This past Sunday, Richie talked about the Parable of the Sower, in Luke 8:4-15.
The first thing I thought of when Richie told us this is what we were going to study, was the Donut Man. I'm not lying. If you grew up watching those videos when you were younger, you must remember the puppet birds that ate the seeds. If not, well...that was one of my favorite ones.
Anyways... The passage is about a farmer who sowed his seeds. He scattered them anywhere and everywhere. Some of the seeds landed on the path, leaving them victim to the feet of travelers, as well as the stomachs of hungry birds [that's what I was referring to from the movie]. Some of the seeds fell upon rock where they died because of the lack of moisture. Some of the seeds were scattered among the thorns. The seeds were able to grow some around the thorns, but as they grew, so did the thorns, which choked the plants. There were seeds that fell on good soil, though, where they grew up strong and luscious, producing a hundred times more than what was sown.
Ok, that is the summary of the parable for you to remember, but Richie broke down the telling of the parable which is what I want to focus on now.
The chronological order of events when Jesus told the parable is this:
- Talking to the crowds
- Tells a story [parable] they don't understand
- Disciples ask what it means
- Jesus tells the purpose of the parables
- Jesus explains the story
- We apply it to our lives
Pretty basic, right? But if you noticed, it says that Jesus told a story that they didn't understand. That's a little weird. Once I explain it a bit, though, it will make more sense. I promise :)
Verse 10 says this:
He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
" 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'
What Jesus is saying here, is that those who seek out God's word, those who are passionately pursuing God, the message has been given to them. However, those who reject the Word of God, their ears and eyes are closed to what Jesus really means by the parable. All they see is a man speaking, and all they hear is just a fable.
The more I thought about that, the more I realized that's what Jesus intended for us to do; to think about it. To let it sink in so that we would want to know more about what He meant. We have to delve deeper into the Word to find the answers Jesus wants to give us, but He wants our hearts to be searching for the answers. He wants a relationship with us, and so we have to reach out to Him just like He is reaching out to us. A way Jesus did that was through His parables. He told stories to depict a picture of salvation, but only those who desired to know what it meant, and reached out to Him in order to do so, understood it.
Now onto what Jesus was saying with that parable.
"All seeds die, but only some seeds are able to live again and produce."-Richie
First, I need to clarify what the seeds mean in relation to us.
The seeds the farmer sowed represents the Word of God and our duty, as Christians, to spread, or sow, the Word among the people of the world. So when Jesus talks about the seeds being scattered among different places, think of that as us spreading God's Word among the people we come across.
The seeds fell in four different areas; on the path, on the rock, among the thorns, and on good soil. I will start with the first area.
The seeds on the path.
The seeds that fell on the path were trampled on and snatched up and eaten by the birds. Those are the people that have heard the Word, but before they know it, Satan has taken away the Word so they may not have that in their hearts any more, keeping them from believing and becoming saved.
It seems like these people are in a vulnerable state, fragile from being trodden on, so when they have this hope, they are unable to keep it from being taken away from them.
The seeds on the rock.
The seeds that fell on the rock died from lack of moisture. They had nothing to quench their thirst and give them a base from which they could grow. These are the people that receive the Word and are stoked, ecstatic, pumped, and every other word that could describe excitement and joy, but their problem is...that's all they have. They don't have a root system to keep that passion and feeling alive.
What I think of when I hear this is the people who hear about a cause, get stoked and ready to get really involved, but then that's it. The hype fades after a few days, and eventually, they forget about it. they lack a strong base and foundation, and without that they will falter.
The seeds among the thorns.
The seeds among the thorns were able to produce plants; however, they only last for so long. The thorns grew beside them, and then around them, choking the life out of them. These are the people that have heard and excepted the Word. They grow in it, but then they are overtaken by the struggles life provides. They become burdened by the weight of Satan's yoke. They are constantly distracted by the ways and materials of the world. They are unable to mature and develop in the Word; their airway has been cut off.
The seeds that fell on the good soil.
These seeds flourished when they sunk deep into the good soil. These seeds stand for the people that have heard the Word and have a good and receptive heart, full of passion and desire to learn more. They not only hold the Word in their heart, but they use it to produce a crop, or in terminology we can relate to, they put it to use by living it out.
There's something else about the seeds that were scattered...they are all alike. The difference to whether or not the seeds grew or not, had to do with
where they landed.
We are called to spread the Word of God to everyone we encounter, but that's it. We don't know the hearts of those who hear it. They may receive it graciously and prosper in a God-filled life, or they may reject it or be torn down by the ways of the world, in turn, losing it. We weren't called to make sure they accepted the Word and built a life around it. We were called to spread the Word so that they could make a decision and either let Christ transform their heart, or reject that Hope.
Richie told us that we are to sow our seeds like the farmer, in general, who sows his seeds across vast plains, instead of the home owner, who sows his seeds in small, precise areas.
That is not to say we are not ever supposed to be like the home owner, but that comes at a different time, when specific needs are called for specific actions at specific times.
Now, a question for you all:
What do your crops look like?
Are you sowing your seeds? Where are you sowing them?
We are told to 'cultivate' the ground, which means to make our soil better. To me, that means that we need to make sure
our heart is in the right place. We need to watered and nourished before we can produce, so sometimes that means we need some time before we can go out into the world and spread our seeds.
You need to be fed in order to serve.
We need to be willing to let God transform us so that we can grow in Him.
It all goes back to the foundation.
Here is a quote I found for you all:
"The world says you must change yourself in order to be a part of it. Jesus says you're already a part. And now He will change you."- Lauren Dubinsky
This is your call to action.
Music:
- "Wake Up" - All Sons & Daughters
- "The Resistance" - Josh Garrells
- "Thrive" - Switchfoot
- "Healing Begins" - Tenth Avenue North
- "Inside Out" - Hillsong United
- "Change" - Lecrae
- "Nothing Left To Lose" - NEEDTOBREATHE
- "In No Time" - MUTEMATH
Oh snap! I just searched on and off for about and hour and a half for this quote...but it's totally worth it...
"If it's changed your life, means the world to you, and you believe everyone needs it...why selfishly keep it to yourself?"- Lecrae
