Walking With Christ

Matthew 13:1-9 (1)That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. (2)And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. (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.”(ESV)

Jesus later showed the meaning of this parable to His disciples. We are the sower, the seed is the word of God, the ground where the seed falls is the human heart, and the birds are the enemy that seeks to pluck up all of the cast seeds. The sower did not discriminate as to where the seeds were cast. Why? Why throw seeds on the path or in rocky soil where we know it won’t produce? That seems so wasteful. The seeds in rocky soil grow but quickly die. The birds just eat the seeds on the worn path.

The seed is given everything it needs to product life abundantly EXCEPT for water. Add water and the seeds will break up rocks, concrete, and even well-worn paths. Each time a seed sprouts the soil is cultivated a little bit more. Eventually, even the well-worn path can become deep, rich soil where a bountiful harvest can sprout. If the seed is not given water it will sit and wait for decades if needed. Just add water and the seed will do what it is designed to do. Jesus is the LIVING water. If we do not spread the seeds (His word) even on what appears to be rocky soil then nothing can grow.

Finally, the birds that eat the seeds that we cast will eventually deposit those seeds in droppings later on. Despite the enemies best efforts, our Lord decides where those seeds get dropped.