From Soil to Soul
When my wife and I were first married, I had lots of grandiose ideas about planting my own garden. I wanted to “live off the land.” So, I picked a spot behind our house, tilled up the ground, bought some seeds, and planted them. I put up a fence to protect my future crops from the rabbits and deer, and I couldn’t wait to see how bountiful my harvest would be. But then, life got busy. For weeks, I completely neglected to water or weed my garden, and the results were disastrous. In the end, virtually every seed I had planted resulted in fruitlessness. Out of my entire garden, which was about ten rows, each measuring about thirty feet in length, I ended up with one, single cucumber, about the size of a baby pickle.
Through that experience, I learned that the environment of my garden greatly dictated its fruitfulness. As we’ll see from a parable Jesus tells in Mark, chapter 4, one of the most important things needed for true growth is soil that is ready to receive the seed and produce fruit. Not only is that true in the physical realm, but it’s also true in the spiritual.
The Setting Jesus Enters
Beginning in verse 1 of Mark 4, the text tells us that a very large crowd had gathered around Jesus. This crowd was so large, in fact, that he got into a boat on the sea in order to teach them–a sort of floating pulpit, if you will. It wasn’t the first time large crowds followed Jesus. Back in the first chapter of Mark’s gospel, after Jesus healed a leper, he told the man not to say anything to anyone. But, of course, he did:
“But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to Him from every quarter” (v. 45).
So, the news of what Jesus did began to spread, and it created a sort of first-century paparazzi phenomenon, to the point that he couldn’t even enter a town without being bombarded by people. And why were they following him? Well, for the most part, it wasn’t because of the words he spoke. Rather, it was primarily because of what they thought he might do, specifically for them. It was this type of self-centered attitude that says, “What can Jesus do for me?”
Therefore, as this great multitude surrounds Jesus, he gets into a boat to provide some separation and begins to speak. Verse 2 gives us the focus of his words:
“And he was teaching them many things in parables…”
So what is a parable? Well, in its simplest form, a parable is a comparison or illustration. For Jesus, it was using physical elements to teach spiritual truths. Yet, as we’ll soon see, Jesus’ parables also had a deeper, divine purpose.
The Story Jesus Tells
So, here’s the story Jesus presents to this great crowd of people. He says:
“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.’ And He said, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear’” (v. 3–9).
There are three things I want to point out about this story, or parable:
First, notice that Jesus both starts and ends it with the words “listen” and “hear.” Like bookends, the Lord is commanding his hearers to listen intently to the words he speaks. Listen to hear, and hear to understand.
The second thing worth emphasizing is the context. It’s important for us to understand that this crowd would’ve immediately been able to relate to the agricultural concepts Jesus was referring to. All of them would’ve either had first-hand experience with farming, or they would’ve seen the process take place repeatedly. As a farming community, these were people who depended upon agriculture and experienced it every day of their lives.
Third, I want to point out that the emphasis of this parable is not so much on the sower, but instead, on the four types of soil, where the seed falls.
Interestingly, the text doesn’t explicitly tell us what took place immediately after Jesus told this story. What seems to be the case, however, is that the people began to leave. The crowd walked away. Looking at verse 10, the very next thing we read is this:
“And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.”
What a contrast! Instead of being surrounded by a multitude, to the point that he needed to get into a boat, it’s now just Jesus, his twelve disciples, and a smaller group with them. So, where is the crowd? Where did all the people go? Did they leave because Jesus wasn’t performing miracles? No one was being healed, so the entertainment was over?
While that’s certainly part of the reason, what also seems to be the case is that they don’t have “ears to hear.” Not only did they fail to understand the point of Jesus’ parable, but they also had no real desire to understand it. Instead of longing to hear Jesus’ message, they were simply there for the miracles.
The Scandal Jesus Includes
And yet, our Lord is a master storyteller. While he walked upon the earth, not only did he weave together amazing stories, but he would often purposely include outrageous aspects, features that many would trip over in their minds, like mental stumbling blocks. This parable is no exception.
The first aspect of this story, that the people would’ve thought ridiculous, is how unbelievably careless this sower, or farmer, was in planting his seeds. They all knew that seeds were valuable. You couldn’t afford for them to simply go to waste. However, this sower doesn’t seem to care about that at all. He’s just scattering seeds anywhere and everywhere. It really doesn’t matter where they land. Some land on the road, where they would get trampled and eaten by birds. Some land on the rocks, without much soil or water, where they would be baked by the sun. And some land in the thorns, without any real hope for growth, whatsoever. That type of carelessness would have been offensive to Jesus’ audience. Why? Because seeds were valuable.
But then the second element of absurdity was maybe even more outlandish than the first, and that was the crop, or harvest, that this farmer yields. An average, or normal, expected harvest would’ve been a five-fold increase.[1] But the farmer in Jesus’ story is getting a crop that is six times, twelve times, and even twenty times the normal harvest. And as unlikely as that would’ve been on its own, the ridiculousness would’ve been magnified by the fact that this farmer didn’t seem to plant with intentionality. So for most of the people hearing Jesus tell this story, who were not truly seeking to receive the words of eternal life, this would’ve been enough to call it a day.
