"WHAT KIND OF DIRT ARE YOU?"

Last night in our Bible study, we discussed the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 and the question was 'Of the four examples in this text, how many of them illustrate someone who is a born again Christian?'. Here is the passage that we were discussing...

Matthew 13:3-9 (ESV) 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6  but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

Here is the question that really got interesting in that discussion, 'Obviously the good soil represents someone that is a Chrsitian. But since the seed also sprouted up in the rocky soil and among the thorns, wouldn't they be Christians too?'. So read this passage where Jesus explains the parable and we will go from there.

Matthew 13:18-23 (ESV) 18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

In order to answer the questions from above, it is important to remember what the seed represents which is the 'word of the kingdom' or the Word of God. It is the seed that springs up in the rocky soil and the thorny soil in spite of the bad conditions of the soil which represents the condition of our hearts. The rocky soil receives the word 'with joy' but has no depth which enables us to endure the testing of our faith. This describes the people who get excited when they first hear about Jesus but their emotions are not enough to carry through the hard times in life.

The seed sown among the thorns hears the word but allows the 'cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches' to choke out any possibility of endurance. Again we see a group of people who appeared to have received God's Word but were distracted by the things of this world so they didn't last very long either.

So back to the last question 'since the seed also sprouted up in the rocky soil and among the thorns, wouldn't they be Christians too?'. The answer is no. And you might say, 'But they sprouted up too, why aren't they Christians?'. To anwer that question, you have to go back to what the seed represents... God's Word, not us. God's Word is alive and will take root when given the opportunity to do so but if our hearts are not willing to receive it and live by it, then we are the problems.

How did Jesus say that we would be able to recognize the false teachers?

Matthew 7:15-20 (ESV) 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Obviously the good soil in the parable represents the person that receives the Word of God and lives by it which produces 'fruit' or proof that they are Christians. We are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:8-9) but the 'fruit' proves that we are Christians. This fruit is symbolic of the obedience that God is looking for in each of us.

Did the rocky soil and the thorny soil produce fruit? No. In both cases the plant didn't last very long at all. It wasn't the seed's fault because it was the same seed in all four soils. It was the same sower of the seeds in all four scenes as well. The only difference was the condition of the soil in each scene so make sure that your soil is good (that your heart is open to the Word of God and that you receive it and live by it which will produce much fruit). Got it?