We are back looking at the parable of the soils that Jesus taught to the large crowd that is following Him. In this study we will be looking at the explanation of this parable since we learned that Jesus told this in such a way that the people would not have understood the application to what He was saying. We learned at the end of our last study that the disciples of Jesus come to Him with the question of what this parable means. To them it was confusing but this is where we see the importance of being in constant communication with God so we can have clarification. For them, they had Jesus to tell them directly but for us we have the Holy Spirit to guide us through the written Word of God found in the 66 books of the Bible.
In this study we will look at the four different soils mentioned and focus also on the last soil that produces crop. I thought originally I could have got the parable and the explanation into one study but there was to much to cover so we will dive deep into these 4 soils that represent 4 different people that are in 2 different groups. Before we get into these soils let’s look at what Jesus says to start the explanation in Luke 8:11 that says Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.
To understand the parable we must understand that the seed is always the Word of God and the sower is the one sharing the Gospel or the Word of God. That will help us as we look at each of these moving forward.
Let’s look now at our first point for this study.
1.The hard soil.
Look with me at Luke 8:12 that says And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. This being the first of the soils is not meant to be more damning than the other soils but is mentioned in an order that shows how different people respond to the Word of God. I do believe we see with this first soil, a hardness that is not interested at all in what they hear. I think we see clearly that this talk of salvation, of a God that sent His only Son to die for those that will believe, of eternal life and eternal damnation seems like a story and not reality. These people do not look intently into what they hear but rejects the word immediately. In fact that is the way this happens as we put together the other Gospel accounts of this explanation.
Matthew 13:19 says When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The key in Matthew’s account is seen in the fact that these people do not understand the Word. Notice it is not that the sower did not explain well enough to these people but that they did not understand. There was no comprehension to what was said because in our natural state we can not understand the things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says But a natural man does not accept the depths of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually examined.
All of us in our natural state cannot understand the things of God without God first giving to us the ability to understand. It is not because of our intellect or because we make the effort to understand but only because God has given this ability to us. In fact just a couple verses before this we see in 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 that says Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the depths graciously given to us by God, 13 of which depths we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual depths with spiritual words.
As we grow spiritually after salvation we engage in study and learning but it is only God that gives to us this ability before we ever could understand or believe. These people represented by the hard soil never gave what they heard a second thought and therefore our text says in Luke 8:12b then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.
They have refused to listen and therefore they continue on the path of unbelief. This is where we all were at once, in fact Ephesians 2:1-2 says And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
Also 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
These people that are found along the hardened path have been blinded and will remain in that state unless God gives to them the understanding they need to be saved. This leads us to look at the second soil in our next point.
2.The rocky soil.
Look with me at Luke 8:13 that says And those on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, and these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. Once again the focus is not on the sower or the seed but on the soil. This soil is rocky where there may have been some sense of the seed making to a place that will not be blown away immediately like that of the hard path. The hard path showed us that there was no protection at all from it being blown away or taken from them but here we see that there seems to be something that keeps these people around for a little while. In fact we see that these people hear the word, receive the word with joy and yet there still seems to be nothing that will produce the crop that is expected. Matthew and Mark both say that these people receive the word with joy immediately. They do not waste anytime looking into what comes along with following this path, they do not count the cost or look at the fact that hardships may come but only receive it.
The receiving of the word does not indicate that these people are saved or true Christians. To receive is that they did not reject it. They were open to all the blessings of this salvation but did not understand that salvation was more than just some belief. Our text says that they only believe for a while. This is not an attribute of a true Christian but rather of someone like Judas that looked as if he was involved, looked as if he was ready to follow no matter the cost but fell away in time of temptation. 1 John 2:19 says They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they were of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be manifested that they all are not of us.
True Christians will be looked at as those that Hebrews 10:39 talks about that says But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.
Temptation, persecution and suffering shows the real you. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
These on the rocky soil have no root because they were only in this for the superficial things that brought about blessing instead of following no matter the cost. This leads us to look at the 3rd soil now in our next point.
3.The thorny soil.
Look with me at Luke 8:14 that says And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of life, and do not bear ripe fruit. These people hear the word and may have only some attachment but never want to leave the worldly lifestyle they have been living. The key in this is noticing that they may hear the word but they ultimately go their own way. It is the way they decide to follow with a sense of attachment but not a connection to the root. Their constant worldly and fleshly lifestyle shows that they are those that have never truly followed. 1 John 2:15-17 says Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 says But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evils, and some by aspiring to it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
These people live for their own sensual and material happiness. They have never truly followed our Lord and therefore they are seen as those that do not bear ripe fruit.
Jesus says in Matthew 7:17-19 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Jesus again says in John 15:6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
If you live your life only doing what you want but hoping God will bless you in all you want then this is the category you are in. The truth is that you could be in all 3 of these categories because they are all pictures of unbelievers. Some people may find themselves in all 3 of these but there is only one group that represents true Christians and that is what we will look at now in our last point.
4.The good soil.
Look with me at Luke 8:15 that says But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance. These people have not found some favor with God because of their own goodness in their heart. They have not reached the pinnacle of all goodness to receive this word because we know from Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else, And is desperately sick; Who can know it?
These people have heard the word and received it therefore their life is now and forever proof of that. They are attached to the vine that produces the fruit they they are supposed to. Jesus says in John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
These are those that produce the good fruit that comes only from a work of God in the heart. The proof of the work of God is that they remain or as our text says they bear fruit with perseverance. The Greek word for perseverance is hupomoné (hoop-om-on-ay’) which means to remain under or to patiently endure. We as Christians do not walk away from trying to understand more of the Word of God, we do not lose the joy of our salvation when persecution, trials or suffering comes our way nor do we allow the enticement of the world to pull us away. There may be times we find ourselves falling into these but never do we walk away and deny the faith. We persevere because of the fruit that God has given to us by His Holy Spirit.
I do want to point out before we close this study that in Matthew and Mark’s account that we see that Jesus says at the end of this explanation that the ones on the good soil bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
This shows us an amazing return on the seed that was sown. It is that some people will produce more than others because of the ability given to them but also because of their effort to produce. If you spend less time with the worries of the world and more time trying to please God then He will bless you in that. The distinction shows us that some people will produce more than others but for a fact all Christians will be producing the fruit that God has given to us. As we do this we will produce more and more fruit as we turn from our sin and follow the path that God has given to us to follow.
Disciple's Direction 