Comments on: Parable of the Sower

By: ltbugaf

ltbugaf — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:48:39 +0000

Perhaps there’s a danger of going too far in trying to make an analogy exact. The point is to make the ground of our hearts is fertile for the word of God, not to quibble over which particular person matches the identity of each character in the story.

By: Kim Siever

Kim Siever — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 19:10:15 +0000

Yes, there is, but in verse 36, Alma specifically discusses us exercising faith to plant the seed (rather than having the seed planted in us).

By: ltbugaf

ltbugaf — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:32:02 +0000

Kim, re: comment 8—there’s a difference between planting something and giving room that it may be planted.

By: Larry

Larry — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 13:36:37 +0000

Jesus spoke to the people of His day in parables that reflected things they could relate to from their own experiences.

The parable of the sower can be read on different levels. As anyone who has ever farmed knows, at least before GPS and satellites, when one is sowing seed some will fall on good ground, some on rocky ground, and some will be overcome with weeds. That is reality.

The Saviour has given us the “word” to be planted in the doctrine of the atonement, see Alma 33:22-23, and we determine the kind of soil it has fallen into. That’s the beauty of agency.

Notice that in each case the operative phrase, given in v.19 is “sown in his heart”, showing that it is not the world at large, but those who actually believed,joined, and then exercised their agency to follow on or drop out.

By: Pewsitter

Pewsitter — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 15:12:49 +0000

I agree GD should not be a bickering match but your silence indicts to others that his views are correct and yours are wrong. Other class members may then think his view is the correct one and teach the false doctrine to others believing they learned it in GD class.

By: Kim Siever

Kim Siever — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 02:01:11 +0000

Because Gospel Doctrine class isn’t a bickering match.

By: Pewsitter

Pewsitter — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 23:39:37 +0000

As is often the case, I was shot down by an older class member who stated that the sower is, in fact, Jesus.

If you feel as though your view is correct, why did you not challenge the older class member?

By: rick

rick — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:32:54 +0000

I’m also thinking that if you want to drive up the popularity of this post perhaps you should rename it parable of the shower … seeing that the public showers post remains number one with a bullet.

By: rick

rick — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:28:54 +0000

I get the definition of parable, but it does not in any way mean ‘please insert Jesus in this story’ judging by my reading of the passage.

‘The sower’ is any person who is already enlightened and Jesus is explaining effective tools for communication; the current target of his advice being His disciples.

By: Kim Siever

Kim Siever — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 19:12:00 +0000

Why can’t we sow the word in our own hearts? Alma seems to think we can.

“[We] will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts”

“[Neither] must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.” (Alma 32:28,36