February 19th

By Randall L. Broad

Read: Leviticus 7:28-9:6; Mark 3:31-4:25; Psalm 37:12-29; Proverbs 10:5

In today's reading we find one of the most popular teachings in the New Testament: the Parable of the Sower. This parable is found in three different gospels (Matthew 13:1-9; Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8) and this is the second time we have encountered it in the New Testament reading this year. The first time was on January 19^th and there may be a post commenting on the significance of this parable and the more common interpretations of its meaning in the years to come. But today my commentary will refer to the Parable of the Sower in a more personal context.

Jesus says in the Gospel of Mark:

³“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. ⁴As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. ⁵Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. ⁸Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Mark 4:3-8

The seed represents the Word of God and the ground represents the heart of the people who hear the gospel. Basically this parable concludes God’s word is always good, but the outcome depends on the heart in the person who hears it. The heart is reflected by the four types of soil found in Palestine: the wayside ground, the rocky ground, the thorny ground, and the good soil.

• The waysides were roads, strips of ground, and paths where any one could walk between cultivated fields.

• The rocky ground was shallow dirt covering limestone rock. It was poor land for farming because it lacked the nutrients and moisture necessary to sustain the seeds.

• The thorny ground was good soil polluted by weeds that would steal the moisture, the light, and the nutrients needed for the good seed to grow.

• The good soil was clean, deep, and had an abundance of moisture and nutrients.

The common perception of the message is that each of these soils represents distinct people: four types of soil, four types of people. The truth of this conclusion is borne out in the explanation given by Jesus and recorded in Mark’s gospel.

¹³Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵Some 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. ¹⁶Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰Others, 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.”

Mark 4:13-20

Language such as ‘some people’ (v. 15), ‘others’ (v. 16), ‘still others’ (v. 18), and ‘others’ (v. 20) suggests the people Jesus is referring too are different and distinct individuals. When our church leaders teach us from this perspective they are indeed teaching what the gospel writers intended this parable to convey.

However today I want to share another–more personal-understanding of this parable. This parable speaks to me as one individual who has been all four types of soil in different seasons of my life. All of us want to think of ourselves as the fertile ground that produces a crop thirty, sixty, or a hundred times more than planted. The truth is a little different. 

When I was a child, the seed was sown on the footpath and I watched the birds carry it away with no knowledge of what was lost.

In my youth, I was shallow soil and the seed sprouted but was soon wilted under the hot sun because I had weak roots.

Two decades ago, the seed fell among the thorns but the world choked out the tender plants and it produced nothing of value.

A decade ago God sowed seed this time on more fertile soil.

Today, I prepare for the harvest. For more than a decade, I have grown daily in my understanding of what was lost on the road, my roots are strong, and God battles the thorns that would challenge my faith. The harvest is bearing new opportunities, new thoughts, and new habits in my life. No matter which person you might think you are in this parable today, understand that it does not have to be about different people, but rather that it can be about you. This parable can be about stages in your life. If you are disappointed in yourself today, take hope knowing that tomorrow you can be something else.

    

Walk with the Lord …

Ephesians 1:17-23

(RLB250219)

© Copyright 2017: Randall L. Broad

Disclaimer: This commentary is written by Randall L. Broad. It is in no way affiliated with or represents any denomination, university, church, or pastor. Any errors or omissions are purely my responsibility.