The Parable of the Soils
Text: Mark 4:1-20
Core Idea: Jesus is the ultimate seed that came to be buried in order to bore the fruit of life for us. Then what kind of soil is your heart – the hardened, indifferent heart; the rocky, shallow heart; the thorny, divided heart; or the good, humble heart?
INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon, Lighthouse. Hope you’re all doing well. If you didn’t know, the season of Lent will begin this coming Wednesday. For those of you who may not be familiar with this, Lent is when Christians take 40 weekdays (Sundays are excluded since it’s already the Lord’s Day) prior to Easter to prepare our hearts to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Like Advent, Lent is not biblically mandated for us to observe. Then why do I mention this? Because though it may not be an obligation, it’s a great opportunity for us to slow down from our busyness and remember, go deeper, cherish, and live out the gospel truth in our lives. It’s true that people often fast during Lent – and you should. But remember that the act of fasting itself is never the goal; fasting is just a means to getting more of Jesus in our lives, to enrich our enjoyment for Him. So, if you want to take this season of Lent to prepare yourself for Easter, whatever you do (whether it’s fasting from food, media, reading the Bible, a Christian book, a devotional, praying, or journaling), I pray that it will intensify your longing for Christ and deepen your love for Him.
Well, we’re continuing our journey through the Gospel of Mark. Last week, we saw that there were three groups of people who were trying to make sense of who Jesus was – and how their understanding, or rather misunderstanding, of Jesus affected how they treated Him. They all saw and heard the same things, but the crowd thought that Jesus was a miracle-worker, so, they pursued Him for their personal gain; Jesus’ own family thought that He was a lunatic, so, they tried to “save” Him from further damaging His own reputation; the religious leaders thought that Jesus was an evil liar, so they began to plot ways to kill Him; but there were also the disciples, who believed that Jesus was the Lord of the universe, the Savior King, which is why they left everything and followed Him. Then we can’t help but to ask, “Why do people perceive Jesus so differently? Why such varied responses to Jesus?” Jesus will answer that question through the parable that we’re about to read. So, if you have your Bible, please turn to Mark 4:1-20 – and let’s hear what Jesus has to say to us. Let me read this for us.
1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around Him was so large that He got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in His teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” 9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” 10 When He was alone, the Twelve and the others around Him asked Him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” 13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Let me share three things from this passage:
PARABLES
THE SOILS
THE SOWER AND THE SEED
1) PARABLES
In verse 2, Mark tells us that Jesus began to teach the crowd many things by parables. Now, what’s a parable? A well-known definition goes something like this: “earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.” And this is true – Jesus used simple everyday objects, events, and circumstances to illustrate spiritual truths. Then why did Jesus use parables in His teaching? Was it to help them understand better? Partially. Jesus Himself shares two reasons why He spoke in parables in verses 11-12. First, it was to reveal and clarify the secret of the Kingdom of God to those who were willing to listen. This is why He says in verse 11, “The secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you.” The gospel truth was not something that they could’ve naturally figured out; it was something that had to be made known by God – but He was basically saying, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find the secret of the Kingdom of God.” But at the same time, it was to conceal and obscure the secret of the Kingdom of God from those who refused to listen. Jesus says in verse 11, “But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’” Now, these verses might have stumbled some of you because it honestly sounds like Jesus was saying, “I don’t want some people to be forgiven; so, I’ll intentionally confuse them more.” Now, this obviously can’t be true – and we know this because Jesus specifically said in Mark 2:17, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” He’s the Great Physician who wants to bring healing and life to all sinners. He literally spent hours teaching and ministering to those in need to the point that He didn’t even have the time to eat. If we look at His life, it’s impossible to come to that conclusion because He really was the embodiment of love and compassion.
