I’ve read the parable of the sower several times, but it was only recently I read it from a different perspective. And a few questions on my mind are: was it the fault of the seeds or the ground that things turned out the way they did, especially when neither had an active participation in the planting, germination, or production of fruit. Then I wondered what other lessons we might learn from this parable. I would like to suggest the sower be held responsible. What do you think?
Is Jesus calling our attention as ministers of the gospel to what we might do or not do that’s leaving a massive impact on our service for the kingdom? Was the seed sown at different time points, as a farmland tilled and ready could not have different soil types? Everyone wants to be the seeds on the good ground yielding thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold but it was neither the seed nor the ground that made this happen, but an intentional sower doing the right things to yield a bountiful harvest. Is the church responsible for the spiritual climate in our nation?
The sower sows the word. The seed is the word of God, but what version of the gospel are we sharing as we gladly scatter for the Lord? We have all seen the varied versions of the church when people have preached varied versions of the gospel. Maybe this explains why two people could sit listening to the same sermon, but after, one follows the Lord wholeheartedly while the other cares less about God’s purpose for them. Why are some churches focused on evangelism, discipleship, and living for Jesus, while some others are fine with the barest minimum?
The crux of the matter is whether we are bearing fruit. Few people are interested in what goes on behind the scenes in getting the farm tilled, tending to the weeds, the sleepless nights spent resolving one issue or the other; everyone’s anxiously waiting for the harvest. If the people we have led to Christ are not following Him wholeheartedly, if they are making no effort to share the gospel with others, if their lives are a poor example and doesn’t reflect Christ, if pleasing and living for Jesus isn’t their utmost priority, if they are only concerned about chasing what’s temporal and fading, we must ask ourselves if we have been good ‘sowers’ or not.
For the seeds planted by the wayside, it wasn’t quite about the location that was the key problem but the proximity of the enemy to the seeds that were sown. The primary aim of the enemy is to steal, kill, and destroy. While God is building, the enemy is close by to uproot and destroy. We must not be ignorant of the devices of the enemy. As we share our faith with friends and colleagues or host outreaches in several communities, we must fervently and consistently pray for our plans and for those who will be reached.
Much prayer is needed as we beg God to preserve all those who have been reached with the gospel, to drown out the lies of the enemy in the hearts of those who hear the gospel, to surround these with godly influence which will encourage and challenge them to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, that the fear of God will enable people to take the next step to repent and return to the Lord, that sin will become unattractive and that many will be convicted of sin, righteousness and judgement. Sadly, many are zealous to preach the gospel but have not spent time on their knees.
It’s interesting that they all ‘heard’ the word. As we share the gospel, let’s pray that people will hear God’s voice calling them back from the brink of death and destruction. We don’t want people to hear just our voices, our arguments and theological debates or how eloquent we are; none of these will draw anyone to the cross. Let’s ensure we are sharing the whole gospel and not motivational or inspirational speeches, leaving people more confused than before we met them. Faith comes by hearing the word of God.
It’s interesting to note the immediacy of the stealing of the word by the enemy; he doesn’t leave any time for the word to take root. It’s not enough to pray only before you share the gospel, but even while you’re at it and must continue to pray long after the conversation has ended. The enemy’s tactics are several and varied. Sometimes it might be a distraction; people may hear what you say but they aren’t actually listening to it, or downplaying what is being shared, or doubting, so they don’t believe or displacing the word with other things of lesser priority. We must contend against these and ask God to let His word take root.
Those on the stony ground appear to be excited about the gospel; they may be engaged in a deep conversation, and you might almost believe that they must have decided to follow Jesus. They may have heard the gospel before, or grown up in a godly home, keeping up with the rituals and routines of church attendance and fluent in Christianese. They may have heard a version of the gospel that following Jesus would be a bed of roses or a life of comfort. They are happy to serve God as long as life is convenient or on their terms.
No one learns everything about walking with the Lord on day one but with a continued hunger and thirst after God, spending time in prayer, word study and worship, abiding in Christ, then becoming like Jesus and developing spiritual strength for the journey ahead is how our roots go deep in God. How can we support those who might need to be discipled, to hold their hands as they walk this new path, to continue to cover them in prayer until Christ is formed in them? Can we really blame those who go astray if we’ve not been there for them?
As we share the gospel, let’s remind those who will hear, that following Jesus would involve trials, persecution, and suffering. We can’t wish those away with a magic wand. It has been granted to us on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1.29). The seeds sown on the stony ground had no roots. It didn’t take advantage of the opportunities to lean on the Lord as its firm foundation and when life throws us curved balls and all the props, we’ve leaned on are gone, we’ll need a faith that can withstand tests and trials.
The seeds sown among thorns also ‘heard’ the word. The enemy didn’t steal the word; they might have fared well with trials and persecution, but they seem to be challenged by different issues. The seed planted had begun to grow; there was hope that these would be steadfast in following the Lord, but their walk with the Lord was inconsistent, leaving their growth stunted. Jesus mentions three things that will affect our love for him: abiding in him and bearing fruit. Let’s check our hearts if one or all three are present and ask God to replace them with a genuine love for him.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with pursuing our dreams and ambitions especially while employing the talents and resources God has so generously given but when these take a higher priority over what God desires for us or if they lead us down a different path than God intended, then that’s a problem. Many are so focused and intentional about ‘achieving’ that they have little to no time to spend time with the Lord daily and no time to pursue God’s purpose.
Then, God allows them to achieve certain milestones and the lust for more keeps them in a race against time to achieve even more, as the acquiring and amassing of possession, position and power becomes much more important than seeking the God who gave them all these. The enemy knows our names are written in heaven, but he will continue to do all he can to ensure we are ineffective for the Master’s use. He will keep us busy chasing after what’s temporal and fading instead of laying hold of eternal life. Like he did in the Garden of Eden, he continues to convince us that pursing our selfish ambitions will give us more satisfaction than following the Lord. Beware the barrenness of a busy life.
And as we share the gospel, let’s highlight these subtle dangers that can choke the fruit. Let’s remind our hearers that we are all on a journey home; we brought nothing into this world and would certainly take nothing away. Let’s encourage them to travel light and hold on loosely to everything this world offers. Sadly, many churches suggest we can serve God and mammon, and we can see clearly the result. What is standing in the way of me bearing fruit for Christ?
Lord, we commit the seeds sown each day; may they yield a harvest for eternity, and enable us to be intentional as we share the gospel. Amen.