Let Me Tell You a Story...
“Let me tell you a story…”
One interesting part of being human lies in how much we understand through stories, pictures, and illustrations. They function like Yaktrax on ice to get mental traction toward understanding new concepts.
Jesus was a master storyteller, and over 30 times he is remembered teaching using parables to move folks toward grasping life in the Kingdom of God. A parable simply lays one known picture next to another less-known idea. A bridge forms and the “ah-ha” moment comes when the parable makes visible a partially hidden concept.
Fairly early in Matthew’s gospel, after Jesus describes Kingdom living (ch. 5-7) and then demonstrates its power (ch. 8→), some people believed while others did not, and a few were outright hostile to the message. In Mt. 13, the first recorded parable of Jesus addresses the question of why some believe and others do not.
This the parable of the Sower and the Soils.
Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. The plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among the thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still others fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.
Later in the chapter Jesus explained the story to his apprentices.
The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed planted in their hearts. The seed on rocky soil are those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing in God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted.
Seeds (the message of the Kingdom of God) with huge potential fall on four different soils (the heart of whosever hears) with four distinct outcomes:
Footpath soil - a distracted heart that grows hard over time
Shallow soil - a heart that looks for excitement but fades when it’s gone
Thorny soil - a crowded and divided heart
Ready soil - a heart that has pulled “weeds” and wants abundance
Any seeds that drifted on the wind to a dirt path worn hard by use would never grow a crop. Sometimes life has hardened a heart, but just as possibly distractions like social media, or a news stream, or anything on the agenda can keep the seed of God’s kingdom from penetrating. In Lewis’ Screwtape Letters when the “patient” is thinking about God, he is reminded that it is lunchtime, and never gets back to what he was pondering. The enemy’s “birds” will simply sweep God-thoughts away.
Camp conversions or revival decisions or concert goosebumps can explain the second, shallow soil. The message is received with joy and excitement, but when the feeling fades, so does the faith. Those in it for the thrill can even come to see it all as a “bait and switch” situation when the hard times come. They wither until the next jolt of Jesus-juice comes along with the result being little to show for the effort.
Weeds and thorns compete with the good seed in the third heart, and Tim Keller calls this soil an “idol factory” where good things are free to grow into ultimate things. An idol is anything, even the best of things in life, called on to satisfy only what God can do. All good things have their place, but that place is not to be in competition with Jesus’ Kingdom growth in a believer. This is an “order of operations” issue, similar to Jesus’ comment in Mt. 6 for followers to “seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
The fourth soil is weeded, watered, and ready to welcome the message that will grow and mature to bring good to the person, as well as to the world he/she lives in. Prepared and attentive to what God has in store mark this heart. Christ’s message is welcomed, nurtured, and a harvest is anticipated and fulfilled.
This parable is not at all fatalistic, however it is descriptive and somewhat predictive. But it’s a mistake to slide this parable into the category of only explaining the various reactions to Jesus’ message by those outside the family. This is your message. It is mine, as well.
I see myself in each of the soils at various times in any week.
Every believer every day would be wise to consider the condition of their “soil” with questions like:
How easily distracted am I as I pray and read and contemplate? Has my heart grown a bit bored and hard to the point the Spirit has difficulty planting his seed?
Are there too many times that I sense my closeness to Jesus is tied to the emotions I feel or the goosebumps on my heart?
What “weeds” might I want to pull out before they drop deep roots that compete with tender growth of God in my life? What idols have I set up rivaling God?
Am I looking for the message of the Kingdom with my heart weeded, watered, and ready? How might I grow in this area?
There will always be challenges to kingdom living not unlike soils that don’t promote growth. Let’s roll together in the tending of each garden, ready for the sower’s next time in his field.
Music for the week
And funnies for the road…
A man tried to sell his neighbor a new dog. "This is a talking dog," he said, "and you can have him for five dollars."
The neighbor said, "Who do you think you're kidding with this talking dog stuff? There's no such animal."
Suddenly the dog looked up with tears in his eyes. "Please buy me, Sir," he pleaded. "This man is cruel. He never buys me a meal, never bathes me, never takes me for a walk. And I used to be the richest trick dog in America. I performed before kings. I was in the army and was decorated ten times."
"Hey!" said the neighbor. "He can talk. Why do you want to sell him for just five dollars?"
"Because," said the seller, "I'm getting tired of all his lies."
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A rookie police officer was assigned to ride in a cruiser with an experienced partner.
A call came over the car's radio telling them to disperse some people who were loitering.
The officers drove to the street and observed a small crowd standing on a corner. The rookie rolled down his window and said, "Let's get off the corner."
No one moved, so he barked again, "Let's get off the corner!" Intimidated, the group of people began to leave, casting puzzled glances in his direction.
Proud of his first official act, the young policeman turned to his partner and asked, "Well, how did I do?"
"Pretty good," replied the veteran, "especially since this is a bus stop."