Jesus was a preacher. Can you imagine hearing him? He spoke truth and love perfectly. He loved people perfectly with the truth. He was full of grace. Spoke with absolute authority, while being perfectly gentle. The scholars and simple were amazed. And what is he doing. What am I doing. Sowing seed! Seed that may forever change the lives of those who accept.
The Sower is sowing, is your heart receptive?
- Everywhere, everyone
- Hard soil
- Rocky soil
- Weedy soil
- Good Soil
- What’s the difference??
Everywhere, everyone
The good news of the Gospel goes through cities and villages to every person that believes!!
Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.
Yes, Jesus was a preacher,who preached in cities and small villages. In Capetown and Robertson. He is spreading seeds of the gospel far and wide. Wherever he is going. Proclaiming means to announce abroad! That is what we do to all who are here! Announce good news. And in announcing it, you also bring it to the people. Repent believe, and receive this king! He forgives sins, heals the sick, restores the demon possessed. He is bring about the kingdom.
And there were some who heard him and believed and followed him. Here are the people who are the fouth seed. This is what it means to be a Christian. Not just to hear, not just to believe, but to hear, believe and follow!
And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.
In this list, we see that he did not just cast the seed of the word wide in cities and villages, but he also cast it among all people – not just a certain group. He ministered to the poor and the rich. We have poor fishermen in this group and well-connected women. Joanna was serving among the rich and powerful. The message had even penetrated the household of Herod. Humanly speaking those who receive the good news are unexpected. Not the normal church going crowd you might say. Except it is… it is a picture of us. No, we have no managers of Ramaphosa’s household, or anyone from whom were cast demons by Jesus. But we have here also unexpected converts. the gospel seed should not be just for those people who we think might accept but for all.
And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable.
Hard soil
There are in that great crowd four different lives, or hearts. There are before every preacher these hearts. Your heart and life reflect one of these soils. The question is, what response have I given to the word?
“A sower went out to sow his seed. That is exactly what Jesus is doing in our text. He is sowing the seed of the gospel. The word of Christ. Or as verse 11 says, Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. As this Sower sows, some seed falls on rocky hearts.These are the people who are there but get nothing.
I am sure as Jesus was sowing seed on that day there were many following him because they wanted to be part of the crowd, they wanted to see a miracle, they were looking for an excuse not have to work, or do their schoolwork. They were there not because they were desperate, like a demon possessed woman. They were just there…
And as Jesus is preaching his words basically run off them like water off a rock. It does not go in. In the Screwtape letters CS lewis writes a book about two demons trying to tempt someone. An experienced demon, screwtape, gives lessons to the younger one, wormword. And he tells wormwood, “It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.”
Satan is always there, mouth open, ready to devour the seed before it could take root. He removes the seed by diverting thoughts of people elsewhere. He tries to take things out. I am sure you have had that, you have a deep thought about the things of God, and suddenly you are distracted, or tempted. You are reading and suddenly thinking about a million other things. As Jesus explains, The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
This shows the at every time th gospel is preached a spiritual war immediately takes place, as Satan tries to rob as many people as possible of the good news. Immediately as the seed is sown, the Devil devours it, the world tries to choke it out, as the flesh tries to harden the heart so that it cannot take root.
Rocky soil
On writer wrote, “The shallow and rocky heart is like the Twitter follower who sees Jesus trending and jumps on the bandwagon. It loves him for his miracles but leaves him for his exclusive claims…. When following Jesus gets uncomfortable, inconvenient, discouraging, risky, the person unfollows.”
And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. This ground is a thin layer of soil covering a rock underneath. The conditions are sufficient to get the seed started; it germinates and develops but there is nowhere for the root to go. The root is unable to spread down towards damper soil. When the sun’s warmth intensifies it begins to dry the surface soil, and the plant dies from a lack of moisture.
They heard the gospel and it sounds so good at first. They are caught up in an emotional moment. They maybe accepted the gospel in a hard time in olife, but when its over they reject it. Or they accepted it when all was well, and when the sun of persecution, or suffering came out they walked away. That was just a moment in their life not a life changing moment.
Is your joy dependent upon your current circumstances? Does the happiness you feel when things are going well, and your day is favorable, carry through into those troublesome days? Life is a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. Joy is both a character trait and an emotional response. Times of trouble, criticism and uncertainty is when joy is best defined in our lives.
