Skip to main content

117. First Soil, Then Seed


Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-15,
Key Verse: He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, "though seeing they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand."
Luke 8:10

Four kinds of soil, but only one kind of seed. All farmers know that to get a good crop, the work needs to be concentrated on the soil first before the seed can be planted. If the seed is the Word of God, and the soil is the heart of man, what can we learn from this parable about ourselves, about sharing the gospel, so that we have the best chance at being the fourth soil, producing a bountiful crop for our heavenly Father?

Consider the soil of the heart of the first person. It is so hard that the seed doesn't even have a chance to penetrate. It just lays on the surface and is easily snatched by the birds. This person's heart is hard. It may be wounded by many scars and hurts from the past, or it may have never heard about God and His love. This soil needs to be lovingly tenderized with water and nutrients. It may need to be broken up with skillful care. It needs to be softened and kneaded before it can receive the seed. This soil takes time and patience. The direct gospel may not work here, but love, kindness and time will.

The second soil isn't much better. It may receive the seed, and the seed can penetrate a bit, but there are too many rocks, too many doubts. The seed cannot compete, cannot get a good footing and dies young before having much effect. This soil needs discipleship. It would have been better if the rocks had been removed ahead of the planting, but there is still hope if the planter is willing to stick around to continue to work on the soil of this person's heart and guide it into fruitfulness. Obstacles need to be removed and, again, nutrients need to be added, but with tender care, this seed could grow.

The third soil is shallow. It is attractive to plants that don't bear good fruit, such as thorns and thistles. It grows something, but nothing worthwhile. It may be a good place to start a seed, but after a certain point, when the roots can go no deeper, it loses its will to live, becomes discouraged and dies because the bad plants are sucking away the nutrients. This soil also needs time and work. Concerns and distractions need to be met and addressed so that they can be removed as an obstacle to the good seed’s growth. Again, this soil could support the seed, but only through patient gardening practices, time, love and patience.

Finally, there is the good soil! Oh, if only we could all be like that! What a crop we could bear for our Lord. Yet, if we are willing to do the work, there is within each one of us the potential to become good, fertile soil. No soil is hopeless; not the soil of your heart, nor the soil of the hearts of those you love. While there is life there is hope. Be saturated in God's Word. Water it all with the tears of your prayers. Remove the stumbling blocks that stop the process of growing deeper into Christ and reap the harvest that you were called to in Him.

But what a surprise to find Jesus saying that his parables are themselves supposed to be stumbling blocks preventing some from understanding his teaching.  What is he up to?  What do we learn about Jesus in this strategy?  It seems to me that God’s plan that Jesus be sacrificed requires that some people, such as the Pharisees, must misunderstand Jesus and “not see” who he really is, or they would not have crucified him.  A mystery to ponder.

Hymn: "Thy Word Is Like a Garden, Lord" 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

174. Pleading for the Fig Tree

Proverbs 27:18 , Luke 13:6-9 Key Verse: He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. Proverbs 27:18 We have here three main characters: a master, who acquired the tree in hopes of eventually enjoying its fruit, a servant, who looks to the tree to reflect his care and attention, and lastly, the tree itself. The master has the right to expect his investment to pay off. The servant, who has obviously put much effort into the tree, would also like to see fruit. The servant's interest is not only to show his own talent in gardening, but because he wants to please his master. Both the servant and the master are dependent upon the tree to do what it was designed to do. Their little parable is an interesting way for Jesus to finish off His exhortation to, "repent or perish."  God is the Master. He had a purpose for you before you were even born. ( Jeremiah 1:5 & Psalm 139:16 ) He planted you on this earth to ful...
Post a Comment
Read more

204. Come Like a Child

Psalm 127 , Matthew 19:13-15 , Luke 18:15-17 , Mark 10:13-16 Key Verse: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 The attitude of the disciples isn't much different than the attitude of many people, even Christians, today. Instead of seeing children as a blessing from the Lord, too many regard them as a burden to bear that gets in the way of our own selfish happiness. Family size is determined by what we think we can afford rather than openness to God's blessing, trusting God to provide. Satan hates children. Children represent innocence. The sooner he can corrupt and or damage a child, the happier he is. This is why Jesus warned in Matthew 18:6: "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drown in the depths of the sea." To corrupt or damage ...
Post a Comment
Read more