Then what does He mean? To understand this better, we need to see that Jesus was quoting Isaiah 6. Here, God was sending Isaiah to preach the Word to the Israelites. But He was also warning Isaiah that these people will not listen because their hearts have become hardened already – and that this will come back to them as a curse against them. So, in using this, Jesus was explaining why some people were rejecting Him and how this will ultimately cause them to be blinded from seeing the truth. There’s this element of judgment here: “If you really don’t want to hear what I have to say, then so be it. You’ll never perceive and never understand.” Then it could be helpful to take verse 12 to mean something like this: “They may see the miracles, but they will never perceive what those miracles say about Me. They may hear My teaching, but they’ll never understand the implications of these truths, all because their hearts are hardened – because if their hearts were soft, they would turn and be forgiven – but they’re not, which is why they will never turn and be forgiven.” Does that make sense? Charles Spurgeon said, “The same sun which melts wax hardens clay. And the same gospel which melts some persons to repentance hardens others in their sins.” Parables will make those who get it even more hopeful and happier while making those who don’t get it apathetic to the truth or even more upset with Jesus.
Now, you may be wondering, “Why do some people hear while others refuse to listen? Why did the disciples understand and believe while so many others didn’t?” The answer can be two-fold. First, insight into truth is purely a gift of the Holy Spirit. Why do we see forgiveness in the cross when many others see foolishness in the cross? Is it because we’re somehow better, wiser, humbler, or more religious? Of course not. No matter how smart, wise, insightful we are, we can’t understand without God’s help. And we see this in Matthew 16, where Peter makes his famous confession in response to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say I am?” (Matt. 16:15). Peter said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Now, Jesus didn’t say, “Good job, Peter. I knew you would get it because you’re smarter than others.” No, He said this in verse 17, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” You see, sin makes our hearts so naturally dull and blinded that we can’t see and understand spiritual truth without God’s help. In other words, it’s truly a miracle that you and I can sit here and be blessed by the Word, to be nourished by the Word, to be amazed, moved, humbled, and encouraged by the Word. Do you see this? And it’s this miracle that we want to continue to see in our community – that God would open more people’s hearts so that more will see the beauty of Jesus Christ and His Word.
But there’s another reason why some people get it, and some don’t: insight into truth is a matter of the heart. The condition of our hearts ultimately helps or keeps us from perceiving and understanding the truth, which is why the primary question that Jesus will pose through this parable is, “Do you have ears to hear what I have to say? Do you have the heart to receive My Word?” This really is the main point of this parable. Then before we dive into the parable, if you’re not yet a Christian, can I ask you, “Are you willing to let Jesus tell you who He is? Or do you have a preconceived notion of who Jesus is and what He taught?” Christians, let me ask you, “Do you have ears to hear? Are you open to the possibility that following Jesus actually demands all of your life and not just the parts that you’re giving to Him now – that it actually requires a reconfiguration of every single area of your life? Are you ready to do that? Are you truly paying attention to what Jesus is saying or would you rather just hear what you want to hear?” I pray that we’ll have ears to hear His truth because this is the key to understanding the parables.
2) THE SOIL
Through this parable, Jesus will teach us how insight into truth is a matter of the heart. And in this parable, you’ll see four different kinds of listeners represented by four different types of soil. For the sake of time, we’ll dive right into Jesus’ explanation of the parable in verses 14-20. So, let’s go through them one by one.
First, it’s the indifferent heart. Back in Jesus’ days, there were little pathways throughout the field where the farmers could walk down and throw the seed from side to side – and inevitably, some of the seeds would land on this little path that became hard over time. Not surprisingly, these seeds would just bounce right off – remaining right on the surface, which would then be quickly taken away by the birds. Here’s a heart that has been so hardened with unbelief that it became blinded to the life that’s offered in Jesus Christ. Now, our hearts can be indifferent in a number of different ways but let me just share one example. They could be indifferent because they’re just not interested in hearing from God – they see the Word as irrelevant. It feels like a waste of time. You treat it like those door-to-door sales. It happens quite often in my neighborhood – when the bell rings, I open the door, and when I realize that he/she’s here to sell something, the first thing on my mind is, “When would be the right time to say, ‘I don’t need it,’ so I can send them away without sounding rude?” So, I’m listening but I’m not really listening – I’m just ready to go back to whatever I was doing before. But this is how these hardened hearts respond to the Word. They don’t see the point and they don’t feel the need for it. Now, this might be hard to hear but Jesus tells us that this hardened heart gets harder because Satan quickly takes the Word away. Do you know what this means? It means that every time the Word is preached or taught, every time it’s proclaimed or shared, we’re engaging in spiritual warfare. Satan hates that you’re listening to the Word. He hates when the gospel is presented. He doesn’t want the Word to sink in. Then brothers and sisters, knowing this, do you come to church on Sunday prepared for this war in your heart? This is why it’s so important that you pray for me that I would preach the gospel clearly and faithfully, but also for yourselves and others here that we would not just hear but hear – perceive and understand the truth. Then here are some questions you could ask to assess your own heart: “Are there areas of my life where I’ve stopped growing and bearing good fruit? Are there areas of my life that haven’t been transformed by the Word in a while?”
