The farmer sows the word — the interpretation begins with the simplest possible identification: the farmer is the one who proclaims the word; the seed is the word itself. This identification establishes the parable's primary referent as the proclamation of the kingdom — the preaching of Jesus and the mission of his disciples. The quality of the sowing and the nature of the seed are not in question; the parable is entirely about the soil. The word is consistently sown (the farmer does not change his practice based on where the seed falls); the variable is the condition of the heart that receives it.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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