Four Responses to the Message of the Gospel Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15 The Purpose & The Meaning of the Parable. The Hard soil =This is the rejecting heart! This soil belongs to the hardest-hearted hearers like the scribes and Pharisees. They immediately reject the teaching of Jesus. There is no initial acceptance—only hard-hearted opposition. The Shallow Soil = This is the Superficial Heart Some in the crowd have shallow hearts with “no root in themselves” (v 17). They receive the word joyfully but not deeply (v 16). This shallow reception of the word means that they “endure for a while” (v 17), but when trials come, they fall away and stop following Jesus. The Weed-Infested Soil = This is the Unfruitful Heart Others have crowded hearts. Their hearts are full of “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things” (v 19). These things choke the word, and these hearers do not become followers of Christ. An idolatrous heart will strangle the word and choke it to death. This is a warning against worldliness. The Good Soil = This is the Infinite Power of the Word of God in the Obedient Heart The disciples are different. The word will win over the things of this world in the hearts of true followers of Christ. The language changes here to a present tense conveying a continuous process: it could be translated “the ones who are hearing the word, accepting the word, and bearing fruit” (v 20). These three things basically define what a disciple is. “Jesus is not interested in big religious crowds. He already had one, and it crucified Him. He wants fully-devoted disciples, few they be.” Dr. Steve Lawson Application:
- Which soil are you? Is your heart ready to receive the Word? It is the gospel of Jesus Christ alone that supernaturally give us eyes to see and ears to hear what God has said! John 3:1-21
- Recognize that the Lord will have a people, but it will not always be the masses that truly follow him. Don’t be discouraged in sharing the gospel, Jesus gives us assurance that some will believe and follow him until the end. Our confidence is in the Lord and the life transforming gospel of His Son. Our job is to remain faithful to sow (share) the good seed (gospel). 2 Tim. 4:1-2