Parable of the Sower
OBJECTIVE
In this module, you will be discussing four parables over the next four weeks: the Parable of the Sower, the Parable of the Talents, the Parable of the Foolish Builder, and the Parable of the Pearl. We want to help the children learn the parable, but more importantly, we want the children to place themselves inside the parable and learn how to apply the lesson to themselves. In the Parable of the Sower, you will want the children to understand the difference between the different types of soil and to put as their goal being soil that produces good works and good behaviors that please God.
INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 5 Minutes
Begin by telling the children what parables are. Explain that they are not stories that actually happened, but stories that Jesus made up to explain lessons in an easy way for all people to be able to understand, whether they had a lot of education or no education at all. You can explain that children can understand Jesus' parables just as well as adults and this is the beautiful thing about how Jesus taught us. Jesus' message is for everyone, whether young and old, whether educated and uneducated, whether rich or poor. Today, we are learning about the first parable told by Jesus, the Parable of the Sower.
Ask the children questions to get them thinking:
What do dogs need in order to grow? (fresh water, balanced diet, exercise)
What do trees need in order to grow? (soil, water, sunlight)
What do people need in order to grow? (clean water, balanced diet, sunlight, care, love)
How many inches taller are you now than you were a year ago? Let kids respond.
How many inches taller are you now than when you were 2 years old?
In what ways have you grown, other than getting taller? (gained weight, know lots more, care more about others)
HOLY SCRIPTURE - 2 Minutes
Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15
Memory Verse: " Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." (Psalm 118:11)
CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 15 Minutes
In the Parable of the Sower, our Lord teaches us how different people react when they read the Bible and hear the Word of God.
What is a sower?
One who goes out and throws seed on the ground, with the expectation it will develop into a fruit or other crop.
There are four different types of soil mentioned here. What happened to the seed on each?
- The soil that is part of the sidewalk; the birds came and ate the seed,
- Rocky, hard soil; the seed began to grow, but without enough soil, the sun burned up what grew,
- Soil with thorns; the thorns choked up what grew from the seed, and
- Good soil; it becomes fruitful.
Explain to the children that the seeds are the word of God and it leads us to change our behaviors and actions in a way to please God so that we can have fruits (Christ-like behaviors and actions). The different soils represent us and our hearts.
In the parable, our Lord Jesus Christ is explaining to us that there are two kingdoms: the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of heaven. All of the parables in the Bible encourage us to recognize that the kingdom of this world will not make us happy and that we should focus on the Kingdom of Heaven.
You can help the children understand that the seed that fell on the pathway is like when God's Word is heard by a hard-hearted person. Explain that to be hard-hearted means that the person rejects God and enjoys living a sinful way. This person does not want to hear God's word and doesn't want to change themselves to be Christ-like, so the devil will come and take the word of God away from their heart and mind as soon as they hear it.
You can help the children understand that the seed that fell on stony ground is like people who don't have a deep love of God. They may like to come to church and they may hear the word of God, but then they forget about it afterwards and keep living their lives in the world without making any changes.
The thorny soil represents people who want to believe and act according to God's word, but then other things, like peer pressure or wanting to fit in or wanting to show off, distract them and they start acting like the people of the world instead of God's people.
Finally, the good soil is a person who is so happy to hear the word of God and then thinks about what changes they need to make in their life in order to look more and more like Christ. They think about the changes they need to make in order to make God happy and then they make those changes. The parable says that those people bear fruit. Fruit are the actions and behaviors we choose to do that are Christ-like, things like spending time in prayer, being meek and humble, being generous with our time and money, obeying our parents. The more we do these beautiful things that make God's heart happy, the more fruit we bear. Everyone will have a different amount of fruit, depending on how great their love is for God and how much they are willing to sacrifice for Him.
Help the children understand that for all of the different types of soil, the sower is the same and the soil is the same, what makes the difference is the type of soil that the seed lands on. So if the seed is the word of God, the sower is the same (whether you think of the sower as God, a bishop, a priest, or a Sunday School teacher) and what will make a difference is our heart and mind and how willing we are to do what the word of God tells us to do.
We want to explain to the children that Jesus taught the Parable of the Sower to teach us that it is important for our hearts to receive His word in the Bible and that our salvation depends on what choices and actions we make after hearing His word.
Share the story of St. Antony: We see that when St. Antony listened to the word of God as if it was being spoken directly to Him, he lived his life in a way that made him very Christ-like and that pleased God. He is highly celebrated in heaven and is also honored on earth, being considered the father of all the monks.
DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 2-3 Minutes
You can ask the children these questions:
- What are some ways we can make sure we hear God's word?
- What are some ways we can respond to God's word in our hearts?
- What are some behaviors that would show we are good soil?
- What are some behaviors that would show we are bearing fruit?
- Do you think we can pray to God to make us good soil?
LIFE APPLICATION (Action) - 1 Minute
Remind the children that we want to be good soil and that, when we listen to God's word, we want to open our hearts and minds as if God is talking directly to us. To the extent we can do what God wants, that will mean that we are good soil, receiving the seed (God's word) and bearing fruit (acting and behaving like Christ).
Encourage the children to read the Bible every night for the same number of minutes as their age, i.e., if they are 8 years old, have them read for 8 minutes every night. If there are children who struggle with reading, have them listen to a Bible app with audio or to link Alexa to a Bible app and listen to the Bible while they follow along. They will only be reading for 8-9 minutes per night depending on their age.
ACTIVITY - 5 - 10 Minutes
If you can, bring styrofoam cups, flower seeds, and potting soil to class, have each child decorate the cup with markers and fill each cup ½ with soil before having the children plant some seeds and cover them with more soil. Have the children take them home with an instruction to water the seeds with a little bit of water every night, remembering the Parable of the Sower as they water their seeds. Remind them that God watches over us, waiting for us to grow and be fruitful just as they will be watching their seeds grow and become fruitful.
Alternatively, you can choose a coloring page or word search activity below or create a review game.
New Testament Books Song
PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK
We have encouraged the children to read the Bible for a set amount of minutes, commensurate with their age, every night. The parents can provide the child with a journal to write down verses that make the child feel that God is speaking directly to him or her. The child can also write down some behaviors that would reflect how someone would change their behavior to match that verse.