Second, it’s the shallow heart. Unlike the first, the seed makes a way into the soil, and something starts to grow a little but because it has no depth, it withers as quickly as it sprung up. The effectiveness of the Word is suppressed because trouble or persecution comes. In the story, isn’t it really ironic that the plant dies from the sun – the very thing that they need to grow? You see, it was scorching because the roots weren’t deep enough to contain the water they needed in those moments to turn that sunlight into growth. In the same way, God could use trouble or persecution to strengthen our faith, but because our faith is so shallow that we quickly give up even before it can be strengthened. George Whitfield, who used to preach to thousands in the 1700s, was often asked, “How many were saved from the last meeting?” to which he replied, “We’ll see in a few years.” Now, he wasn’t saying that they had to somehow do something the next few years to complete the process; but it was because he knew that it took time to show the true nature of salvation. In other words, we must recognize that the litmus test for the receptivity of the Word is not spontaneous joy but the hardship of life and the persecution that may come as a result of our faith. Friends, we will face trials and troubles in this life because our world is sinful and broken but know that God can and will use them to sanctify us. Then ask yourself, “When troubles and trials come, do I turn to the Word – the gospel truths? When it’s hard, do I trust and cling to Christ or do I find myself drifting away from the Lord?”
Third, it’s the divided heart. We now see the seed going deeper. It’s not just on the surface or just a few inches in – it goes deep enough that there’s potential for real fruit. But we see that the seed only goes as deep as the thorns. So, though it goes deep, the roots are still competing for nutrients with other things in the soil, which ultimately causes the plant to choke. This is a heart that becomes overcrowded with competing loves – distracted and dominated by what you want, what you have, and what the world says is most important. Jesus names two thorns in particular in verse 19. First, the worries of life. You know, many of us have been blessed by mission trips, conferences, or retreats. We feel refreshed and renewed – ready to live for the Lord. But that passion doesn’t seem to last long when we come home. Why? Because things like mission trips or retreats require us to clear our schedule to do them. You set aside the pressing details of life which gives you the mental, physical, spiritual space to actually reflect, pray, worship, and have meaningful conversations with other believers. But when it’s over, you come right back to face the worries of life which often drains that life and passion out of us. For most of us, it’s not heresy or intense persecution that will derail us from our faith journey; it’s all the worries of life – all the worries of parenting, marriage, romantic relationships, friendships; all the worries of money issues (rent, paying the bills, thinking about the money that went out unexpectedly this month); all the worries from your job or school (the deadlines, the board meeting, appeasing your manager or your clients, office politics) – these things and more continue to consume us. And if we don’t set aside time for rest and quiet time with God to recalibrate ourselves back to Him, the thorns will choke out the Word in our lives. The second thorn is the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things. Wealth is deceitful because it doesn’t last, it doesn’t give us security though it promises these things – and it will ultimately cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus. Again, there’s nothing wrong with desiring things but if it drives and occupies our hearts all the time, it will crowd out the Word because we’re no longer seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). We must remember that a thorn does not choke suddenly, but gradually, almost unknowingly – and in the same way, our desire for money and things could slowly but surely destroy our hearts. Then ask yourself, “What’s occupying my heart and mind the most these days? What’s gripping my heart in an unhealthy way that it’s crowding out the Word and my time with God?”
