“These are the seeds
On the path.
The word was sown.
When they hear,
Satan immediately comes.
He takes away
The word
That was sown
In them.”
οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ὅπου σπείρεται ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὅταν ἀκούσωσιν εὐθὺς ἔρχεται ὁ Σατανᾶς καὶ αἴρει τὸν λόγον τὸν ἐσπαρμένον εἰς αὐτούς.
This is the explanation about the seeds on the path that can be found in all 3 synoptic gospels. Matthew, chapter 13:19, said that the birds were the evil one. Luke, chapter 8:12, mentions that the birds were the devil, not Satan. Mark indicated that Jesus explained that the seeds on the path or the road (οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν) were where the word was sown (ὅπου σπείρεται ὁ λόγος). They heard the word (καὶ ὅταν ἀκούσωσιν), but immediately Satan came (ἔρχεται ὁ Σατανᾶς), in the form of the birds. Satan or the birds took away the sown seeds or the word that had been sown in them (καὶ αἴρει τὸν λόγον τὸν ἐσπαρμένον εἰς αὐτούς). Jesus said that these seeds were the holy words. The birds were the evil Satan that came and devoured them, because they did not understand the words within them. Listening to the word was not enough. There had to be good circumstances or pre-depositions to hearing and understanding for the word or the seeds to be effective.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 