Soil matters

The parable of the sower has always been a precious part of the scripture to me. Simply because, it was this exact parable that spoke to me when I gave my life to Jesus 4 years ago. And the first time I led a friend to God, pastor was also preaching this exact same sermon.

So when I heard Charles share with us that parable, it resonated deeply with me. So I would like to add on to what he has shared with us on sunday.

I would use the Mark account of this parable since it has some interesting details which the Matthew account excludes. It is found in Mark 4:1~25.

I found it most amazing that Jesus ended his parable of the sower with these interesting words,"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (verse 9) and also in verse 13, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?"

It seem weird to me Jesus would say those who have ears let him hear. Doesn't everyone has ears ?! So who is not hearing?

It doesn't help much in verse 12 that Jesus explains to them that some see but not perceive, some hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.

Apparently, parables are not easily understood. Even Jesus' disciples (whom Jesus said that to them have been given the mystery of the kingdom of God) have to ask Jesus to explain to them the parable of the sower and soils.

In my own opinion, I believe this parable is easily understood cognitively but not in practice. We cannot accept a superficial understanding of this parable also, since I believed that this parable is key to understanding all other parables as mentioned in verse 13.

What then is good soil ? How to be good soil ?

well... in my own understanding...

Good soil refers to someone -

1. who is teachable and available (so that satan cannot snatch it away)
2. rooted in the word, able to take persecution, affliction, tempted and not yield
3. in the world but out of the world
4. accepts the word and bear fruit
5. is a light on a lampstand and not hidden (shares the word and is visible as a christian) (verse 21~23) (it seems to me that is an additional point of Jesus to explain good soil)

All of us want to be good soil no doubt. But we never really know what kind of soil we are unless we have experienced persecution and yet persevered , constantly thinks and desires only God and NOTHING of this world, be fruitful and is a light to the world. This I believe is truly good soil. Anything less is not.

The question to ask now is how to be good soil then? I believe the answer is given in verse 24.

And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." (ESV)

I believe the key to being a good soil is to pay attention to what we hear and use it (doing the word of God). It is interesting to note that in the same account in Luke, Jesus ends the parable of the sower and the soil when his brothers and mother came to visit Him but He answered His disciples that,"My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." (Luke 8:21)

In other words, the bad soil does not just refer to the condition of the heart where people cannot receive the word of God; the bad soil also refer to people who hears the word of God but did not apply it (the crowdedness of the thorns, the devil snatching it away, etc, are consequences of not applying the word of God), and they are not considered brothers of Jesus. They are NOT children of God and outside the kingdom of God.

As children of God, as Christians, as ones who professed faith in Jesus, we can only be 1 kind of soil, and that is good soil. Anything else is not good enough. That is why I believe that unless we understand this truth, the other mysteries of the kingdom of God cannot be revealed to us (verse 13)

God, help us today to be the good soil.

Help us to apply what we read, and be more and more like you.