Lastly, it’s the humble heart. What makes this heart a good soil? It doesn’t just hear the Word; it hears the Word – it perceives and understands the Word. And this hearing leads to accepting the Word which means that you embrace the Word, and you begin to place your trust in the Word – wrestling and working out the implications. And this accepting leads to production of crops. In other words, it’s fruitful which means that you now begin to live it out and obey. You apply it in your life. I want you to note that Jesus doesn’t say that the good soil doesn’t have rocks or thorns – it just says it bears fruit. Life will continue to weigh us down; but friends, we can and we will bear fruit by His grace. He will give us strength to persevere. So, ask yourself, “What does it mean to grow deeper in love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23)? How can I bear fruit of the Word at work, at home, at school? What does it mean to bear fruit in the situation I’m in?”
Then in light of these four soils, let me ask you, “What heart do you bring to the hearing of God’s Word today?”
3) THE SOWER AND THE SEED
We’ve been focusing on the soils – but I want to spend the rest of this time thinking about the Sower and the seed. First, the Sower is gracious. Here in this parable, we see the farmer almost aimlessly, recklessly scattering the seeds, which is why they’re landing on all sorts of soils. But this actually shows His grace because He doesn’t pick and choose where He plants the Word. He plants the seed everywhere knowing that one day, bad soil can become good. Some of you may feel like you belong to the first three soils. Or some of you are thinking of others who are like the first three soils. You’ve been praying for them, sharing the gospel with them but you’ve been wondering, “Will they ever humble themselves? Will they ever respond in faith?” and you’re ready to give up. If this is you, I believe that this passage is here to give you hope. It tells us that God will continue to scatter the seed, which means that we must do the same. In other words, God hasn’t given up and we shouldn’t as well. Who knows? Maybe they’ll be like Paul, who was so hardened in his heart that he was persecuting Christians until Jesus met him, and his life radically changed. Or they’ll be like Peter, who denied Jesus three times yet instead of punishment, he received healing and restoration. We just never know when God can change their hearts, bring out life, and make them fruitful. So, let us keep sowing the seed because that’s what our Sower is doing.
Second, the seed. Jesus shares that the seed represents the Word of God. But I want to show you something more. Notice that every single soil is somebody’s response to Jesus. The first soil is the religious leaders – they reject Him. The second soil is the crowd – they’re happy with Him as long as He’s doing miracles. The third soil is His family – they’re very upset that they’re losing face because of what He was doing. In other words, the parable of the Sower is not just about how people respond to the Word, but how people respond to Jesus, which means that the seed is not only the gospel truths but Jesus Himself. This isn’t so surprising because of John 1:1-4, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” Jesus is the Word in flesh. This means that Jesus came as the ultimate seed. John 12:24 says, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” And that’s what He did. Jesus didn’t just come sowing the Word, Jesus came sowing Himself. He allowed Himself to be crucified and to be buried in the soil. And then He bore fruit three days later because death could not stop the power and the plan of God. Jesus rose from the grave, resurrected so that you and I could have eternal life, and be made new. Friends, do you know this Jesus? If not, receive Him today. He’s here for you. But if you already do know Him, go deeper with Him – continue to work out what it means to do life with Him as He strengthens you with His grace.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Jesus is the ultimate seed that came to be buried in order to bore the fruit of life for us. Then what kind of soil is your heart – the hardened, indifferent heart; the rocky, shallow heart; the thorny, divided heart; or the good, humble heart? We can only bear fruit when the seed goes deep into our hearts – only when we hear it, accept it, and live it out. Then may we receive the gospel truths with joy and meditate on it so that we may bear the fruit of life in our hearts.
sermon questions
Which soil best represents your heart today? Or what type of heart condition do you struggle with the most often?
We all want to see Jesus rightly and be humble hearers of the Word. Then what can we do to prepare our hearts for God to make them soft and more receptive? How can we help those in our community to do the same – to help them to have ears to hear?
How does this parable encourage us to continue sowing the seed of the gospel even when we are discouraged?