The Sower (Le semeur)

In this chapter of Matthew, Jesus teaches frequently with parables, or fables—a strategy that frustrates his disciples, who ask him why he uses this challenging method of preaching.

To explain his pedagogy, Jesus invokes yet another parable, the fable of the sower. The sower scatters his seeds on inhospitable terrain—rocky, thorny, and dry—seemingly to no effect. But many of the seeds do find fertile ground, producing a plentiful harvest. For Jesus, his words are like the seeds of the sower: accepted by those who are willing and ready to listen.