On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:
“Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
He answered and said to them, “Because git has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’
“But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately the stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
- Matt 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-12 (NKJV)
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Parable of the Soils
We have been using Naves Topical Index -Jesus: Parables of, (available as a free resource on Biblegateway.org) to sequence our study of the Parables, but it is highly interesting that this week’s parable of the soils bearing/not bearing fruit follows on the heels of last week’s parable about the fruitless fig tree! The parable of the Fig tree warned us about the dire consequences of not bearing fruit, and this week we are educated as to how to bear fruit, and what will prevent us!
The parable itself has some notable features – it is the only one that is referenced in all the 3 Synoptic Gospels, it is explained by our Lord Himself (so that we do not have to speculate on its meaning!) and it is probably one that is very familiar to most church-going Christians. We are also told, in parentheses, the explanation for WHY our Lord spoke in parables in the first place! Lastly, In Marks version, it is given further importance by our Lord saying – “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” (Mk 4:13). Seems like we should really pay attention here….
Let us address the question of why our Lord spoke in parables first – He gives us the reason, but boy, that is a tough message! It would seem that He is purposely being obscure! That doesn’t seem fair to us … why would He discriminate between the disciples and the general population?
The answer is really simple – the people He spoke it to, had no interest in receiving it! Yes, that’s right, it was not His choice to obscure the message, it was the people’s choice not to ask Him what it meant! God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek and follow Him – case in point – the disciples – but if you are not willing to work to dig into and receive His Word, it will be opaque and of no value to you.
In the world around us we see this happening – people are so busy with their lives and desires that there is no room for active discipleship, for studying to be approved by Him, to getting and holding on to the promises in His Word, to partake of His divine Nature through it! Yet it is out there for all to see and hear – translated into all languages – especially in this age of the Internet! (contrast this with the Middle Ages when the Bible was available only in Latin, Hebrew and Greek).
That is why the reason for speaking in parables is – “For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed” – the problem is with the people and not with God!
On to the parable itself – we have nothing to add to our Lord’s exposition – but if we meditate on His words, there is an abundance of wealth that is given to us. Let’s apply our standard process and see where that gets us!
First, Context – this is simple – this parable was spoken to the multitudes, and then explained to the disciples. We have already noted that our Lord gave special importance to this parable as possessing the keys to understanding the other ones… in addition to highlighting the fact that this was knowledge not given to the general masses.
Second, what do we think is the main point of this parable? …. Pause and think about it before you read on. Is it talking about the Gospel and Salvation (soils represent saved and unsaved people), Christ’s mission in this world, fruitfulness (and what is that?), spiritual growth…???
Given the context – we can say confidently say that this parable is about - active Discipleship!
Discipleship is the focus of the Great Commission, and that commission says we are to teach His disciples to obey His commandments. That is why this parable is spoken to the disciples!
Before we jump into the parable proper it will be helpful to understand one key concept. The soil represents a human soul and SOIL DOES NOT BEAR FRUIT! Fruit is the result of the SEED that grows… and that seed is as different from the soil as chalk from cheese! That seed is the LIVING WORD not lumps of mud! That is why our Lord says “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. …..If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” – John 15:4-7 The WORD is what grows and produces fruit, and that IS dependent on the quality of the soil – for even in the good soil we see DIFFERENT quantities of fruit!
So … we have the Son of God sending His Word out into the World.
The first soil, (like the multitude that heard this parable!) – “hears the word of the kingdom, and --does not understand it--, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.” Here we are shown a picture of the warfare being waged against us – where if you do not UNDERSTAND what is being said, you are going to LOSE it – being distracted by the enemy. The picture presented is one of active opposition! You can say “faith cometh by hearing” till you are blue in the face – but it is very clear that faith comes through the Heart Opening agency of the Spirit – who gives us understanding! We MUST meditate on the Word for the Spirit to open our eyes and minds to give us the divine Worldview!
The second soil, appears to understand it! The Word takes root, and begins to put out shoots and leaves. Sadly, that understanding does not translate into the deep and foundational conviction that stands like a rock against the wind and waves of the tribulations of this world. It becomes easier to conform rather than to endure the hardness that comes with being a soldier of Christ. So, when it comes to obeying what the Word says (tough), or choosing a more worldly option (easy), this person picks the easy way out and stumbles.
The third soil understands the Word too! The problem is, we have MORE THAN ONE SEED growing here…. the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches (Mark and Matthew add – the desires/lusts of life). There is a reason we are told not to worry about the basics of this life, put our trust in our bank accounts, or be covetous! We saw that in the parable of the Rich Fool, and here it is beautifully sketched out in miniature for us. The Lord and the Spirit bring this point home to us in text after text – why? – because it is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT to active discipleship!!! If you are worrying or chasing after wealth – the Word is going to be choked out of your life!
The last soil truly understands the Word. That is the key difference. True understanding is appreciating the great truths in God’s Word, and APPLYING them to our daily existence. True hearing and receiving will ALWAYS translate into doing. Obedience to God’s Word is not commanded because He is a dictator that wants everyone to toe the line! He has given us His Word for OUR BENEFIT – so that we can deal effectively with the environment we find ourselves in – so that we can do LIFE, so that we can be a BLESSING to those around us!
We must emphasize, this parable is NOT about Salvation, because if that is the case, with the exception of the first soil, we would have to say that the other 3 soils all had the Word take root - and if you are once and always saved, you are never unsaved - so the 3 other soils would have to be saved and unfruitful Christians. This distorts the parable and is not correct. The parable is about the results of the ACTIVE DISCIPLESHIP of all saved Christians.
You can read/watch tremendous amounts of content today on YouTube – from cooking to home improvement to learning to play a musical instrument to diet and fitness tips. If you don’t actually APPLY and USE any of them, what good are they to you? It’s like hanging out at a gym and reading all the fitness magazines without ever actually lifting a dumbbell in anger… (somewhat like how we deal with Church!). In our video “Walking in the Spirit” we have likened applying the Word to doing high school science experiments… how will you know the Word works until you actually try it? What good is wearing a sword on your belt going to do – if you can’t use it to beat off an enemy that is coming after you with depression, bad thoughts, condemnation, and oppression? How will you help others?
Dear Friends, this parable is such an important lesson in discipleship – which is what we are all called to do! If you have been a church goer for any amount of time you will recognize the resonance of this message here with all of the New and Old Testament words that God speaks!
Its why we desperately plead with you to start to read and study the Word for yourself, with all the modern aids available, in Home Bible study groups so that you can both learn and PRACTICE what you have learnt… so that you can grow!
Once a week church attendance, or even a mid-week study is not going to do it… like the gym analogy – watching someone else working out is not going to help you at ALL!! You have to put it to work in your life to see how it works! You will stumble and fall every now and then, but go back and learn to do it better – or find out what you are doing wrong through diligent study!
You will not be alone – the Comforter will be with you and He will lead you into all truth. And Christ Himself will be with you, by your side always… as He said “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, even to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20).
Hallelujah!