might the Savior want me to learn from this parable?
Why would the Savior want me to know what my heart is like?

You could also imagine how the parable might apply in real life. For example, try to picture how the actions of a person whose heart is like stony or thorny ground might be different from the actions of a person whose heart is like good ground. As you think of these actions, consider writing some of them next to each of your drawings.

Students could be asked to give a few examples of actions they wrote down. If students are having a hard time thinking of examples, the scenarios in the “Supplemental Learning Activities” section could be useful.

What suggestions could you offer someone whose heart is hard, stony, or thorny?

Determine personal application

Think about the condition of your own heart and which of the four types of soil best describes you. If the spiritual condition of your heart is not currently what you want it to be, know that you can change.

Based on what you have learned today, take a minute to ponder what you can do to improve the condition of your heart.

What will you do to invite the word of God into your heart?
What actions will you take to improve the condition of your heart?
What obstacles will you ask the Lord to help you overcome?

Give students an opportunity to share what they learned today about the Lord and His desire for His word to grow in our hearts.

Commentary and Background Information

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency gave a talk in general conference on the parable of the sower. The following questions are answered using his explanations.

What are seeds that “fell by the way side”? (see Matthew 13:4, 19)

The seeds that “fell by the way side” (Mark 4:4) have not reached mortal soil where they might possibly grow. They are like teachings that fall upon a heart hardened or unprepared.

(Dallin H. Oaks, “The Parable of the Sower,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 32)

What could cause someone’s heart to be in “stony places”? (see Matthew 13:5, 20–21)

Young people, … here is a specific example. If the emblems of the sacrament are being passed and you are texting or whispering or playing video games or doing anything else to deny yourself essential spiritual food, you are severing your spiritual roots and moving yourself toward stony ground.

(Dallin H. Oaks, “The Parable of the Sower,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 33)

How might we recognize the “thorns” of life? (see Matthew 13:7, 22)

We surrender to the “pleasures of this life” [Luke 8:14] (1) when we are addicted, which impairs God’s precious gift of agency; (2) when we are beguiled by trivial distractions, which draw us away from things of eternal importance; and (3) when we have an entitlement mentality, which impairs the personal growth necessary to qualify us for our eternal destiny.

We are overcome by the “cares … of this life” [Luke 8:14] when we are paralyzed by fear of the future, which hinders our going forward in faith, trusting in God and His promises.

(Dallin H. Oaks, “The Parable of the Sower,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 34–35)

What does it take to produce fruit out of “good ground”? (see Matthew 13:8, 23)

We have the seed of the gospel word. It is up to each of us to set the priorities and to do the things that make our soil good and our harvest plentiful. We must seek to be firmly rooted and converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ (see Colossians 2:6–7). We achieve this conversion by praying, by scripture reading, by serving, and by regularly partaking of the sacrament to always have His Spirit to be with us.

(Dallin H. Oaks, “The Parable of the Sower,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 35)