HT graphic: gbcdecatur.org
That’s a question that Ligonier.org – The teaching fellowship of R.C. Sproul answers in a video presentation. There is also a transcript to read.
Excerpt:
He actually answers that question Himself, or gives one answer to it, when He tells the parable of the sower and the soils and His disciples don’t get it. They come to Him and say, “What was that all about?” and He explains it to them.He says, “I’m giving these explanations to you because you’re my disciples. But one of the reasons I tell these parables is because when I tell the parables it actually makes clear whether people really grasp the meaning of the kingdom or not.” (See Matthew 13:11-17, Mark 4:10-12, or Luke 8:9-10.)
I don’t know if it’s said so often these days, but there was a time when people constantly said to ministers, “You should tell more stories like Jesus so that we can understand.” But Jesus didn’t tell these parables so much so that people would understand. They were really test cases of whether they understood the gospel that He preached in other words. When you think about it, that’s the case.
The Parable of the Sower is the gateway to all of the parables of Jesus.
This explains why people can be at different levels of belief in their lifetimes. It explains why people can “fall away” from faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible is an honest book, telling us the truth about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, while also informing us about the sins, errors and failings of mankind.
Personally, I have gone through several “crises of faith” in my 64 years on this earth. A person who once loved (the agape kind in Christ, no less!) my husband and I made a sudden and devastating decision to abandon us. Why? Over a simple argument that could have easily been resolved. In addition, he also rejected any family members, friends, acquaintances that he perceived as “siding” with us. This occurred over a year ago, but when it first happened I cried day and night for three months. I thought, how could this person do such a drastic, painful and heartless thing? Where is the forgiveness? Where is the reconciliation? I asked and prayed, “God? Where are you in this?” Now, I realize that it is a situation that needs to be resolved in the life of this person. We are just the “collateral damage,” so to speak. If this person is supposed to be a true Christian, then why this rejection, even after apologizing and asking for forgiveness?
Apparently, a person can reject those that he used to love unconditionally; and be totally indifferent about it.
Last Christmas, the pastor mentioned to pray for those who are in estrangement situations. Much weeping and sniffling could be heard from the congregation. I never knew how prevalent the act of disowning family members was until I did some research on it. Rejection hurts – terribly! But with faith and love in Jesus Christ, we can overcome. Why? Because He has “overcome the world” through His death and resurrection to life! In eternity, there will be no tears, pain, hate, indifference, warfare, sin, or rejection. Why? Because the imperfect world we live in now will be gone, and a new life of love, peace, joy and worship of God will replace all of those negative and painful things that we endure while on this earth! That is why the lovely list (love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, goodness) in “the fruit of the Spirit” also contains the term longsuffering.
As Jesus told us in Scripture, there will be those who will reject Him – and the Gospel. Then, why would we ever expect to never be rejected by people who have obviously been negatively convinced against us? I really don’t know how this person can live with himself. It’s very sad. However, people make bad choices all the time and then need to live with possible regret and future consequences.
Moving on with this post.
One of the more popular posts here at this blog is entitled, The Importance of the Parable of the Wheat and Tares.
Within that post, we also read about the Parable of the Sower:
Jesus told us that there will be those who will reject the Gospel in the Parable of the Sower
Mat 13:18
“Therefore hear the parable of the sower:
Mat 13:19
“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
Mat 13:20
“But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
Mat 13:21
“yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
Mat 13:22
“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
Mat 13:23
“But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
As Christian evangelists, we are to “plant the seed” through spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God does the rest! The verses in Matthew reveal the many ways that a person who hears the Gospel either “goes by the wayside,” or, “receives it with joy but only endures for while and then stumbles because of persecution,” or, “allows the word to be choked out because of the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches.” All of these can cause a person to become unfruitful.
We may inquire further to discover what Jesus meant when he stated (in Matthew 13:23) “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it.”
David Guzik has a good commentary about that verse:
d. Good ground: As seed falling on good ground brings a good crop of grain (Matthew 13:8), so some respond rightly to the word and bear much fruit.
i. This soil represents those who receive the word, and it bears fruit in their soil – in differing proportions (some hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty), though each has a generous harvest.
e. Therefore, hear the parable of the sower: We benefit from seeing bits of ourselves in all four soils.
– Like the wayside, sometimes we allow the word no room at all in our lives. – Like the stony places, we sometimes have flashes of enthusiasm in receiving the word that quickly burn out. – Like the soil among thorns, the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are constantly threatening to choke out God’s word and our fruitfulness. – Like the good ground, the word bears fruit in our lives.i. We notice that the difference in each category was with the soil itself. The same seed was cast by the same sower. You could not blame the differences in results on the sower or on the seed, but only on the soil. “O my dear hearers, you undergo a test today! Peradventure you will be judging the preacher, but a greater than the preacher will be judging you, for the Word itself shall judge you.” (Spurgeon)
Guzik goes on to reveal another aspect of this parable, and it has to do with “good soil” and ultimately asking ourselves, “what kind of soil am I?”
ii. The parable was also an encouragement to the disciples. Even though it might seem that few respond, God is in control and the harvest will certainly come. This was especially meaningful in light of the rising opposition to Jesus. “Not all will respond, but there will be some who do, and the harvest will be rich.” (France)
iii. “Who knoweth, O teacher, when thou labourest even among the infants, what the result of thy teaching may be? Good corn may grow in very small fields.” (Spurgeon)
iv. Even more than describing the mixed progress of the gospel message, the parable of the sower compels the listener to ask, “What kind of soil am I?”
The Ligonier essay continues:
Think about the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14). We all know what the answer is to the question “Which man went down justified?” but that’s only because we don’t really grasp the parable. Nobody listening to Jesus thought it would be the tax collector who went away from the temple justified.
I sometimes say to people, “Just think about these two men. You’re an evangelical Christian. Which of these two are you more like? Don’t you say to God, ‘I thank you that I’m not like other men’; ‘I thank you that you’ve helped me to discipline my life’; ‘I thank you that you’ve helped me to give away money rather than hoard money’? When you begin to think of those things, actually you sound more like the Pharisee.” And that’s very, very uncomfortable: to discover that, even though you trust in Christ, there’s a Pharisee deep down inside you.
Jesus tells these parables to probe inside us to see whether we really understand the gospel and whether the gospel is really beginning to transform our lives.
They’re not just stories. They’re weapons in spiritual warfare.
Hat tip: Ligonier.org
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