The Kingdom of Heaven is Like ...
The Parable of the Sower
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
In chapter 12 Matthew records seven parables Jesus used to teach about what the "kingdom of heaven is like." He also calls them the "secrets of the kingdom". Like any good joke, parables told a story that led to a punchline. Like any good joke, if someone misses the punchline they miss the joke. Though Jesus wasn't joking he was telling stories that people were either going to get or not. If they failed to get the punchline, they would miss out the spiritual truth it was teaching. Jesus revealed spiritual truths about how the God of heaven works on earth. As people understood the truth of the parables and applied it in their lives, they would see the power of the kingdom of heaven operating in the world.
The first parable is called, "The Parable of the Sower". Sowing seeds and reaping a harvest would be very familiar in the agricultural society Jesus was speaking to. Another aspect of parables was they used earthly stories about ordinary things to demonstrate a spiritual truth. In this case, a farmer sows seeds indiscriminately in his field. He did what we would call "broadcasting". Casting out seed into a broad section of the land not knowing where it would land.
Jesus gives four scenarios illustrating how the soil condition affected the outcome. In only one scenario did the seed do what it was supposed to do... bear fruit. We know from Jesus' explanation the seed was the Word of God. The Word about who God is and how he operates. Basically the Word shows us everything we need to know about God. In three scenarios where the seed did not bear fruit, the conditions prevented the seed/word from rooting and then bearing fruit. The three culprits were a "hardened path", "rocky soil" and "thorns". But when the seed fell on good soil it took root and multiplied producing expontential growth.
So what spiritual truth does this parable illustrate? If the seed is the Word about God, then the seed that fell on the good soil multiplied God's word many times over. This represents the person who hears God's Word, it takes root in a receptive heart (the good soil), and they grow and multiply many times over. Since God wants to make Himself known to the whole world, especially those He created in His own image, this is his ultimate goal.
But unfortunately the three other outcomes are not so good. In all the other soil conditions the Word/seed did not come to fruition. Something in the soil condition or an outside force sabotages the process and prevents it from rooting and multiplying. Since God's desire is to make Himself known as represented by the seed that grew and bore fruit, these other 3 scenarios were all disappointing to him.
So what can we learn from this? Though God's deep desire and hopefully ours is for people to know Him through His Son, we realize not every seed we sow will bear fruit. Some of the seed we sow will fall on hard ground and never take root. Some of the people we share the gospel will receive it at first, but it will never go deeper than a surface level. Since there is no depth when trying times come a lack of being rooted with result in its demise. Other seeds will start to bear fruit but then the worries and cares of the world will choke it out as represented by the thorny ground.
But others will hear the Word, be receptive and the knowledge of God will take root in their hearts and minds. When they accept Jesus, who is the Word, He will come into their life make his home with them. As they grow they will eventually bear fruit many times over as their seed is sown on other receptive soil. As Jesus told his disciples, "Go and make disciples, who will make disciples until all the world will know my love for them."
So two questions we might ask ourselves. Are we fertile ground for God's Word? Do we receive biblical teaching and obey it, or does it just bounce off us. Are we rooted in Christ? Are we abiding in Him and He in us. Are the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness and self control evident in our lives. Finally, are we reproducing ourselves in the lives of others who become rooted and eventually bear more fruit by operating in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus gives four scenarios illustrating how the soil condition affected the outcome. In only one scenario did the seed do what it was supposed to do... bear fruit. We know from Jesus' explanation the seed was the Word of God. The Word about who God is and how he operates. Basically the Word shows us everything we need to know about God. In three scenarios where the seed did not bear fruit, the conditions prevented the seed/word from rooting and then bearing fruit. The three culprits were a "hardened path", "rocky soil" and "thorns". But when the seed fell on good soil it took root and multiplied producing expontential growth.
So what spiritual truth does this parable illustrate? If the seed is the Word about God, then the seed that fell on the good soil multiplied God's word many times over. This represents the person who hears God's Word, it takes root in a receptive heart (the good soil), and they grow and multiply many times over. Since God wants to make Himself known to the whole world, especially those He created in His own image, this is his ultimate goal.
But unfortunately the three other outcomes are not so good. In all the other soil conditions the Word/seed did not come to fruition. Something in the soil condition or an outside force sabotages the process and prevents it from rooting and multiplying. Since God's desire is to make Himself known as represented by the seed that grew and bore fruit, these other 3 scenarios were all disappointing to him.
So what can we learn from this? Though God's deep desire and hopefully ours is for people to know Him through His Son, we realize not every seed we sow will bear fruit. Some of the seed we sow will fall on hard ground and never take root. Some of the people we share the gospel will receive it at first, but it will never go deeper than a surface level. Since there is no depth when trying times come a lack of being rooted with result in its demise. Other seeds will start to bear fruit but then the worries and cares of the world will choke it out as represented by the thorny ground.
But others will hear the Word, be receptive and the knowledge of God will take root in their hearts and minds. When they accept Jesus, who is the Word, He will come into their life make his home with them. As they grow they will eventually bear fruit many times over as their seed is sown on other receptive soil. As Jesus told his disciples, "Go and make disciples, who will make disciples until all the world will know my love for them."
So two questions we might ask ourselves. Are we fertile ground for God's Word? Do we receive biblical teaching and obey it, or does it just bounce off us. Are we rooted in Christ? Are we abiding in Him and He in us. Are the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness and self control evident in our lives. Finally, are we reproducing ourselves in the lives of others who become rooted and eventually bear more fruit by operating in the kingdom of heaven.
Comments
Post a Comment