Matthew 13:3-8
3 And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
Reflection: The Seed, The Word, The Yield
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
Parables are funny things. They are intentionally vague (such that the truths of them are “hidden” to the lost), but to us (the believer) they show us deep truth. Some parables are difficult to understand… and there are differences of opinion as to how one should interpret them. However, some parables are exceptionally clear on their own (I think). Matthew 13 is the first chapter in Matthew where we see Jesus begin to teach in parables, and he will do so through chapter 20.
The very first parable, here in the beginning of chapter 13, is one of those clear parables. I love this parable very much as it is instructive in many ways. In fact, I often affirm the truths of this parable, in prayer, before a sermon. Seed goes out, lands on all sorts of ground, and growth comes consistent with the kind of soil upon which the seed landed. Easy! The Word (the truth of the Holy Word of God) goes forth, lands on hearts, some receptive and some not, and fruit comes in a manner consistent with the kind of heart. Sometimes people show great promise early in their faith… but they whither. This is a measure of someone’s sincerity of faith (or perhaps more accurately: a measure of the validity of their faith). Mostly, the seed goes out and never takes root. That is, people hear the Word and there is little to no evidence that they are changing (that is the majority, sadly). Two take aways for me as I practice pastoral ministry: 1) I tend to pour my energy and effort into people who are producing fruit. That is the most fruitful thing to do. Would you be a gardener and spend 90 percent of your energy on the seeds that are not taking root, or on the tomato plant that is flourishing? 2) I pray for the Word to land on hearts and ask that God do something through the Word (in a minister’s case, the preaching/teaching) that is invisible in the heart. Why? Because we want to see spiritual fruit at TC!!
Prayer
Lord, help Timberlake Church to have a dynamic ministry of the Word, and may you, by your Spirit, work in hearts and bring forth fruit, for the sake of your Kingdom!
