How’s Your Ground? 

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

          When Jesus speaks this parable He is in the region of Galilee.  Though Galilee had two major cities, Tiberias and Sepphoris, and many tiny villages, the majority of its inhabitants were rural, agrarian peasants.  The literate and elite, those like the Sadducees and Pharisees who understood and taught the law, often ignored these people, but Jesus ministered frequently among this population.  In fact this particular parable was spoken on Jesus’ fourth tour through the region of Galilee. 

          I believe that Jesus had a particular purpose in presenting this parable to these people.  Though it was a parable that they should easily understand, the focus for Him was not on the parable.  As I said before, this was the fourth time that Jesus had passed through Galilee.  Jesus officially began his ministry in Galilee. 

Matthew 4:12

          He began at that time to preach, saying to the people, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”  It was on this trip through Galilee that He called Peter and his brother Andrew, John and his brother James, to be His disciples. 

Matthew 4: 23-25; 5:1-2

          Again Jesus goes throughout Galilee preaching the Kingdom of God, this time adding healing to the sick, and delivering those who were possessed and oppressed by demons.  It is in Galilee that Jesus preaches the great Sermon on the Mount which includes the Beatitudes.  In fact all that is recorded in Matthew 5, 6, and 7, is spoken to the masses of Galileans.   

It was on His third trip through Galilee that Jesus told His disciples “the harvest truly is plentiful but the laborers are few.”  You see Jesus really had a heart for these illiterate masses that had been left alone like sheep without a shepherd.  It is these people to whom he speaks the parable of the sower. 

But why this parable?  You see with, with all the preaching, healing and deliverance that Jesus had done in Galilee still there many who did not believe, many who would not see Him as the savior sent into this world by God.  So he speaks this parable to illustrate the hearts of those He had encountered in Galilee.  What saddens me, is that those of us who preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, 2000 years later still encounter these same hearts. 

Matthew 13:3-9

In terms of farming this parable was easy for the Galilean to understand.  Many times the seed was sown without the farmer plowing first.  He would either throw it by hand or allow it to trickle from holes in a sack carried by mules.  Much of the land in Palestine was a thin layer of soil covering a bed of rocks.  If the farmer did not plow first, he would not know that he was wasting seed in shallow dirt.  The thorns spoken of in verse 7 were also hidden from the farmer.  Before selling or trading a piece of land one might mow the weeds or burn the field.  But this left the root system in tack.  You see to rid the field of weeds you had to pull them up by the root.  Being farmers in Galilee, the people understood all of these types of fields and could agree that they could get a good harvest only if he seed was planted in the proper soil.  This was nothing new to them. 

So what was the point that Jesus was trying to make?  The disciples knew that whenever Jesus spoke like this, there was something to be learned.  But what was it?  

Matthew 13:18-23

Vs. 19 Jesus says to some, I have come through here preaching 3 times already and my teachings to some of you are like seeds being thrown along the roadway.  The animals trample it under foot and the birds come right along and eat it.  It has no chance to bear a crop.  It would be like sowing grass seed on the side walk.  It will not grow through concrete.  Some of you have been sitting in church for years and you have not heard with heart, or understand anything at all of what was said.  You are hard hearted and the Word of God has no real affect on you or your actions.  Though you believe in God, you are not at all moved by him.  You hear with your ears, and even while you are listening, the enemy is speaking to your heart encouraging you to reject what you hear.  He will say this does not apply to you.  You know that you are alright with God.  Why else would he bless you?  You don’t need all that religion she is taking about.  You are a good person. Just continue to be that way and you will be alright. 

HARDNESS OF THE HEART is a stubborn attitude that leads a person to reject God’s will. 

Psalms 95:8-11 – After bringing the Children of Israel out of Egypt, blessing and delivering them, they continued to rebel against with will of God.  As a punishment to them God promised Himself that they would not enter into the promise land.  He allowed them to wonder around in the wilderness for 40 years until all of those who were hard hearted had died out. 

Proverbs 28:14 says, “Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.” 

Proverbs 29:1 says, “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed--without remedy. 

Hebrews 4:7 says, “To day if ye will hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.” 

Matthew 13:20-20

This group hears what is being said, and on the surface they accept it as the truth.  They believe in Jesus and believe that he was sent to pay for their sins.  They know that they should accept Him as savior and Lord.  They know the truth of the gospel, but that truth has not truly penetrated their hearts.  It is a seed planted in shallow ground.  Though they know the gospel to be true, they are more concerned with what others will say, friends they will lose, and relationships that might go sour.  They struggle with the fear of rejection, and the fear of not being able to do it right, to live holy.  They may even make a commitment to Christ on Sunday morning and change their minds on Sunday night because they don’t know how to handle friends and relatives.  Their foundation is based on what others think.  They are torn internally and with an improper foundation find it difficult to become rooted. 

Ephesians 3:13-19

          Paul’s prayer is that you would hang in there and become rooted and ground in a love for Christ that will allow you to hold fast to your salvation.  In chapter 4, verse 14 he prays that you would not be like children tossed to and fro, swayed with every passing doctrine, and opinion of others.  But that you would grow up in Christ and stand for the truth. 

Matthew 13:22

          This person hears and receives the word, but they get frustrated, angry, disillusioned when things don’t go the way that they believe they should go.  They want God to do certain things and when those things don’t happen, they lose confidence in God.  They don’t understand why bad things happen, or they think that they make the good things in life happen for themselves.  The seed of the gospel is there, but it is surrounded the weeds of life.  And if you spend less than 5% of our day doing things that will help the seed to grow, and the other 95% cultivating weeds, of course the seed will be choked out of you.  What does that mean?  Most Christians spend less than 1 hour a day talking to God, reading the Bible, fellowshipping with other Christians, or participating in activities that will strengthen them spiritually. But they spend 15 to 18 hours a day, depending on how much they sleep, focusing on the cares of this world; how to get this or pay for that. How to advance in a career?  How to take care of a family, a job and the host of other activities that must go on each day.  These are all cares of this world.  And if we focus too much on them, they will leave little time for focusing or spiritual growth and building a relationship with God.  That is why Jesus told the same Galileans, as He tells us today,  in Matthew 6:31-33     “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  

Matthew 13:23

          These are those who have rich fertile ground for the seed.  Their hearts are ready to receive the word of God.  They study so that they might understand the Word, watering the seed with prayer, fertilizing it with fellowship with other believers, giving it sunshine through praise and worship of God, pulling the weeds from around it by submitting themselves to the Spirit of God for pruning and purging;  keeping their hearts broken and plowed through fasting and prayer.  These hearts in due season will bring forth an abundance of fruit. 

Examine your heart.  What ground does this seed today find in your heart?   

   

 

  

9/7/2002