A young enthusiastic soul-winning preacher came upon an old farmer working in his field. Being concerned about the farmer’s soul, the preacher asked the man, “Are you laboring in the vineyard of the Lord my good man?” Not even looking at the preacher and continuing his work the farmer replied, “Naw, these are soybeans.”
“You don’t understand,” said the preacher. “Are you a Christian?” With the same amount of interest as his previous answer the farmer said, “Nope my name is Jones. You must be looking for Jim Christian. He lives a mile south of here.”
The young determined preacher tried again asking the farmer, “Are you lost?” “Naw! I’ve lived here all my life,” answered the farmer.
“Are you prepared for the resurrection?” the frustrated preacher asked. This caught the farmer’s attention and he asked, “When’s it gonna be?”
Thinking he had accomplished something, the young preacher replied, “It could be today, tomorrow, or the next day.” Taking a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiping his brow, the farmer remarked, “Well, don’t mention it to my wife. She don’t get out much and she’ll wanna go all three days.”
What is the moral of this story? If you want to talk to someone about their soul, you have to speak their language. Have you ever had a conversation with someone who uses a bunch of technical jargon? It’s frustrating! Educators are infamous for this! They say things like, “My PLC is having a meeting with the AOE about student IEP’s.” Medical doctors are also notorious for this. They say things like, “I’m sorry to tell you that you have an acute hematoma in your dorsal lumbar region” rather than just saying “You have a bruise on your back.” And even though I hate to admit it, preachers have a reputation for spouting off theological terms that most people do not understand.
Jesus didn’t use many technical terms in his preaching and teaching. Instead, he preferred to tell parables—short stories from everyday life that illustrate spiritual truths. This is exactly what Jesus does in today’s Bible reading. When he wanted to confront people about the condition of their souls, he told them a story about a farmer.
Now we all know that Jesus wasn’t a farmer. He was a carpenter by trade, but since he was raised in the agricultural village of Nazareth, he knew something about farming. He also knew that most of the crowd following him was farmers from the fertile plains of Galilee. Therefore, he used the parable of the soils to connect with the hearts of the people.
The Sower and the Seed (4-8)
Jesus begins his parable by telling us that a farmer went out to sow his seed. In ancient times, before John Deere, Case International, or your preferred brand of agricultural equipment, farming was done by hand. A farmer may use a team of animals to plow a field, but when it came to planting, his only option was to sling a large sack of seek over his shoulder and walk through the fields and cast the seeds onto the soil with his bare hands. It was a laborious process and its success rate was often challenged by heavy winds. This is why the seed in the parable ends up in four different kinds of soil.
Today it is easy for us to be judgmental against the famer in Jesus’ parable. We may ask, “Why didn’t the farmer just sow his seed in the good soil?” Well, that is a lot easier said than done. For one, it is not always clear which soil is good and which is bad. Secondly, it is almost impossible to hand sow with any accuracy if the wind is blowing.
Have you ever tried to sow seed in the wind? I tried this once with grass seed when I lived at the parsonage. I had a large area of rough land that I wanted to turn into lawn. I pulled the stumps and roots and raked it until it was smooth. When it came time to lay the seed, I decided to sow it by hand rather than buy a spreader. I got a big old bag of grass seed and was ready to go to work. I even thought about Jesus’ parable as I began. I knew that there was a bit of breeze in the air, but I honestly didn’t think it would affect me very much—that is, until I tried to sow my first handful. Just as I threw out a big clump of seed, a gust of wind picked up and blew it right back into my face. Have you ever tried a mouthful of grass seed? Well, let me save you the trouble…it sure doesn’t taste like salted pumpkin seeds.
I quickly learned my lesson and tried casting the seed against the wind, but this time the wind lifted it all the way across my yard into my neighbor’s lawn. This happened a number of times as I tried sowing at different angles and heights. The only way to get the seed to stay on the dirt was to throw it straight down, but that made it cluster too closely. I eventually gave up and waited until the next day when the wind died down. I also went to the hardware store and bought a spreader. It was the best $15 I ever spent!
The Soils of the Soul
This parable is one of the easiest of all of Jesus’ parables for modern readers to understand. That is because after he tells it, he interprets it himself. He tells us that the seed represents the Word of God and therefore, the sower represents anyone who spreads the Word of God and shares it with other people. The four types of soil represent the various ways that that people respond to the Word of God. Let’s take a look at them.
Hard and Indifferent (12)
The soil is hard and indifferent. In verse 8, Jesus said, “Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.” Here Jesus draws on a common experience for farmers in those days, when footpaths were cut through the fields. Inevitably, some of the seed fell along the hard pathway, where it never had a chance to germinate. Before long, it was either trampled by passersby or became easy prey for hungry birds.
