February 4, 2022

The Year of our Lord, Jesus Christ

Matthew 13:4

…some seeds fell by the way side, …

Matthew 13:5

Some fell upon stony places, …

Matthew 13:7

And some fell among thorns; …

Matthew 13:8

But other fell into good ground, …

There you have it. Once sown, the seed (which is the Word of God) falls upon the soil of individuals' hearts. In this parable the Lord describes four types of heart soil. The focus today is not on the types of ground the seed fell on, but that it fell on all types of ground. The Lord relates information that has been heretofore unexplained in the Bible. He is not necessarily stating new truth, but rather explaining truth via the use of a parable to lead to a better and deeper understanding of that truth. The central truth of this parable is: God’s Word once distributed is put into the lives of the hearers, what happens after they receive it depends on the type of heart soil they possess.

The sower’s job is to sow the seed. The soil’s job is to receive the seed. Whether the soil agrees with the seed or not, the seed still falls upon it. Some of the seed cannot enter the soil because it is hard packed. Some is received for a time as with the stony and thorny ground, and some is received in good ground that brings forth fruit.

John 15 is sometimes called the “Fruit Bearing Chapter” of the Bible. It is there that Jesus relays that He is the true vine, His believers are the branches. In this story the Lord states clearly that there are three levels of fruit bearing which are: fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. The act of bringing forth this fruit is absolutely dependent upon the type of ground into which the seed is received.

But make no doubt. The seed that is sown falls on all types of ground. Much can be written about how to cultivate a good ground type of heart, and all of it is good advice to be sure. One universal truth though is certain, the ground of any individual’s heart can only be cultivated into good ground by the individual. However and whatever must be done to obtain and maintain the good ground type of soil in the heart…do it. Do it for a lifetime!

Until Next Time,

William T. Howe, Ph.D.