This is one of my favorites. This parable concerns the fate of the Gospel to the people to whom it was preached. One might think that the Gospel with its good tidings when truly and faithfully preached would bring salvation to everyone who heard it. The Word brought worlds into existence, lighgt out of darkness, life out of death; yet according to the parable only about one-fourth of those who heard it were saved by it. Why? This is a mystery which the parable explains.
The parable begins with the sower, who is Christ, going forth to sow the seed, which is the Word of God. Born again, not of corrruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever ( 1 Peter 1:23). Thoughts are things, and words are things which germinate and give forth to action. How much more the Word of God.
The seed is therefore the Word of the kingdom; and the field is the world, not geographically, but ethnologically, meaning the whole social order, including all people of all tribes and nations. The field has four kinds of soil, each pointing to a different class of hearers. Four is the world number and in this case indicates the entire human race.
Let's note the four different kinds of soil and the different classes represented by them.
The soil by the Wayside ( Matt. 13:18-19).
As the sower goes forth to sow, some of the seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up. The soil had been rich and abundant, but it had been rendered unreceptive by reason of its hardness. Why was the soil hard? It may have been by reason of its unresponsive nature, or perhaps because of influences that had been brought upon it. Many are hardened because of circumstances and experiences they have had in life. Perhaps at one time the soil had been stirred up, but after awhile the person settled back into a state of indifference. There are no hearts so hard as these. Many hearts become hard because divine influence has moved upon them and they have resisted it until finally the Spirit of God has been withdrawn. God says, My Spirit shall not always strive with man ( Gen. 6:3). Of Ephraim it is said, Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone ( Hos. 4:17). It is written that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, but not until the king hardened it first ( Exod. 5:2; 7:22).
Yet there is hope for this soil if it can only be stirred up. Many a hardened and calloused man has had the hard core punctured, and has in the end brought forth the best fruit in the field.
But there is another danger to those kinds of hearers. They cannot wait for a more favorable season. The grain lies on the surface of the hard ground. The birds of the air come and devour the seed. According to Jesus, the birds of the air represent the evil one. The devil has many agencies at work and they come and steal away the seed that is sown in the heart until finally it is all lost. No fruit, therefore, is brought forth in their lives.
Next time, why don't we study the seed that fell on the stony ground.
May God bless, golfjack
The parable begins with the sower, who is Christ, going forth to sow the seed, which is the Word of God. Born again, not of corrruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever ( 1 Peter 1:23). Thoughts are things, and words are things which germinate and give forth to action. How much more the Word of God.
The seed is therefore the Word of the kingdom; and the field is the world, not geographically, but ethnologically, meaning the whole social order, including all people of all tribes and nations. The field has four kinds of soil, each pointing to a different class of hearers. Four is the world number and in this case indicates the entire human race.
Let's note the four different kinds of soil and the different classes represented by them.
The soil by the Wayside ( Matt. 13:18-19).
As the sower goes forth to sow, some of the seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up. The soil had been rich and abundant, but it had been rendered unreceptive by reason of its hardness. Why was the soil hard? It may have been by reason of its unresponsive nature, or perhaps because of influences that had been brought upon it. Many are hardened because of circumstances and experiences they have had in life. Perhaps at one time the soil had been stirred up, but after awhile the person settled back into a state of indifference. There are no hearts so hard as these. Many hearts become hard because divine influence has moved upon them and they have resisted it until finally the Spirit of God has been withdrawn. God says, My Spirit shall not always strive with man ( Gen. 6:3). Of Ephraim it is said, Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone ( Hos. 4:17). It is written that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, but not until the king hardened it first ( Exod. 5:2; 7:22).
Yet there is hope for this soil if it can only be stirred up. Many a hardened and calloused man has had the hard core punctured, and has in the end brought forth the best fruit in the field.
But there is another danger to those kinds of hearers. They cannot wait for a more favorable season. The grain lies on the surface of the hard ground. The birds of the air come and devour the seed. According to Jesus, the birds of the air represent the evil one. The devil has many agencies at work and they come and steal away the seed that is sown in the heart until finally it is all lost. No fruit, therefore, is brought forth in their lives.
Next time, why don't we study the seed that fell on the stony ground.
May God bless, golfjack
