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What Kind Of Soil Are You - Matthew 13
What Kind Of Soil Are You - Matthew 13
One of the best-known parables of Jesus is the parable of the sower. I prefer to refer to this as the parable of the soils. Jesus has come and created quite a stir among the people. His popularity has grown rapidly, but many have rejected him.
There was a division among the people over what to conclude concerning Him:
“So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him” (John 7:43).
“Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, "This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." But others were saying, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And there was a division among them” (John 9:16).
“A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words” (John 10:19).
They all had the same evidence, but they were drawing different conclusions. Why didn’t everyone that saw or heard Him become a faithful disciple? Here is Jesus’ answer! Their reaction shows us what kind of ‘soil they are’. One sower, one kind of seed, different results. It was the ones with ‘good and honest hearts’ that brought forth fruit, and even here, there were different amounts of fruit that were produced!
Here, the soil is simply the hearts of men. Our response to the gospel is evidence of what kind of heart we have towards God. The good news, we can change! Ezra ‘prepared his heart’. Our hearts can be softened as we come face to face with God and His message of redemption. We can be pricked in our hearts concerning the death of Jesus. BUT, the same message can also harden our hearts until we are not only unresponsive to God but have become outright enemies.
“Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). How is YOUR heart condition? What kind of soil are you?
Hugh DeLong
