As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. Matt 13:23 (NIV)
Soil and Seed – Parable Series 2 – Part 3
(OR go to Parable Series 1)
“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.” Matt 13:19.
Some of our hearts are like a well-worn path. Concrete. Solid. This path is leading somewhere… like a footpath or a road that has been walked on, trodden down, or concreted, creating a hard surface. Paul says to the Romans, “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, (and) be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think.” Other translations say, “Do not conform to THE WAYS of this world…” The way, the well-worn path… The ideals and opinions and values of a world that has lost faith and hope. When seed is scattered in a heart that is heading in a direction away from faith and love – a direction that cannot understand loving your enemy, forgiving your oppressor, or giving without expectation of receiving – it sits on top without the hope of being planted before it is snatched away.
What ‘way' does your heart walk? Is it following a well worn path? Has it been hardened by the pursuits of a culture obsessed with itself? There’s been times in my life where I've been so focused on my own advancement and sense of security, that the seeds God has tried to plant in me have not had the chance to take root…
I’ve been there.
“As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.” Matt 13:20-21.
Have you ever heard a great, big, wonderful idea and gotten passionate about it, only to get a short time into turning that idea into a reality when you realise how hard it is, and you give up? I have done that SO MANY TIMES! It’s a lack of discipline, and a rocky heart will do that to you. There’s great soil, and seed finds their way in. But the rocks, or lack of discipline, don’t give the seeds room to grow. As soon as the going gets hard, as soon as obstacles appear – an old addiction flares up, a fear returns, old hurts dig deep and bite down hard – it's easier to give up than to keep on going. Having a heart full of stones is like being sealed in a tomb alive – It contains the potential of life, but needs that big old stone blocking the entrance to be rolled away.
I’ve been there.
“As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” Matt 13:22.
Thorns, like the sharp stabs of worry, or the painful need for more than you already have; the knife edge of anxiety and the small, innumerable cuts that greed inflicts upon the soul, choke away the life that springs from the joy and freedom of God’s love.
Oh, how I have been there.
But underneath it all – the well-worn path, the soil full of stones, and the soil held hostage by thorns and weeds, lies the potential for life. The good soil that welcomes the seed, the words of God and nurtures it as it grows, is present in all our lives.
Some of us just need the Sower to turn our soil over and over and over… until it is free.
Go to Part 4 – Thorns and Seeds
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