The Sower and the Four Soils

Jesus said: 'A farmer went out to sow his seed.' As he was

scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate

it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much

soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.

But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered

because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up

and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil,

where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.