The parable of the sower is the parable that describes the word of God as the seed that is sown into the hearts of the people (Mark 4:3-8,14-20). There are four conditions of the heart, three of them are not good and one of them is good. The word of God only grows and bears fruit in the good ground. This parable seems to be essential for understanding all the other parables of the Lord Jesus about the kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus Himself said to His disciples, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” (Mark 4:13)
There is a parable given by God that describes the Holy Spirit as the water which is poured into the lives of the people. This parable is similar to the parable of the sower.
Water is poured into four cups. There is cover on the first cup, so it cannot be filled at all. The cup remains empty. There is no cover on the second cup but it has some cracks. The cup is filled with water, but the water immediately leaks through the cracks and there is no more water in it. There is no cover on nor any crack in the third cup, but there is a sponge inside. The cup is filled with water until it is full. Nevertheless, little by little the water in the cup is absorbed by the sponge until there is no more water in it. The fourth cup is a good cup. It has no cover, no crack, and no sponge in it. The cup is filled with water until it is full. It remains full.
The Lord Jesus is the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11). He pours out the Holy Spirit from heaven into the lives of His people. These are the ones whose cups are covered. When the Holy Spirit is poured out into their lives, they close their hearts. So, the Holy Spirit cannot enter and fill them. They remain empty. Why do they close their hearts? It is because they do not understand the Holy Spirit. Paul the apostle wrote, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)
These are the ones whose cups have no cover but have cracks. When the Holy Spirit is poured into their lives, they open their hearts. Nevertheless, they still have unhealed wounds or hurts inside. The Holy Spirit enters and fills them but immediately goes out of them. In the end they do not have the Holy Spirit. Why are their wounds or hurts not healed when the Holy Spirit fills them? It is because they have allowed the wounds or hurts to be in their hearts for a long time and this condition gives place to the devil to enter and bind them. Paul the apostle wrote, “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26-27) If we allow the sun to go down when we are angry, we give place to the devil. He will come into our lives and bind us with the spirit of anger.
These are the ones whose cups have no cover nor crack but have sponge in it. When the Holy Spirit is poured into their lives, they receive Him. They are filled with the Holy Spirit until they are full. Nevertheless, they allow the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the desires for pleasures and for other things to enter their hearts, gradually absorbing the Holy Spirit in their lives until there is no more. John the apostle wrote, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15)
These are the ones whose cups are good; no cover, no crack and no sponge in it. When the Holy Spirit is poured into their lives, they readily receive Him until they are full with Him. Because their hearts are free from any wound or any hurt and are kept from the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the desires for pleasure as well as for other things; the Holy Spirit is always full, even overflow, in their lives. They can say like King David in one of his Psalms, “My cup runs over.” (Psalms 23:5)
The parable of the sower describes what happens to the word of God after it is sown into the hearts of the people. If the hearts of the people are not good, the word of God that has been sown will not bear fruit in their lives. The parable of water poured into the cups describes what happens to the Holy Spirit after He is poured into the lives of the people. If the hearts of the people are not good, the Holy Spirit that has been poured into their lives will not remain. To always be full and overflow with the Holy Spirit, the hearts of the people must be open, whole and undivided.