The parable of sorrow is also called the parable of the sower. It was told by Jesus Christ when preaching by the lake. According to the parable, a farmer went to the fields to sow seeds. The seeds fell in different places, i.e., along the path, on thorny ground, rocky ground, and the lucky ones fell on fertile soil. The ones that fell along the path were quickly picked by birds; the ones on thorny ground sprouted but did not mature since the thorns choked them. The seeds that fell on the rocky ground did not sprout; instead, they withered as there was no water or minerals to replenish them. Then there are the seeds that fell on the fertile ground; they sprouted and resulted in a heavy harvest.
The parable teaches about the interpretation of the gospel. Jesus would teach many, but to each, there was a different manifestation of the word. Those who hear the word then easily forget; their metaphor is the seeds that fell along the path. Then there are those who start to grow in the word, but worldly pleasures divulge them just as the seeds on the thorny ground were choked. There are again people hardened by sin; they are the seeds that fell on rocky grounds. However, there are those who hear the word of God and heed the preaching; they are the seeds that fell on fertile ground.