The parable of the fourfold soil: V. 4. And when much people were gathered together and were come to Him out of every city, He spake by a parable: v. 5. A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. V. 6. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.
The fame of Christ was still spreading so rapidly that people from all the cities and towns from near and far came together to see and hear Him. They came out to Him as He was on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and He used a boat as His pulpit, in order that He might reach them all, Matt, 13, 2; Mark 4, 1. He spoke to the people of the mysteries of the kingdom of God through parables, of which one is given by Luke.
There went out a sower to sow his seed. The picture is that of a farmer casting forth the seed broadcast over the land, every year with new diligence and hope, just as the longsuffering and kindness of the heavenly Sower does not become weary in spite of much apparently lost work, Is. 49, 4. His work is an example to the present day.
"Every pious preacher, when he sees that things will not go forward, but seem to be growing worse, feels almost disgusted about his preaching, and yet he cannot and dare not desist, for the sake of even a few elect. And that is written for our consolation and admonition, that we should not be surprised or think it strange even though few people accept the benefit of our doctrine, and some even become worse. For commonly the preachers, especially when they are new and but recently come from the shop, believe that there should be success immediately, as soon as they have done speaking, and everything should be done and changed quickly. But that will miss the object far. The prophets and Christ Himself had that experience" (Luther, quoted in Besser, Bibelstunden, 1, 334).
As the sower, in the patient work of his calling, cast his seed, some of it overshot the mark, falling on the path which crossed the field. This was a feature of the landscape in Palestine, that the paths between the various towns and hamlets followed the nearest way and the easiest slopes, without regard for grain-fields. The result was that the travelers that used the path trod the seed to pieces, and the winged animals of the air, the fowls, came and devoured it.
Other grains fell upon the rock, upon rocky soil, where the bedrock came to within a few inches of the surface. Here was moisture and warmth, the best conditions for quick germination, but not enough moisture and soil to support a growing plant. The stone below caught the heat of the sun, causing every bit of moisture in that spot to evaporate.