The Parable of the Sower, in Matthew 13:1-23, tells of a farmer who scattered seeds on his field. The seed that he chose to scatter is the same kind of seed. However, depending on the soil the seed fell on, the seed was sowed and harvested in a different way. The type of soil represents the condition of the heart. The first soil condition that we will explore is the seed that fell beside the road. Jesus said to the disciples, “‘Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.’” The soil beside the road is too hard to plant anything in. It is not the type of soil that you would choose to yield crops. The seeds end up sitting on top of the soil and the birds come and eat up the seeds.
Jesus explains to the disciples the meaning of the condition of the first type of soil:
“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one whom seed was sown beside the road.”
Four parts of this sentence stick out to me. We will talk about the first two in this posting. The first is “hearing the word of the kingdom”. The “word of the kingdom” is the message that Jesus, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were preaching in the Gospels; Eternal life through the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ the Savior.
The second is “does not understand it”. Who is someone who doesn’t understand the word of the kingdom? This is the person who has their heart hardened towards God. Many do not understand the message even though they hear it once or many times. This is someone who refuses to hear or accept that Jesus is Messiah and will not accept the sacrifice he made on the cross. They simply cannot understand it. A good example of this would be the Pharisees. They knew the Old Testament scriptures in and out, but when Jesus came to fulfill the scriptures they did not recognize Him. In fact, many of them just didn’t want to. They were looking for a Messiah that was a strong, powerful king, and who was going to restore Israel through physical might. They were not looking for a humble carpenter who died on a cross. Even after he was resurrected, many still did not want to accept Him as God.
As Christians how do we help those who cannot understand? One way is to live our lives displaying the love that Christ has shown to us. When people ask you why you have a hope that that they can’t figure out, be prepared to tell them about Jesus and what he’s done in your life. 1 Peter 3:15 states, “always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”. Secondly, just Pray! The most powerful tool we have as a child of God is prayer. Third, ask God for wisdom. James 1:5 states, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Lastly, look at the example of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts. Acts 8:30-31 says,
“Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”
The Spirit of God is fully capable of using you as a guide or person to help others who have difficulty understanding the Bible and the message of God. Just be ready!
Next time we will talk about what it means to be “swept away” and have something “sown in the heart”…
-Gina
