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Parable of the sower for young children

A parable of Jesus about a sower and its meaning.
Contributed by Sue Bentley
Story also available on our translated websites: Portuguese, German, French, Hindi
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One day Jesus was teaching the people and there were so many that He had to climb into a boat while the crowd sat on the shore. Jesus spoke to them as the boat bobbed up and down on the water. – Slide 1
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Jesus told them a story called a parable. ‘One day,’ Jesus said, ‘A farmer planted some seed in the ground. He didn’t do it very carefully but instead threw the seed all over the field so that it landed in lots of different places.’ – Slide 2
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‘Some of the seed,’ said Jesus, ‘landed on a path and did not get planted in the soil. Soon the birds came along and began to eat the seed.’ – Slide 3
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‘Some of the seed,’ said Jesus, ‘fell on stony ground. The seed could not put down many roots and when it tried to grow up out of the ground the sun began to burn it. Soon the plant that was growing began to wither and shrivel up.’ – Slide 4
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‘Some seed,’ said Jesus, ‘fell onto better ground and began to grow into a plant but there were lots of thorns and weeds in the soil and soon they began to choke the plant and stopped it from growing.’ – Slide 5
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‘And some seed,’ said Jesus, ‘fell on good soil. It grew and grew and a great harvest came that the farmer could cut down and eat.’ – Slide 6
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Later on that day, when all the other people had gone, the disciples of Jesus asked Him about the story of the farmer and the seed because they didn’t understand what it really meant. – Slide 7
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Jesus began to teach them. ‘The seed is the Word of God,’ He said. ‘When a person believes something God says it gets planted into their heart. Words like. “God is love, God forgives, God saves, God heals, God protects.”’ – Slide 8
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‘Some people,’ said Jesus, ‘hear the Word of God but do not understand it and, just like the birds who stole the seed, the devil comes and steals the Word of God from their hearts before it can be planted.’ – Slide 9
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‘And some people,’ said Jesus, ‘believe the Word of God and plant it into their hearts but then some of their friends and family make fun of them and even bully them because they believe in God. They feel sad and afraid and stop believing God’s Word just like the plant that shrivelled up in the sun.’ – Slide 10
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‘Some people,’ said Jesus, ‘believe the Word of God and it begins to grow in their hearts but they become very busy going to work and school and being with their friends and family and finally they forget about God’s Word and stop believing in it just like the plant that was choked by the thorns and weeds.’ – Slide 11
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‘And some people,’ said Jesus, ‘understand and believe the Word of God and plant it in their hearts. They keep believing it even when they are made fun of and they don’t forget about it when they get busy. Just like the seed that became a great harvest they become strong, brave Christians who know how much God loves them and they love to tell others about him. – Slide 12
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There are some very important words that God spoke a long time ago in the Bible. If you believe them they can be planted in your heart today and you can become a Christian. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16 NIV). – Slide 13
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