And it’s from there, after most of the crowd has left, that we find the remaining group, asking Jesus what this parable is really all about. In verses 11 and 12, Jesus decides to first tell them why He speaks in parables. Starting in verse 11, it says:
“And He said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”
Now, Jesus is quoting here from the prophet Isaiah, specifically from a passage in Isaiah, chapter 6. And what we realize when we read Isaiah 6 is that Jesus is the one seated on the throne (John 12:41). Therefore, it was Jesus who gave Isaiah his commission, which was a proclamation of hardening. God was going to harden the nation of Israel, because of their continued unwillingness to repent. So as Jesus now speaks to his disciples, and this group, he’s quoting from that commission of hardening that was given to Isaiah about 750 years before, in order to explain that this is why he speaks in parables. In the context of our passage, there have been some whom God has chosen to open their eyes to see and their ears to hear the secrets of the Kingdom of God. Thus, for those who reject the words of Christ, it is an affirmation of their judgment and hardening. But for those who receive the words of Christ and desire to understand and obey them, it is a verification that their eyes and ears have been opened.
From there, looking at verse 13, we see that after Jesus has established this point for the inner circle of followers around him, he then sort of turns their questioning about the parable back to them, and says:
“Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?”
In other words, Jesus is essentially saying that if they can’t understand this parable, how will they understand the rest of the parables? But then, our Lord does for this group what he does for all of his true disciples: he grants them understanding.
The Secret Jesus Reveals
We see it, first, in verse 14. He begins by saying,
“The sower sows the word.”
So instead of seeds, Jesus explains that this story is really about someone speaking the word. It’s about someone sharing the gospel. Throughout this parable, then, there are a couple aspects that never change: it’s the same sower sharing the same gospel throughout the whole story. And he’s sharing it everywhere! So the only thing that actually changes is the type of soil, or the person, who is receiving the message.
Therefore, what you need to be asking yourself, as we work through these four types of soil, is this: how do you respond to the message of the gospel, and, has your life changed from that response?
In seeking to answer that question, let’s look at the first type of soul. In verse 15, Jesus says:
“And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.”
This is a reference to the soil from verse 4. Jesus explains that the birds were a reference to Satan coming and stealing the word away when it is heard. So this is a metaphor for the person who hears the gospel, but for whatever reason, does not respond to the gospel’s message in faith. It could be because they do not see their true need for Christ. Or, it could be that they don’t see the importance of the gospel as immediate, because they assume that they have many years left to live. In short, they fail to find the urgency in the gospel’s message.
Then, as we look at verses 16 and 17, we find the second type of hearer. Jesus says there:
“And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.”
So notice with this second type of hearer that there is a response to the gospel, even an emotional one. They appear to receive the gospel in faith and with joy. But in reality, the true message of the gospel has not been embraced. It hasn’t taken root within them, because they’ve apparently come to Christ for some other reason than that of true salvation. Perhaps they came to Christ looking for peace and joy and fulfillment, but they didn’t come seeking the forgiveness of their sins. They didn’t come in repentance. Or, perhaps they didn’t count the high cost of discipleship, as Jesus speaks specifically of persecution and affliction. Either way, this second type of hearer is a false convert who appears to be saved for a time, but eventually proves to be false.
From there, as we look to verses 18 and 19, we see the third type of hearer. Jesus says there:
“And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.”
With this third type of hearer, Jesus doesn’t say whether or not they respond to the gospel message in any seemingly tangible way. But what we do know is that there is no fruit produced in their life. Instead, they are consumed by the types of things listed in that passage; things that are contrary to a life indwelt by the Spirit of God, and contrary to the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–24).
The Sinner Jesus Saves
This brings us, then, to the fourth and final type of hearer that Jesus describes in this parable. Looking at verse 20, he says,
“But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
So this is a description of true salvation. This is the person who sees their immediate need for Christ. The soil of their heart is well prepared, because they realize that they have broken God’s holy law, and are in desperate need of God’s mercy. They don’t ignore the gospel as irrelevant. They don’t receive the gospel for the wrong reason, and they don’t disregard the gospel for the desires of the world. No, they hear the message of the gospel, which says that God sent Jesus to die on a cross to pay the penalty for their sins, and by God’s grace they receive that message, embrace God’s mercy, and are saved for God’s glory. The Spirit of God indwells them, and as He is working in them, their life evidences the fruit that is described in Galatians 5. This is what true salvation looks like, according to God’s Word.
As we consider this amazing parable of our Savior, may it instruct our thinking in every way. Not only should it inform the way we think about the response of others with whom we share the gospel, but more importantly, it should cause us to seriously ask the question, “How have I responded to the message of the gospel?” May we hear it, accept it, and be transformed by it.
References:
[1] Strauss, Mark L. “Mark.” United States: Zondervan Academic, 2017, 1436.