Bible Study Three detours one Narrow path.

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The parable of the 4 soils. Mathew 13:1-9 & 13:18-24 (NIV)

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.”

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18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

In a different thread there's a discussion about why the world rejects God. This explaination though I think belongs in the bible study section though. Jesus said that His message is not for the world because the world is not looking for Him. Jesus has also called those of the world to be the bind leading the blind. This parable of the 4 soils I think explains why the world is blind, and why the path is narrow.

A farmer scatters his seed in Mathew 13:1-9. In verses 18-23, through Jesus's explainations of what happens to the seed, we can understand that the seed is the message of the Kingdom of Heaven. We should follow the example of the parable scattering the good news to everyone and anyone.

The first seed explained falls on hard ground. These are the people who hear the message and don't understand it. Worse yet it's said that Satan comes and steals the message from them before it can take root in their heart. How horrible it is that Satan the deceiver can do this. Perhaps you've heard this when talking to someone who hasn't accepted God. Giving reasons to reject God, from philosophical reasons, personal experiences, or observations of the world around us and the evil in the world. To many people, if God exists He is evil; but more likely God doesn't exist because of the evil that is in the world. So they don't seek Him.

If you've heard these kind explanations, take heart. Spread the word anyways and do not fear if it lands on the hard path soil. God's word is good at taking root. I say this because I've seen how many of us as Christians have accepted parts of the bible and either rejected other parts or just held it at bay because we don't understand it and can't understand it compaired to our understanding of other verses. Yet in time after study and with life's lessons somethimes those verses we didn't make sense of eventually click together. The hard path in our hearts that parts of God's message falls on finally become like a different soil and we can come to accept the message with Joy. Since this is true for us as Christians why wouldn't it also be true for nonbelievers as well. So be courageous when the oppurtunity arrives to tell about God. You never know when the person's heart might change and begin to seek God and wish to know God.

 

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That's not much, but for now that's all I'm going to write for now. Some advise from a different bible study taught me to slow down the pace. Hopefully tomorrow or Monday I'll be ready to write more. Thanks for reading.

 

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The first soil being a hard pressed path on our hardened hearts leaves the messages of God of deft ears. And the message is lost. Stolen away. To me this seems like half of the world. But I hope that isn't true. It's also likely the most outspoken group against religion so perhaps it just feels like half the world has rejected God outright. The other two detours away from God I thing are quieter detours. Ones that are somethimes unnoticed until they hold their effect.

Mathew 13:5-6 & Mathew 13:20-21

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.

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The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

Two things come from rocky ground. One is that the joy and acceptance of the Word is short lived, and the other is that in the scorching sun, the message withers away. Our hearts, while in our troubles, leave the message. Like before this is not just the hearts of none believers or of people who have turned away. In one way trouble in our lives can make a person abandon what they knew before, in order to search for the end of their troubles. Other times after a difficult time sometimes people wither away from what was good in their life from grief or anger. In both instances I think troubles in life can act to deepen our roots, or to scorch us away from what we should hold strong to. It is a catalyst to grow stronger or to wither. Be strong and strengthen eachother.

 

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The last detour. If the message of God can't be stolen from you, and won't wither away under perscution, hardship and other troubling life, there is still one more hurdle to overcome.

Mathew 13:7 & 13:22

7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

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22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.

Just as Jesus refers to the other two soils He refers to this one with regard to the response to hearing the word. Hearing the message. In another place Jesus refers to a person who hears His teachings but does not follow it, to be on like a home build on unstable foundation, which a falls in the storm (Mathew 7:24-27). The letter of James addresses this as well. (James 1:22-25).

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

This is more then just salvation, this is salvation and bearing fruit. This is being saved and acting as a desciple of Jesus. And to that end the third hurdle is hearing the message and doing nothing about it. Being distracted from worries of life. Distracted by dreams and goals and money. Distracted by the wealth and pleasure of the world. The decitifulness of wealth chokes the word making it unfruitful.

With this in mind we can not say that we are Christian one moment but in the business world we are governed by different rules. Or that we are Christians privitely, but when in the world we follow other means to get by and do our duty, or to not offend. If we don't follow Jesus in all aspects of life, and ready to act faithfully on any occurance, then we risk the third detour. To be choked out by riches and worries. To be unfruitful.

