The Thorns Among the Soil

Why do we always assume we are good soil?

I've probably read the parable of the sower and the soils 100 times and for some reason I always glaze over the first three examples and just assume I'm the fourth; the good soil.

The parable is about this guy that’s planting crops in his field. Back in those days there was a couple of different ways to plant seed but one was to walk through your field scattering seed as you went. Obviously if this was your preferred method there would be seed in a number of different places. Jesus tells us that some of the seed falls beside the road and onto a path, some hits rocky places, some fell in among the thorns and some fell on good soil. After Jesus got done telling the parable his disciples were confused and needed an explanation as to what Jesus was talking about so He breaks it down for them.

Matthew 13:19-23

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; 21yet 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."

What Jesus is describing is 4 different types people and please don't think these people are prehistoric old Jewish people. These are people that you and I come into contact with every day.

The first guy is the person that hears the gospel but doesn't really want anything to do with it. Not because Jesus is necessarily bad, but probably because he doesn't have the time or he thinks the way is too narrow minded. The text says the seed has been sown in his heart but the evil one or the devil comes and snatches it away.

The second guy is the person that hears about Jesus for the first time and is blown away. He's the one that comes to church, gets saved, and he gets involved in everything the church offers. But for some reason he slowly fades back into his old lifestyle. The text says when persecution comes he immediately falls away. The Word of God never quite takes a hold of him and before long he’s back hanging out with his friends and doing his old thing.

The third and forth guys are really the ones I want to focus on because unfortunately I find myself constantly battling between the two. Both of them have the word, but one gets choked by wealth and worry and is unfruitful. What scares me is that if I'm honest with myself it is a constant struggle to fight wealth and worry. Think about it. From the time we are teenagers we are constantly pushed to go to the best schools so we can get the best jobs and live in the nicest houses and travel in luxury when we retire. It's unfortunate but for most people, Christian or not, that is their life.

The sad part is when you really think about the parable Jesus is telling you can picture exactly what He is referring to. You've got two guys that probably go to the same church as well as attend the same Bible studies. They work the same jobs and their families fellowship together. The difference is that one is so caught up in "providing" for his family that he ignores the fact that the Christian life is about so much more than a service once a week.

From the outside looking in the unfruitful guy is just like any other normal guy. He probably has 2.5 kids, lives in a 4 bedroom 3 bath house and drives a nice car. His wife stays home and watches the kids and they vacation 2 weeks out of the year. At the end of the day they are good people. They take care of their kids and they donate a portion of their money to the local church. But the key is that they are too busy with THEIR lives to see the hurts and needs of the people around them. Christianity is so unique in it's love for other people. If we spend our entire lives seeking after our own pleasure and our own well being then we have missed the very essence of what Jesus has given us.

I came across this video the other day and it really help put things in perspective. I saw so much of myself in the video and I realized that if live my life seeking my own desires and ignore the pain and hurt of others then I have become the person Jesus was referring to. The Bible talks over and over and over about living a fruitful life and loving other people. I'm afraid that somewhere along the line the deceitfulness of wealth has clouded my vision for what it means to live a fruitful life.