The Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13:1-23, Luke 8: 4-15, Mark 4: 1-20
The parable of the sower is one of the few parables where the explanation is found in scripture - and where Jesus himself gives us an understanding of his teaching. This is helpful in making sure that we fully grasp what Jesus is trying to teach us, but I think this can sometimes cause us as readers to not truly think about, or process what Jesus is saying in this scripture. There can also be a tendency to rush past this parable, thinking that it doesn’t apply to us as believers because we self-identify as being the “good soil”. In light of those things, how should we, as believers, think about this parable, and how should we respond as a result?
Matthew 13:3-8 illustrates four different types of soil that a seed can fall onto - a path, rocky ground, amongst thorns, and on good soil. These each represent a heart posture or condition that a person might have (the “soil”) as they hear and receive the gospel (the “seed”). These are further explained in verses 18-23. We see that the path represents someone who hears the gospel, but it essentially falls on deaf ears, with the receiver having no change of heart. The rocky ground shows someone who hears the gospel, and responds with excitement and passion, but has no depth or foundation, and falls away from the faith as soon as the excitement wears away or difficulty comes. The seed falling amongst the thorns shows us how the gospel might be received and might even begin to grow, but is eventually choked out by sin and the flesh - that is, our innate human disposition to choose our sinful and worldly desires and temptations.
So what does this mean for you? You received the gospel, and you are following Jesus, so you’re the good soil, right?
Something I’ve learned recently as we’ve moved to Seattle to start a new church plant, is that having good soil when you receive the gospel for the first time isn’t the end. You have to continue growing your roots, you have to continue weeding out the thorns in your heart. When you plant a real seed, you can’t just plant it and leave it. You have to continue watering the seed, making sure it receives sunlight, ensuring the soil is fertilized, and no weeds pop up. If you just left it, it would struggle to grow into a plant that bears fruit.
In my own life, I’ve spent almost five years following Jesus, and in the last 6 months, I’ve found myself finding rocks and thorns I didn’t know I had. Roots that I felt were deep enough for Ellensburg are barely holding on in Seattle. New types of thorns have crept in as I find myself lured in by the materialism and pace of the big city. I’ve witnessed first hand how easy it is to let your faith and the gospel be scorched away or choked out, and if we as believers ever think we’ve “arrived” and are safe from those things, the enemy will use it to prevent us from bearing fruit long term. We should strive to follow Jesus, and make disciples for the rest of our lives, not just for a couple years in college.
As you process this passage today, ask yourself two questions. First, what thorns or rocks do you have in your heart that you need to work on clearing out? In Jesus’ parable the thorns and rocks “choked out” the seed of truth. What is threatening to choke out the truth of gospel in your life right now? This could be grief after losing a loved one, losing a job, losing friendships as you move cities to church plant, or maybe it’s a certain appearance on social media or as a leader, idolizing your grades or work performance, or trying to find security in an abundance of wealth. Pray that God would reveal these things to you, and that the spirit would help you weed out what is threatening to choke out the truth of the gospel.
The second question to ask yourself is this: What habits or actions can you take to continue cultivating good soil in your heart? If we don’t continue growing our relationship and love for Jesus, we’ll find ourselves lacking in our love for others, our discipleship, and our fruit. As I’ve been processing this idea for myself, I’ve learned that one of the best things I can do to experience a sense of renewal is to get out of the city. Not only do I need to find time with Jesus daily, but every two to three weeks, I need to spend time resting where I can be surrounded by something other than concrete towers and non-stop traffic. We must be diligent in taking steps to cut away thorns, or even preventing them from sprouting in the first place. For you, this could be taking a day every week getting off of social media, or maybe taking a weekend to yourself to really process the loss and grief you’ve experienced. It could also be just actually reading your bible everyday instead of the three days a week you currently are.
A gardener puts in countless hours tending to his garden, and we must do the same with our hearts. Following Jesus takes effort and takes work. It requires a daily decision to look inward, searching for the rocks or thorns. It requires uprooting those things that are choking out the gospel in our hearts. But it is so worth it. To know Jesus, and to know his love is worth the work. As Jesus is explaining this parable to the apostles, he says “Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear” (Matthew 8:16). We should count ourselves blessed to know Jesus, and should do everything we can to engage in our relationship with him. Jesus wants you, and he wants you for all eternity. He doesn’t want you for two years, and then to watch as you fall away from him. He wants your heart, and paid for it on the cross, so that he could know you and love you forever.