If I can speak on both worries and wealth for a moment hopefully the point won't be lost, and assumed this message and warning is meant for someone else. Regarding worries, we live in a worry filed world with worries and solutions hand in hand. Some solutions given are not bibical. Even if they work they are not following the direction we are given.

I can give two examples. One is from a brief stint in costumer sales. A manager encouraged us to lie white lies. Nothing huge, but small encouraging lies to help build the sale, such as say that we own the product and love it, even if we don't. After all the product is good so this lie doesn't really matter, and will help finalize a sale. Another one is awkward, so please bare with me. For men health professionals say that it is healthy to masterbate regularly, for the sake of maintaining proper health. But by the law given to Israel, spilling our "seed" on the ground is a sin. Both of these examples are times I've seen the idea encouraging us to be a Christian, until the rules say otherwise and your justified to momentarily hold on to different rules to get by. The worries of life, whether they are small or large often are the means to test us if we have faith enough in God. And to trust Him. At least a few solutions in life are the temptations to not trust God but to do it as we know is best. (Not that we know what is best.)

Wealth is a different distraction. It is one that in Israel's most blessed moments in history focused on the wealth or became proud. In both kinds of instances they turned away from God and God rebuked them for that on several occasions. If God's chosen people fall for wealth to lead them away, how much more will we?

 

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Mathew 13:8-9 & 23.

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.”

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23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

I do not think Jesus's lessons are meant to be heard and studied separately from the context his other parables and lessons. Though each teaches a certian subject line. Together they shed light on one another.

In this instance Jesus teaches that the weeds choke out the plant and it does not bare fruit, but those hear and understand the word are the seed falling on good soil that produce a crop that exceeds what was sown by a hundred times, sixty times, or thirty times. The seed is explained to be the message of the Kingdom of God. The hard path is a hard heart, and the message stolen. The rocks are where there are not roots nourishing the plant through hardships, and when hardships arise wither the plant and make it fruitless. Each of these things, as well as the seed falling on the good soil, are explained in the parable and Jesus's explanation. What is left therefore is the fruit. Since the fruit of the spirit is explained elsewhere (and is very much worth studying as it's own right), I don't want to try and cover it here.

The lesson here though is worth knowing and understanding. They are the responses and the results of hearing the message of the kingdom of Heaven. They should encourage us to spread the word. Our own personal testimonies, as well as our knowledge and understanding of God's word. For us Christians it edifies us and strengthens us. Prepares as and teaches us. For non Christians the message reaches out to save them, and to be a testimony to them. Whenever the Word lands on fertile ground it will be fruitful. Wherever it is fruitful I can only believe more seed and fruit will be made from it.

Anyways, that's all I've got for this bible study. There's a lot more to know. Like how to respond to each kind of response. From walking away as the Desciples did when they were sent to spread the good news of the Kingdom being near; when a town rejected them they were to leave it. When a person is losing faith and hope, we are to strengthen and encourage them, and if a person loses sight of God's word, I'm sure that we are meant to do what we can to help there too. Expecially for our own choices and our own acts to rely on everything we know from God.

Be the salt of the Earth that preserves it and purifies it. The ingredient used in most sacrifices. Be the light of the world, and so be like Jesus. And in such ways I'm sure the kingdom of Heaven is like a little yeast kneeded into dough. Though only a little is used it spreads throughout the dough when making bread.

Thanks for reading.

 

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Sorry one last thing. The other way to look at the excess crop is also what happens when we rely on what is taught. When I was younger and prayed I was suprised several times by God's response. And so the teaching to pray continually and for all things is close to my heart. It is also one that I need to act more on. But the lessons to give up everything to God that is a hard lesson for me and I assume my heart is a hard path to it somehow, or full of weeds. Each lesson and teaching can come on us as believers with as hard a heart as we might imagine are the heart of those who do 't believe. And each lesson can come on fertile ground in our hearts. Just as so it should be thought the same way to others too.

That's my experience anyways. Some lessons Jesus taught are accepted right away and with joy. Other lessons are not understood as easily at first, or for me have the impression "ok what do I do with that?" I assume this is true with everyother Christian too.