The Parable of the Sower is likely Jesus’ most famous parable, in part because it is one of only two he actually explained in detail about what it means. It is also the one Jesus said would be the key to understand all the other parables. If you can grasp the Parable of the Sower, you will understand what all the others are about: true and false conversion.
I first heard that remark from a preacher in a Q/A session and that thought has been stuck in my mind: most, if not all, of the parables deal with true and false conversion. I began going through in my head all the parables I could think of and I have had a hard time thinking of any of Jesus’ parables that fail to illustrate the difference of what a true and false believer will be like. The Parable of the Sower is the key, according to Jesus, to recognize this.
I am not going to review the parable itself here, however if you are not familiar with it, please examine both it and the explanation Jesus gives. There are four types of soil: path, rocks, weeds, and good. Three of these failed to produce fruit, and only the last made it. When I have heard most people preach on this parable, they will typically suggest the path is non-believers, the rocks and the weeds are failed believers, and the good soil are the solid believers. I must disagree with this understanding. I have come to understand that all four of these soils are those who claim to be followers of Christ, but only one is a true one.
The path is a type of ground that is hard and compact. Seeds placed onto the path will not easily grow because they will not get buried into the ground. It is too hard. And because it is hard, the seed is exposed and the birds can come and take it away. Jesus described this soil as the kind of person who hears the word but the enemy comes and takes it away before it can take root.
Every one of us have dealt with hardness of the heart internally. How do I know? How often do we hear a great sermon on Sunday morning and get home and have no clue what it was about? I have a collection of 80 sermons and counting on my flash drive I listen to in the car. I choose sermons that are worth re-hearing, are dealing with issues I am working on, and are good reminders for me. However, I’ll hear a great comment in the sermon and by the time I get home, I lose track of what it was. Those birds are hungry, looking for any chance to take away a good word that can affect our lives. How much more do we hear a legitimate word from God and before the day ends we lose what it was, let alone attempt to take action on it? That is when we have an area that has become a hard, compact, trodden path.
Rocky soil is the kind where the seed initially takes root because there is some good soil, but a lot of hard material for the roots to cut through. The roots are shallow and do not have a firm grip. Because of the lack of grip and lack of access to the ground water, when the hot sun comes up, it does not have the strength to endure. Jesus likens this to people that are eager to jump into the fray, however because they have not been established, they fail.
Eric Ludy has a sermon called “Five Smooth Stones” in which he spends almost half the sermon talking about growing trees. It is about leadership and developing missionaries, and his main point is that in early years, trees are extra vulnerable to pests and diseases. The tree needs to get established and firmly rooted before facing the storms.
The enemy wants to get after us before we get established because he fears what we could be if we continue to be obedient to the Lord. So the moment we start to show growth, he’s going to come after us. Many people who are rocky soil are fickle. They tend to jump ship quickly at the first sign of trouble and then try to find another safe place. They are unwilling to go through the storm because of fear of failure among other things. Those who jump churches the moment something doesn’t go their way fit in this category. Now some do need to leave the churches they are in, but when they church hop each time they are offended, they need deeper roots. Rocky people like this also tend to be gullible because they are so quick to change direction each time the winds and waves of society shift.
Weedy soil is the type of soil where people serve two or more masters. You have competition for the nutrients of the soil. Weeds tend to grow en masse without any care, whereas good crops take heavy hours of maintenance to keep growing. These are the people that want one foot in with Christ and another foot still in the world. We are to be in the world but not of it. That does not mean we cannot watch a football game, play a video game, or watch TV and movies, however, which tends to dominate your thought life? Could it be possible that these entertainment venues is taking your energy and your thoughts away from God?
Crops CAN grow in weedy soil, however their fruit will be weak, the vine will be sickly, there will not be as much fruit, and the soil will be weaker for the next set of crops. There are a number of weeds that look at LOT like good crops, and that is what the Parable of the Wheat and Tares is about. The tares are false converts that suck away nutrients from the wheat and keep the wheat from being able to produce. When the tares leave, the wheat feel much better and freer to grow and develop.
Good soil is the real deal. It is well plowed and broken up before the Lord. Seeds are able to bury themselves into the dirt, die, and rise as a fruit-bearing plant. Rocks are broken up and the tap root is able to hit the ground water. The roots go deep, and while a tornado could bend the tree over, it will not uproot it because it has a firm grip. It is clear of weeds, and the sin and worldly things that entangle us are removed. This soil is able to bear good, rich, numerous fruit.
God wants to make us into good soil. Each of us start as path, rocky, or weedy soil but as a good gardener, he knows how to clear it, plow it, and prepare the soil. Let us be good soil, so God’s word can grow, take deep root, and have such a grip on our lives that no matter what storms come it will not let go.
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