Devotional: What kind of soil do you want to be?

Written by Julie Joule 

In the Parable of the Sower, we read:

"... That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them about many things in parables, saying: A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:1-9.

I hope I won’t confuse you, but I am going to start this message with the final verse of Matthews scripture. The parable ends with an appeal — “let anyone with ears, listen” (13:9). To have ears is an image that points beyond literal hearing to discerning the significance of Jesus’ words. Jesus, though, offers no help to his audience to understand the significance of the scene he has presented.

He leaves it in some ways to us to spend time in contemplation and discernment to really understand what He is saying. One of the best ways to do this is to read the scripture over a few times and then listen with your heart to hear what God wants you to understand.

The interesting thing is that over time when you re read that same scripture you will often understand it in a different way that doesn’t mean that your first understanding was wrong it can be you have grown in your understanding and in your faith. Being led by God into a deeper understanding of His word.

Before we get back to the sowing of the seeds, I’d like to mention a big thank you to Holly Hearon for sharing her Commentary on Matthew 13:1-9. Parts are included verbatim here, and which inspired me to see a different way of sharing this scriptural interpretation.

As every gardener knows, it’s all about the soil. Without good soil, seeds cannot flourish.

So it is, also, in the parable of the Sower:

•     The seed that lands where the soil has become hardened from being repeatedly walked on simply sits on the surface, waiting to become food for the birds.

•     The seed that falls on rocky soil has difficulty taking root because the soil inhibits the growth of roots, necessary for plants to access the nutrients in the soil.

•     The seed that falls on ground covered in thorns must compete with already well-established, invasive plants and weeds standing little chance of growth.

•     But the seed that falls on the soil that has been prepared, turned over and loosened until it is fine, replenished with nutrients thrives.

So, while the parable of the Sower appears to be about the seed, I suggest because I am also a gardener that it is really about the soil. This means that the parable is about us—those who hear the “word of the kingdom” we are the soil.

Soil, like human beings, is shaped by its environment. So, if soil is walked on repeatedly, beaten down so that it becomes packed hard, it is no longer fit for the planting of seeds. We see this in our human communities too. People who have been walked on over, and over, and over again often develop a hardened exterior to protect themselves they become closed off, unable to trust or have hope for a better future.

Rocky soil, as Jesus says, describes those who lack the staying power to deal with—well, rocky ground. When the going gets rough, they get going, they retreat. The soil filled with thorns easily translates into our overcrowded lives; there is no room in an already overplanted plot for anything more, even with double-digging the beds.

And the good soil? It would be nice if it were as simple as buying a bag of ‘good soil’ at a gardening centre. A gardener will tell you, however, that good soil takes years to cultivate. It must be fed, nurtured by the remains of plants that have come and gone.

It must be worked so that it becomes supple but not worked so hard that its structure is broken down. And it must be replenished, as seeds grow and draw on its nutrients. Good soil can develop in nature, as years of leaves fall and dissolve into the earth. Good soil can also be the work of gardeners, who tend the soil as carefully as they tend the plants.

The parable, of course, doesn’t say anything about gardeners—only Sowers. Scattering seed was and in some places still is a relatively efficient way to plant a large field. In the Old Testament, God is depicted as the one who sows. In Matthew, it is Jesus who sows the “word of the kingdom” and it is the disciples, too, who will become Sowers of the word.

If we take the parable as a warning to hearers, it means that there are different ways of accepting the word of God, and the fruit which it produces depends on the heart of him who accepts it. The fate of any spoken word depends on the hearer.

As William Barcley has been quoted as saying, “a jest quoted will succeed when the one who hears it has a sense of humour and is prepared to smile.

A jest will fail when it is told to a humourless man or one who is determined not to be amused.”

Here we enter the area of who are the hearers, are they hearing with closed minds, refusing to accept a revised interpretation of scripture. Or are they like the shallow ground.

Will they fail to think things out and think them through? Or think that the only way to understand is the way they think and understand?

Or are they a hearer who has so many interests in life that often the most important things, get crowded out. This last one is a characteristic of the modern life, finding all time taken up with work, commitments, hobbies, sports, and the incessant noise of the radio, tv, computer, family demands. This makes time for God and prayer something they think of doing but never get time to do.

Lastly there is the person who is like the good soil. In their reception of the word there are four stages.

Like the good ground, their mind is open to new growth. They are always willing to learn. They are prepared to hear. They are never either too proud or too busy to listen. They understand.

They have thought the thing out and know what this means for them and are prepared to accept it. They translate what they are hearing into action. They produce the good fruit of the good seed.

The real hearer is the person who listens who understands and who obeys. What we need to think about is if we are ready to listen and understand what scripture means for us in our lives today? Any scripture not just this passage from today.

Are we ready to spend time in hearing and then move onto the action that God requires of us?

Today are we stuck in our thinking from years gone by or are we willing to understand that God is still working continually both in the world and in our own lives. By true listening to what God is saying we can come more into line with what He wants us to do and be in the here and now.

We are his body in the world, and we are the ones who are to work in speaking and teaching the gospel to the lost. Remembering that everyone is His child and He wants everyone to hear His Word and to be saved.