The same thing happens when the Word of God falls on the soul of the hardened sinner; it never penetrates the mind, touches the conscience, or affects the heart. It just seems to go in one ear and out the other. Such a heart is not prepared to receive the gospel. This soil describes the hardened atheist who denies believe in God—the stubborn sinner who refuses to repent and give up their wicked ways—the apathetic person who is holding a bitter grudge toward God because he didn’t give them what they want. Does this soil describe your soul? Are you hard and indifferent toward God? (Ryken 359)
Shallow and Superficial (13)
The second soil is shallow and superficial. In verse 13, Jesus said, “Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.” Like New England farmers today, ancient Jewish farmers had to contend with soil that was shallow and rocky. A plant might sprout up in such conditions, sometimes quite rapidly, but it will not survive.
This soil describes a soul who hears the gospel and makes a quick commitment to Jesus Christ without counting the cost. They get all excited about God for a while, but then trouble comes and their faith fades. This is the person who makes a bunch of promises like, “God, if you cure my disease, heal my injury, mend my marriage, fix my kid, provide my need, etc; then I will follow you forever. I’ll be in church every week!” It seems like genuine faith at first, but their enthusiasm dries up as soon as the Christian life becomes difficult. Their faith was shallow and superficial; it never took root. Do you know anyone like that? Is your faith shallow and superficial?
Thorny and Preoccupied (14)
The third soil is thorny and preoccupied. This one seems to grow better than the other ones, but it still fails to produce any harvest. Look at verse 14! Jesus said, “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.”
Oh how easy it is to apply this soul to our modern souls. This soil describes the person who has a good spiritual foundation (perhaps they grew up going to church, attended youth group, or even helped with various ministries), but then fell away from the Lord. God was placed on the back burner as other priorities became more important. Just as weeds can choke out good plants, preoccupation with work and worries or health and hobbies can suffocate a person’s soul.
Has your faith become thorny and preoccupied? Do you ever say things like, “Well, I would go to church if I didn’t have to work so much” or “Sunday is the only day I have to relax and spend time with family” or “Maybe I’ll take God seriously when I have more time.” The problem with this type of thinking is that we never know how much time we have left. Please don’t make this mistake that so many others have made!
Fertile and Fruitful (15)
The fourth soil is the only one that actually produces a harvest—it is fertile and fruitful. Verse 15 says, “As for that in good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” This good soil represents the person who hears God’s word and responds to it quickly and faithfully. They are the true believers who commit their lives to Jesus Christ and live their lives for him rather than themselves.
When you hear God’s word, does it sink into the soil of your soul? Do you obey it and put it into practice? Does it take root in your heart and produce genuine faith in Jesus Christ? Have you committed your life to him? Have you experienced the joy of knowing that your sins are forgiven and the hope of knowing that your future is secure in heaven?
Like other parables, the parable of the soils searches our souls. As Jesus talked about the different types of soil, and the different spiritual conditions they represent, I hope that you recognize that we are all in this parable somewhere. It forces us to ask, “Which soil am I?”
Allow me to conclude by telling you about the day when I saw all four of these soils at the same time. A number of years ago I received a telephone call to go to the hospital to see a woman who was dying. When I went into her room, she was still awake and coherent, although her body was fading fast. As I shared God’s word with her and told her about Jesus Christ had done for her, she made a clear profession of faith—it was a true deathbed conversion. After we prayed together, she told me that her soul was now at peace and she thanked me for coming. She died just a couple of hours later.
A few days later, at her funeral service, I preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and shared the story of her conversion. When the service was over and I was greeting people at the door, a young man came up to me (tears we running down his cheeks), and he said, “I’m a terrible sinner! What do I need to do to go to heaven?” I could tell that his soul was fertile and was ready to bear fruit for the Lord. Many others left the funeral and said, “Thank you for the message. I’m going to get to church one of these days.” They heard the word of God, but their souls were filled with rocks and thorns. And toward the end of the line, and older gentleman approached me and shook my hand. He got right up in my face (I could smell his breath), and spoke words that I will never forget. He said, “Son, that was an excellent presentation, but I don’t believe a word of it!” And he laughed out loud as he left the church.
Later that day as I reflected on the funeral service, I was amazed at the vastly different reactions to the same exact message—all four soils were represented. Hard and indifferent! Shallow and superficial! Thorny and preoccupied! And fertile and fruitful! That type of soil is your soul?