The Good Sower

Matthew 13 is such a wonderful example of how God understands human nature. I was recently pondering why it is so easy for some people to accept the realities of faith while others seem to struggle a bit, and them some just denounce it all together. In His sovereignty, He led me to this scripture.

The parable explains that there are four types of soil being sowed. There are the seeds that are scattered along the path, which becomes vulnerable to the birds dining on them (verse 4). Then there are the seeds that fall on rocky places where little soil is able to penetrate and consequently they spring up quickly yet wither away because they don’t have deep roots to protect them (verses 5-6). Then there are the seeds that fall among the thorns that grow but are chocked by the plants around and unable to produce fruit(verse 7). And finally there is the seed that fall on “good soil” which always produce a crop (verse 8).

But in applying it to our life, what did Jesus mean? Well, a few verses later, He laid it out in laymen’s terms (which I personally love when He does that. He says in verse 19, that those who hear and deny God’s truth has been vulnerable to satan’s lies and it is unable to take root in their heart. And in verse 20 He says that those seeds that fell on rocky places represent the man who hears and accepts God’s Word with joy yet does not follow through in seeking a deeper understanding which causes them to fall away when trouble threatens their reality. Then in verse 22, there is the man who received the seed that fell on thorns which represents the man who has a heart for God yet has been overtaken by the worries of life or chocked by the deceitfulness this world promises (both producing less fruitful Christian crops). Then finally there is the man who hears the word, understands, and obeys. “He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown”- vs. 23 because it is not bound by the limitations of the man. It is working on God’s strength because they have accepted and put into practice what they have learned.
As I sat and pondered what this meant, I felt the urge to look up some notes in my other Bible and very matter-of-factly it stated, “People respond differently because they are in different states of readiness. Some are hardened, others are shallow, others are contaminated by distracting worries, and some are receptive.” (NIV Life Application Bible)

This understanding made all the difference…just because a person is in a “state” at this moment doesn’t mean that they have to remain there forever. Many factors contribute to their readiness and although it is a choice on their part to take the leap of faith or not, it is also our responsibility as fellow Christians to softly throw another seed their direction. Then it is up to God to where the seed will land and to the methods at which it sprouts.