It was an effective technique. Now about the parable itself. My yard is small and complicated, so I can t use a mechanical spreader. I have to broadcast the seed by hand. Some falls on the sidewalk and, as Jesus says, the birds come and eat it up right away.
Some seed falls among weeds, and the little grass shoots haven t a chance.
But other seed falls on fertile soil, where it grows and spreads to cover the whole area. When you speak publicly on religious topics, whether in a lecture or a sermon, you notice the same pattern. You can tell how well you are communicating your message by the way the audience reacts. People who do not give you eye contact, who whisper to the people sitting next to them, who thumb through hymnals, who sit the whole time with crossed arms and sour looks, or who frequently check their watches these people aren t getting your message. You might as well go out and sow seed on the pavement.