Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.
Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
Luke 8:11-15
Jesus said that understanding the parable of the sower is key to understanding all the other parables. This parable has more truth in it than I fully comprehend right now, but there are several things I want to point out which are crucial for us in the time in which we live.
By the Wayside: We all have seen how the seed falls by the wayside and is stolen before a person has time to receive it and believe. This happens everytime the Word is preached to an unbeliever and they remain unbelieving.
However, the other three types of soil apply to people who believe or have believed the Word in some capacity during their lives.
On Rocky Soil: For the first type of soil—or rock rather, the person hears the Word and receives it with joy, but then when trouble or temptation comes, they fall away (Mt 13 & Mk 4 say tribulation and persecution). These are people who get saved, but they only have a surface-level knowledge of God and relationship with Him.
However, it is not just that they have never developed a root or had personal growth any, but their root did not grown as fast as the plant, and they have not tilled the soil for the root to grow. So, the storms come or temptation or persecution, and that plant does not stand up to the testing, because it has not developed a root system.
Jesus said that anyone who does not abide in the vine or abide in His love will be cut off (Jn 15), but He gives many promises for those who remain in Him. Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:17, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, may be rooted and grounded in love, and may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the width, the length, the depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge…” We must be rooted in God’s love. We have to believe that what He says about us is true and ask Him to constantly fill us with His love and make us able to receive it.
Among Thorns: Other seeds fell among thorns. Some thorns are the cares of the world—sickness, disease, financial hardship, relationship trouble, circumstances, etc. Other thorns are riches, pleasures of this life—things that distract us. These things pull our attention away from growing. They outgrow us quickly, become taller than us, and consume all the light, so that we are stifled out, and get no light.
If you have ever grown plants, you will know that they always grow toward the light. If you turn a houseplant away from the window, its leaves will reach toward the window. However, say that a plant was surrounded by thorns and so focused on the fact that there where thorns, that it does not grow towards the light. This is how a plant dies from lack of light, and this is how our spirits get choked out from the cares of the Lord. Want is our focus on? Is it on the thorns or the light?
We have to focus on the light rather than on the things that are choking us. Paul said that when we behold God, we become more like Him (II Cor. 3:18). We must focus on Jesus and what He is capable of doing, rather than on everything surrounding us and what they are capable of doing.
James 1 talks about how the testing of our faith produces patience, which when patience is perfected, it makes us perfect or complete, lacking nothing. Being perfect here means mature. The Lord allows testing to produce a fruit of the spirit in us called patience, which brings us into maturity.
However, many times, we allow that testing to choke us out and keep us from bringing any fruit to maturity (Js 1, Lk 8:14). Jesus said that anyone who abides in Him, must bear fruit or it will be cut off and thrown in the fire (Jn 15). We must not only have a deep root, and grow tall, but we must bear fruit.
In Good Soil: Finally, the seed falls on good soil. These are those who hear the word, keep it, and bear fruit with patience. They hear the word, receive it, cultivate the ground, and grow towards the light. They keep the Word, which means they hear His word and obey it. They are ones who abide in His love, and because they love Him, they obey His commands (Jn 15: 9-10, 14).
Those who cultivate good soil bear fruit. Jesus said we must bear fruit (Jn 15). However, we cannot bear fruit by our own strength—that would be works of the Law or works of the flesh, but we must bear fruits of the SPIRIT. We cannot grow this fruit without abiding in the Spirit and allowing Him to prune us, and produce these fruits in us.
This includes coming against things that keep us from believing in His love, which damages our root. This process of bearing fruit includes focusing on the Light—Jesus, rather than the thorns surrounding us. It says those with good soil, bear fruit with patience. They allow the testing of their faith to produce patience, and the patience to bring them into maturity.
Ultimately, this parable is not about different types of people, but about different experiences of discipleship as we grow in the Lord. We go through each process many times in all areas of our lives.
After Jesus told this parable, He said, “He who has an ear, let Him hear!” The Lord is speaking to us through this parable, and it is especially important for the time we live in as the wheat and tares are being brought up into maturity and the harvest is made ready. The Lord will return soon for a Bride who has been brought into maturity, and we must take heed, so that we do not allow the things of the world to keep us from bearing fruit that will last for an eternity.
“Lord, help us to cultivate good soil. Help us to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Strengthen us with might in the inner man that we may know the love of Christ that passes all knowledge. Help us to abide in your love. Guard us and deliver us from the evil one. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen”
Love,
Amanda
Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved
But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.
Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
Luke 8:11-15
Jesus said that understanding the parable of the sower is key to understanding all the other parables. This parable has more truth in it than I fully comprehend right now, but there are several things I want to point out which are crucial for us in the time in which we live.
By the Wayside: We all have seen how the seed falls by the wayside and is stolen before a person has time to receive it and believe. This happens everytime the Word is preached to an unbeliever and they remain unbelieving.
However, the other three types of soil apply to people who believe or have believed the Word in some capacity during their lives.
On Rocky Soil: For the first type of soil—or rock rather, the person hears the Word and receives it with joy, but then when trouble or temptation comes, they fall away (Mt 13 & Mk 4 say tribulation and persecution). These are people who get saved, but they only have a surface-level knowledge of God and relationship with Him.
However, it is not just that they have never developed a root or had personal growth any, but their root did not grown as fast as the plant, and they have not tilled the soil for the root to grow. So, the storms come or temptation or persecution, and that plant does not stand up to the testing, because it has not developed a root system.
Jesus said that anyone who does not abide in the vine or abide in His love will be cut off (Jn 15), but He gives many promises for those who remain in Him. Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:17, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, may be rooted and grounded in love, and may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the width, the length, the depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge…” We must be rooted in God’s love. We have to believe that what He says about us is true and ask Him to constantly fill us with His love and make us able to receive it.
Among Thorns: Other seeds fell among thorns. Some thorns are the cares of the world—sickness, disease, financial hardship, relationship trouble, circumstances, etc. Other thorns are riches, pleasures of this life—things that distract us. These things pull our attention away from growing. They outgrow us quickly, become taller than us, and consume all the light, so that we are stifled out, and get no light.
If you have ever grown plants, you will know that they always grow toward the light. If you turn a houseplant away from the window, its leaves will reach toward the window. However, say that a plant was surrounded by thorns and so focused on the fact that there where thorns, that it does not grow towards the light. This is how a plant dies from lack of light, and this is how our spirits get choked out from the cares of the Lord. Want is our focus on? Is it on the thorns or the light?
We have to focus on the light rather than on the things that are choking us. Paul said that when we behold God, we become more like Him (II Cor. 3:18). We must focus on Jesus and what He is capable of doing, rather than on everything surrounding us and what they are capable of doing.
James 1 talks about how the testing of our faith produces patience, which when patience is perfected, it makes us perfect or complete, lacking nothing. Being perfect here means mature. The Lord allows testing to produce a fruit of the spirit in us called patience, which brings us into maturity.
However, many times, we allow that testing to choke us out and keep us from bringing any fruit to maturity (Js 1, Lk 8:14). Jesus said that anyone who abides in Him, must bear fruit or it will be cut off and thrown in the fire (Jn 15). We must not only have a deep root, and grow tall, but we must bear fruit.
In Good Soil: Finally, the seed falls on good soil. These are those who hear the word, keep it, and bear fruit with patience. They hear the word, receive it, cultivate the ground, and grow towards the light. They keep the Word, which means they hear His word and obey it. They are ones who abide in His love, and because they love Him, they obey His commands (Jn 15: 9-10, 14).
Those who cultivate good soil bear fruit. Jesus said we must bear fruit (Jn 15). However, we cannot bear fruit by our own strength—that would be works of the Law or works of the flesh, but we must bear fruits of the SPIRIT. We cannot grow this fruit without abiding in the Spirit and allowing Him to prune us, and produce these fruits in us.
This includes coming against things that keep us from believing in His love, which damages our root. This process of bearing fruit includes focusing on the Light—Jesus, rather than the thorns surrounding us. It says those with good soil, bear fruit with patience. They allow the testing of their faith to produce patience, and the patience to bring them into maturity.
Ultimately, this parable is not about different types of people, but about different experiences of discipleship as we grow in the Lord. We go through each process many times in all areas of our lives.
After Jesus told this parable, He said, “He who has an ear, let Him hear!” The Lord is speaking to us through this parable, and it is especially important for the time we live in as the wheat and tares are being brought up into maturity and the harvest is made ready. The Lord will return soon for a Bride who has been brought into maturity, and we must take heed, so that we do not allow the things of the world to keep us from bearing fruit that will last for an eternity.
“Lord, help us to cultivate good soil. Help us to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Strengthen us with might in the inner man that we may know the love of Christ that passes all knowledge. Help us to abide in your love. Guard us and deliver us from the evil one. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen”
Love,
Amanda
Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved
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