Matthew 13:1-23

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.  Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  Whoever has ears, let them hear.” The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.  This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.  In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 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.  The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  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.  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. 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.”

Recently we were examining this passage in Bible Study.  After Bible Study the word stayed with me and I meditated on it.  In mediating on it, it was interesting to take a second and a third look at this passage that is so rich and has several layers of meaning.  

What I discovered is that the farmer sows his seed into different types of soil and the soil mainly responsible for what makes the difference in the response to the seed.  Normally, this passage is seen as representing different people versus us at different seasons and/or different sections of our lives.  What I found fascinating was the revelation that God wants us to examine all areas of our lives to see what types of soils are currently operating preventing us from abundant harvests.  Often we compartmentalize our lives and certain areas are off limit or there is limited access to them or we believe that these areas are beyond the transforming power of God’s Word.  However, it is time to put our lives under the microscope.

In our lives we can have all the types of soil operating as described in the passage: pathway, rocky places, thorny places, good soil.

Today we will focus on the pathway and rocky places.

Firstly, the seed fell on the pathway and birds came and ate it up. The explanation given by Jesus is that lack of understanding gives room to the evil one to snatch God’s word from our lives.    Where in our lives is the word of God falling on the pathway and because we don’t take the time to understand it, the word sown is snatched away by the evil one?  How many sermons and bible studies have we heard and not taken the time to break them down, meditate, chew on the word so that it will germinate?  The Holy Spirit is available to help us understand God’s Word.  Are we taking Him for granted and thus the word is being removed by the ever watchful evil one?  Remember the seed represents the message about the Kingdom of God which is at hand and this message has the power to transform the world in which we live.  Let us therefore realize that the devil is never idle in wanting the kingdom of darkness to dominate and make the world more evil.   Hence, it is critical that we spend the time looking at our lives and see what pathways are there in our lives now? Too often we think we understand when we don’t. The Scripture says that if anyone lacks wisdom he should ask the Lord who gives generously and freely.    Let us ask Jesus to give us insights into what are the systems that are operating in our lives that are giving room and strongholds to the devil that the Kingdom of God’s Word needs to transform.

Secondly, the seed fell on rocky places, where there was not much soil, it sprang up quickly but scorched & withered in the sun because there was no root.  Jesus explains that the word here is at once received with joy but has no root, lasts only a short time and falls away when trouble or persecution comes.  Can you remember a time when we heard a particular word and we jumped and shouted “Yes this is the word I have been waiting on”? However, we did not solidify the word by deepening ourselves in Christ and practicing to use the Sword of the Spirit (word) and so when the attacks came we were not prepared and retreated forever scarred?  These scars have become the rocky places of our lives, hard and callous.  These places have become rocky and hard that our hearts have become callous affecting our abilities to understand to hear, understand and to see what Jesus is doing and wants to do in our world today. Not only has the hearts become hard but the ears are almost entirely blocked and the eyes are closed.   Listen to what Jesus says, we would be healed if we were able to see, to hear and understand which would enable us to turn to Him (Matt 13:13-15).   It is therefore clear to me that sometimes there are areas in our lives that are not healed because we have not submitted our wounded, rocky and hard areas to Christ so that He can heal us.  Jesus is ready and willing to heal us, He is not holding back; let us seek him to transform with His word our rocky and hard places.  Our healing can transform families, nations and entire world which eagerly wait for this day.

What are we waiting for?  Let us hand over to Jesus our pathways and rocky, hard places.

PRAYER

Father You are God alone.  You search me and know me by name and nature.  No part of me is hidden from you.  I submit my pathways and rocky, hard places to Your transforming presence, Jesus.  I no longer want to have these places in my life but I want them to be transformed into good soil leading to abundant harvest.   Thank you for hearing me and creating in me a clean heart and renewing a right spirit in me.    In the name of the Father, Son and Spirit.  Amen