Parable of the Sower

PARABLE OF THE SOWER

Objectives:

Students should be able to tell the story of the parable in their own words.
Students should know the word, “parable”, and be able to say that it is a story with a hidden meaning.
Students should know the “hidden meaning” of the seeds and the sower.

Possible Lesson Plan:

Scripture References: Mark 4:1-20 and Luke 8:5-15. What is a parable? In this parable, who is the sower? What are the seeds? What is the soil?

Try to understand the parable a bit: What kind of people are hard, rocky ground? Would seeds grow well there? What kind of people are easily dried out by the hot sun? Would seeds grow well there? What kind of people are so shallow the birds can eat the seeds? What kind of things might be thorns that take over our lives? What kind of people are rich soil? What kind of people are each of us? Are we always the same soil, or sometimes richer? What can we do to make our own soil more fertile for the teachings of Jesus?

Play a learning game: “A Missing Part”. Select enough verses from the story in either Mark or Luke that every pair of students will have a verse. Write each verse on a piece of paper. Tear the paper in half. Give each student a half sheet. Students must find the student with the other half of the verse. They then sit down together. When all are seated, have each pair read the entire verse; this can be really funny if each student reads only from his half!

Make a Seed Starter Station: Take an egg carton, preferably paper. Fill with soil. Plant various seeds in the different pockets, or try to do an experiment based on the parable – two pockets with only rocks, two with almost no soil, another 2 with lots of weed seeds (e.g. grass), and the rest with deep soil and pretty flower seeds. Have the children take their “science experiment” home, water it, and watch the growth.

Close with prayer, asking Jesus to make us good soil to learn and obey His teachings.