The Parable Of The Sower - Synopsis

I have enjoyed this study of The Parable of the Sower. As I have looked at what modern day prophets have said, I was reminded of the recent General Conference address Parable of the Sower  given by Elder Dallin H Oaks, April 2015.

Special Note: Wayside soil people are those who have no place in their hearts for seeds/the word of God. The other soils made a place for the seed/word and in one form or another made a commitment to follow Christ.

Below is a short summary of some of the key points Elder Dallin H Oaks made. 

What do we do with the Savior’s teachings as we live our lives?

Parable Of The Sower - Part 5: Seeds in Good Ground

Mark 4:8  And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

Matthew 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that ^aheareth the word, and ^bunderstandeth it; which also beareth ^cfruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

What makes Good Ground?

Parable Of The Sower - Part 4: Seeds in Thorny Ground

Luke 8: 14  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

Choked= properly, choke (cut off) – literally, "choked because joined with."

Parable Of The Sower - Part 3: Seeds in Stony Places

I am really learning a lot about the Parable of the Sower with this in-depth study. It is so exciting! Today I studied about the seed that fell into stony ground.

Matthew 13:5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

Matthew 13: 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

STONY= Inflexible; cruel; unrelenting; pitiless; obdurate; perverse; cold; morally hard; appearing as if petrified; as, a stony heart; a stony gaze; (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary). Parched, no depth, rocky land which a thin layer of soil is spread.

I also found that Zechariah 7:11-13 added to my understanding: 

Parable Of The Sower - Part 2: The Seed By The Wayside

Matthew 13:4, Mark 4:4, Luke 8:5

Matthew 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Way side = path, trench, traveled road, hard ground that has been traveled much.

Devoured = (compare to how Satan is) leaving nothing, greedy, aggressive, grasping, unquenchable, gluttonous, massive, (NOTE: Satan is never pacified nor satisfied).

Parable Of The Sower - Part 1: Introduction

 

I've decided to do an in-depth study comparing:

1. Parable of the Sower - Matthew 13:1-23 (see also Mark 4:1-9, Luke 8:4-15)
2. Lehi's Vision - Nephi 8, 11
3. Zenos's allegory of the tame and wild olive trees - Jacob 5