4 And a great crowd coming together, and those who were coming to him out of each city, he spoke by parable: 5 The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the way, and it was trodden under foot, and the birds of the heaven devoured it up; 6 and other fell upon the rock, and having sprung up, it was dried up because it had not moisture; 7 and other fell in the midst of the thorns, and the thorns having sprung up with [it] choked it; 8 and other fell into the good ground, and having sprung up bore fruit a hundredfold. As he said these things he cried, He that has ears to hear, let him hear. 9 And his disciples asked him [saying], What may this parable be? 10 And he said, To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables, in order that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. 11 But the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 But those by the wayside are those who hear; then comes the devil and takes away the word from their heart that they may not believe and be saved. 13 But those upon the rock, those who when they hear receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a time, and in time of trial fall away. 14 But that that fell where the thorns were, these are they who having heard go away and are choked under cares and riches and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15 But that in the good ground, these are they who in an honest and good heart, having heard the word keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 8:4-15
Commentary on Luke 8:4-21
(Read Luke 8:4-21)
There are many very needful and excellent rules and cautions for hearing the word, in the parable of the sower, and the application of it. Happy are we, and for ever indebted to free grace, if the same thing that is a parable to others, with which they are only amused, is a plain truth to us, by which we are taught and governed. We ought to take heed of the things that will hinder our profiting by the word we hear; to take heed lest we hear carelessly and slightly, lest we entertain prejudices against the word we hear; and to take heed to our spirits after we have heard the word, lest we lose what we have gained. The gifts we have, will be continued to us or not, as we use them for the glory of God, and the good of our brethren. Nor is it enough not to hold the truth in unrighteousness; we should desire to hold forth the word of life, and to shine, giving light to all around. Great encouragement is given to those who prove themselves faithful hearers of the word, by being doers of the work. Christ owns them as his relations.