In Matthew
13:3-9, Jesus is telling a parable about a farmer scattering seed. The seed in this parable is the message of
the Kingdom of God, and the various kinds of soil are the hearts of the people
who hear the message preached:
“Then He told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Jesus then
explains exactly what his parable means later in the same chapter (verses
18-23):
“Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
You want to
be the one that has the seed fall on good soil…you don’t want to be any of the
other ones :) This alone is a great
thought for the day. If nothing else, go
back and read the above verses and make sure your heart is one that is full of
good soil so that any seeds already planted, and those seeds still to be
planted in the future, will be nourished to grow to maturity and not die
out. If you recently received Jesus
Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and/or got a fresh word from God, then
MAKE SURE that the seed just sown is like the one that falls on good soil. Examine your heart and pray for growth and
perseverance. Continuously ask the Lord
to help you and pray for more faith. He
will do it, I promise. Amen!!!
* * *
* *
If you want
to trek a little deeper, then let’s continue.
Let’s look specifically at one part of this parable Jesus spoke. Here is Matthew 13:5-6 again:
“Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.”
Think for a
minute about a seed being planted and the role that the sun plays in the
process of it growing. The sun comes to
nourish the seed, does it not? The sun’s
rays are critical in the process of the plant growing to become fully
mature. But its nourishing rays also
bring heat.
“…But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched…”
So here we
have something interesting. That which
was designed to bring forth more life caused death. That’s tragic. But where does the fault lie?
“…and they withered because they had no root.”
The sun
itself is not to blame for the scorching and withering of the budding plant; it
is the fault of the soil! The soil was
shallow and, thus, the plant had no root.
Here is how Jesus stated it in the verses you read above:
“The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.” (verses 20-21)
It seems to
me a parallel is made between “the sun” in Verse 6 and “trouble or persecution”
in Verse 21. If I am right in making
this parallel, then it follows that trouble or persecution can play the same
role as the sun—intended to bring forth more life, but can ultimately bring
forth death. The result, life or death,
is determined by the soil on which it falls.
WOW!
So we should
not blame the sun, nor trouble, nor persecution for us losing hold of what the
Lord has planted in us by His Holy Spirit.
The sun will shine, trouble will happen, and persecution will come. We have to accept this. And we have to be aware that what is in us
cannot become fully-grown without enduring the heat which accompanies
the life-giving, nourishing rays. We
cannot control when the sun shines or when the troubles come, but we can
control this: making sure our hearts are
ready to receive and nurture that which is planted in us.
Oh Lord, by Your grace, tender our hearts
and increase our faith to receive what You have to give. Strengthen us by Your love, show us Your
goodness, and continually grant us Your mercy.
In Jesus Christ’s Holy and Mighty Name, we pray these things to You, God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Only
True God, The God of Israel. Amen!!!!!
