In The Word
Read: Matthew 13:1-23
Jesus Teaches in Parables
13 That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.
3 And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.6 But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 And others fell on the good soil and *yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
An Explanation
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;
You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
15 For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise they would see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
The Sower Explained
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 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 on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
This is a very important parable to understand. As we spread God’s Word to others, we can see why there are different effects from our efforts. God’s desire is that everyone would come to the knowledge of the truth. However, many do not because they refuse to really listen to what God is trying to tell them. Some, when they look at their lives through the Word, don’t like what they see; instead of changing, they just close their eyes to the defects. I have found that many hearts are very dull and hard to plant in.
Another key aspect of this parable is that the people receiving the Word of God must understand it, not just have it. Too many times we convince people to do what we say, without the people actually understanding what they are doing. When people do not fully understand the commitment they are making, you will find that they don’t stay committed for the long haul. The enemy either lies or confuses them; many times, they have not counted the cost. Sometimes, when the walk with Christ begins to cause them to let go of things or get rejected, they walk away instead of continuing the journey with Christ. For some, they listen to what is being said and follow the teachings of Christ. But when blessings fill their lives because of the good principles they are living by, instead of being able to handle the increase, the increase destroys them. Others receive the Word, understand the commitment, are careful of the dangers, and produce much fruit to the glory of God.
Where did God’s seed land in your life? Can I tell you something? Only time will tell. In the meantime, seek to understand, see, and hear.