We can be very fickle; excitement and enthusiasm can encapsule a moment but what happens when excitement and enthusiasm are stifled? For many they can quickly become indifferent or apathetic.
That’s what it means when it gets no moisture. They were not growing…You see its not just if you have faith – but are you growing, so that when the storm comes you are read. . The moment they are tested their faith proves empty. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.
Weedy soil
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.. This is great soil filled with weeds! They accept the gospel, they came to church, were baptized and enjoyed the Lords Supper, but slowly but surely, Jesus just becomes one more thing beside work, family, money, education all these other things started to suck the life out of the person. He was no longer the reason for everything. The gospel first became one of many things in their life. They start pulling back. And slowly it became one of the less important things… and then the gospel seed wilted and died.
This is about the danger that welfare, possessions and comfort pose. LikeAnxiety about safety, future security, or health concerns. Prioritizing career advancement over spiritual health or family discipleship. Living for weekend experiences: vacations, entertainment, sports. Allowing hobbies or passions to take over your calendar and heart. Relying on worldly elements to feel full and satisfied.
These worries crowd out time, attention, and affection for God. Anxiety becomes the ruling force instead of the Spirit. These “other things” may not be sinful—but when they become the priority, they choke the seed before it can bear fruit.
Thorns aren’t always ugly. They often resemble good things that we have turned into ultimate pursuits.
The choking of plants is always gradual. At first imperceptible. Because in a sense you will be growing in the gospel – it’s just that weeds grow faster. You will see them slowly get bigger.
As Jesus says, And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
There are many who hear… but not everyone accepts eternal life. Only those who see and perceive, hear and understand.
Good Soil
The seed only really takes root in those hearts prepared for the Gospel. The Spirit must plow the heart and break it open. That is why in the prophets there are a few times where the prayer is to break up unplowed hearts. Jeremiah 4:3 Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.”: Or Hosea, 10:12, Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.”
Break up your fallow ground. What would it look like for you and me? To plow the hard heart, romove the stones, pick the weeds? The Gospel is sown in the hearts of sinners the broken, the needy, the poor in spirit those who mourn… They are the ones in home the seed of the kingdom of heaven takes root.
And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” Just by way of comparison an average return would be 5 or ten fold. 30 fold would be excellent. 100 dolf is divine.
What does it look like to produce a hundredfold. Well, I know how it looks because there are members in this church that I have seen pouring their life into the lives of others, as God has been pouring his kingdom life into their life. This is about the small things we do not because we want to be seen, not because we receive anything, but because the seed of the gospel has taken root, and it is touching the lives of everyone in our life. Friends, family, neighbors, co-workers.
These are the people that are serving, patiently. Honestly. From a pure heart,. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
This is a heart that holds fast to the word. In all honesty and goodness.
- Holding fast to the word, clinging to Jesus - the word of life. And as this faith takes root it produces fruit with patience.
- It does not grow weary. Its patience. Patient means it does not wuit when its tough. It does it from love of Christ in good times and bad. in times of blessing and opposition.
Hear and perceive
As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” do we have ears to hear? This is something that comes from above. Only those who belong to God, understand – because they have been given the Spirit of God to understand. You see many are called. The call is for all. Our work is not to covert but sow! some will listen. Some wont Grace is the difference. Nothing more nothing less. Which is why at the center of this parable we have the reason for parables.
And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 12
To you, church, the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
To you has been given the secrets. They are for the church… separating those who just hear the word, and those who believe it. Those that do something with the word, and those that don’t. What do we do with it. Well, this is a passage that one could easily use before the Lord’s supper in self-examination. Is my heart hard? Is my heart rocky? Is my life weedy? Is my life receptive.
And we do this in prayer! Lord show me, help me, plow me, and fill me with your spirit so that seeing, I may understand. Hearing, I may perceive.
And this is a passage not just for self-examination, but a plea for prayer when coming to the word! It is something revealed to us, not something we get to know through our own intuition, or knowledge. Pray that God might reveal the mysteries of the kingdom to your pastor that he may preach them and reveal them to you. Pray for his spirit that you might receive them!
Amen