Parable of the Sower (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A): Revision Note
Exam code: 8062
4 Again he began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. 2 He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”
14 “The sower sows the word. 15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. 17 But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. 20 And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:1–9, 14–20)
The Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God was a central part of Jesus’s teachings
The Kingdom of God refers to different times and places in the different parts of Mark’s Gospel
Jesus was keen to teach people about what God’s rule would mean for their lives
According to Mark’s Gospel, the Kingdom of God is:
A kingdom that has already partly arrived or comes close through Jesus’s teaching and ministry
Believers share this good news with others to bring them into the Kingdom
A physical kingdom that will exist in the future, when Jesus returns in the Second Coming and the Last Judgement takes place
A state of mind within the hearts of individuals on Earth who accept the message of Jesus and believe in the existence of a Kingdom of God
This state of mind applies both to believers in the early Church and in the Church today
A community of believers, who share the beliefs and teachings of Jesus, that is constantly growing throughout time
In the Kingdom of God:
God is the ruler
Everyone can find shelter and a home
Death is overcome
Evil spirits are overcome
Disease is cured
The values of the Kingdom of God are:
Love of God and neighbour
Faith
Truth
Purity and simplicity like that of a child
Humility
Wealth and ambition are sacrificed
A place that belongs to those who suffer
The meaning of the parable of the sower
Jesus’s use of parables
A parable is a short story with a spiritual meaning
Jesus used parables to challenge people, teach them moral lessons and teach them about their relationship with God
Parables can be interpreted in different ways and have been adapted to fit different times and situations
Many of the parables in Mark’s Gospel are about the Kingdom of God
Jesus was keen to teach people about what the Kingdom of God would mean for their lives
The Parable of the Sower
The Parable of the Sower is one of Jesus’s parables about the Kingdom of God
Like many parables, the Parable of the Sower is based on the idea of farming (a common way of life for many of the people Jesus taught)
The Parable of the Sower describes how a sower sows seed, and it ends up in different areas
On the path
On rocky places
Among thorns
In good soil
The sower in this parable is the teacher
The seed is the message of God
The different types of ground represent how people receive God’s message:
The path represents those who hear it but are not committed and do nothing about it. It disappears from their lives just as birds eat the seed from the path
The rocky ground represents those who hear the news, but the message doesn’t take root because they give up as soon as life gets difficult
The thorns represent those who hear and listen but get distracted by other things, such as money and greed. The message is forgotten and crowded out of their lives, just as thorns would choke a plant
The good soil is the people who hear and accept the message, become disciples and share the good news with others so that the Kingdom of God can grow like the plants grow in the good soil
This parable shows that the Kingdom of God can grow only if people hear the good news and act on it
It would have encouraged the early followers to spread Jesus’s message and to keep going even in tough times
It also showed them to accept that people wouldn’t always respond positively
It has a similar message for modern Christians who can face distractions and difficulties in practising their faith today
It encourages them to keep going and help the Kingdom of God to grow
Attribution:
Sower at Sunset - Vincent Van Gogh is Licensed under CC by 4.0
Worked Example
In the Parable of the Sower, what does the seed that falls on good soil represent?
A. People who hear God’s message but quickly give up when life is hard
B. People who hear God’s message but let money and greed choke it
C. People who hear and accept God’s message, living it out and sharing it with others
D. People who hear God’s message but do nothing about it
[1 mark]
Answer:
Correct answer: C. People who hear and accept God’s message, living it out and sharing it with others
The good soil represents committed disciples who allow God’s word to grow in their lives and spread it to others. A describes the rocky ground, B the thorns and D the path.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
There are several parables about the Kingdom of God in this section of your revision. Use the Kingdom of God checklist at the top of this page to ensure you can explain what Mark wanted his readers to understand about the Kingdom of God. Refer back to it after each parable to make sure you can see how each one fits into Jesus’s teachings on this important topic.
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