“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables” (Matthew 13:35).
Jesus taught in parables. One of them is about a farmer and what happened to his seeds as he was spreading them to plant. Through the parable, Jesus told about four types of soil and what happened when the seeds fell on them:
- Some seeds fell by the side of the road and were soon snatched away by birds.
- Some seeds fell on stony ground, where there was some soil. The seeds began to grow, but they soon wilted and died.
- Some seeds fell among thorns that choked the seeds so they couldn’t grow.
- Some seeds fell on good soil, where they took root, grew, and produced.
The disciples wondered what Jesus was talking about, so He explained the parable. He compared seeds to the “the word” (the words Jesus spoke and God’s written Word, the Bible); and He compared different kinds of ground to people’s hearts.
- The wayside ground are the hearts of people who hear the Word, but Satan immediately takes it away (Matthew 13:19). (It goes in one ear and out the other!)
- The stony ground refers to people who hear the Word and seem to accept it, but their hearts never change. Then when something happens that those people don’t like, they begin to doubt God, and the faith they seemed to have goes away.
- The ground with thorns are people who hear the Word and seem to believe it. But their hearts are full of the things of this world—like having money and things, having fun, and satisfying themselves. They don’t have time for Bible reading, studying, and memorizing or going to church or praying or obeying and serving God.
- The good soil are the hearts of people who hear the Word, receive it, and bear fruit. These people continue believing, receiving, desiring, and spreading God’s Word.
Jesus told a parable about a sower (farmer) so people could understand how human beings react to hearing God’s Word, the Bible.
My response:
» What kind of “soil” are my heart and mind?
» If I have “good soil” and accept God’s Word, am I growing in the Word and being faithful to God?