14

Of Soils and Souls
(Mark 4:1–20)

He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.” And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (4:1–20)

The nation of Israel, at the outset of the first century, was dominated by messianic expectation. The Jewish people envisioned a deliverer who would rescue them from Roman occupation, restoring to Israel’s national glory everything that had been lost at the hands of foreign oppressors like the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans.

As devoted readers of the Old Testament, they looked to the extensive promises of Messiah’s kingdom with eager anticipation, convinced He would reestablish David’s throne in Jerusalem and exalt Israel above all other nations. In New Testament times, the only royal dynasty in Israel was that of the Herods, who ruled by Rome’s consent. But Herod the Great and his sons were Edomites, descendants of Esau, who repeatedly put their own interests above those of the Jews. Under Roman dominion, the people were required to pay burdensome taxes to Caesar (cf. Mark 2:13–17), a painful reminder of their wearying national bondage. Often the target of Roman brutality, in part because of their strict monotheism, the Jewish people became increasingly resentful of the imperial yoke they were forced to bear. As the weight of foreign oppression grew heavier, the flames of messianic anticipation burned ever brighter.

When John the Baptist began preaching in the wilderness, declaring himself to be the Messiah’s forerunner (cf. Mark 1:2), the response of the people was enthusiastic. Multitudes from all over Israel journeyed into the wilderness to hear what John had to say. Brimming with anticipation, their hearts undoubtedly raced when John declared to them, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (1:7–8).

Yet, in tragic irony, when their long-awaited Messiah finally arrived, the nation rejected Him. The apostle John expressed that reality with these familiar words, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). The very crowds who looked forward to His coming turned against Him, eventually crying out for His death. As Peter told a Jewish audience in the temple, “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses” (Acts 3:13–15). Unthinkably, Israel hated God’s anointed One, the Messiah, even at a time when anticipation for His arrival had never been more fervent. Preoccupied with the political deliverance promised in the Old Testament, the Jewish people blindly overlooked the fact that the same Old Testament also foretold that the Messiah must first suffer and die (cf. Ps. 22:1–18; Isa. 52:13–53:12; Zech. 12:10). As Peter went on to explain, “The things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled” (Acts 3:18).

The Lord Jesus will, of course, return in a future day to establish His glorious kingdom in Jerusalem (Rev. 19:11–20:6). At that time, all of the Old Testament promises to His people regarding His earthly reign will be perfectly fulfilled (e.g., Isa. 9:6–7; 11:4–5; 24:23; 33:17–22; 42:3–4; 49:22–23; 60:1–62:7; Jer. 33:14–21). But in His first coming, Jesus came as the final sacrificial Lamb who would bear the penalty for sin by dying on the cross (cf. Phil. 2:5–11; 1 Peter 2:21–25). Jesus Himself declared His mission with these words: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Clearly, His role as the Suffering Servant did not correspond to the prevailing expectations of a warrior prince who would overthrow the Romans. Though there was a great deal of superficial interest in Jesus’ miracles, the number of true disciples was comparatively small.

It must have been difficult for Jesus’ disciples to understand why so few of the Jewish people, and especially the religious leaders, believed in Him. On numerous occasions, they had witnessed Jesus exercise divine power over demons, disease, and even death. They knew He was the Messiah (cf. Mark 8:29). Jesus referred to them as members of His spiritual family (Mark 3:34), because they obeyed the will of the Father by believing in the Son (John 6:40). But they were in the minority, comprising only a little flock (cf. John 10:27).

Israel’s religious establishment worked tirelessly to discredit Jesus in the people’s minds. They claimed, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons” (Mark 3:22). The crowds who came to hear Jesus found themselves caught between a superficial curiosity in His miracles and a desire not to offend the religious leaders (cf. John 2:24–25). Even some of the Pharisees experienced this very tension: “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God” (John 12:42–43). The fear of man, along with the high cost of discipleship, caused many who were initially attracted to Jesus to eventually fall away (cf. John 6:66).

Why did this happen? How could the long-awaited Messiah be so widely rejected by His own people? Jesus’ power was unmistakably divine. His teaching was authoritative; His miracles, wondrously supernatural; His life, sinless; His popularity, unprecedented. Yet, at the end of His earthly ministry, His band of followers only numbered about 500, likely in Galilee, and 120 in Jerusalem (cf. Acts 1:15; 1 Cor. 15:6). Why were there so few? An unnamed follower of Christ asked Him that very question in Luke 13:23, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” Jesus had already answered that question in the Sermon on the Mount. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:13–14). Clearly, Jesus emphasized the narrow exclusivity of the gospel. Even so, those who truly believed in Him must have wondered why the majority of their fellow countrymen rejected the Messiah—even after many had initially responded to Him with enthusiasm and fascination.

To help His disciples understand the cause of Israel’s growing rejection, Jesus created an explanatory parable drawn directly from the agricultural world of the first century. In Mark 4:1–9, He simply described the reality of different types of soil to the listening crowds. He then articulated the purpose behind His parables in verses 10–13, but only to His followers. In verses 14–20, He explained to them that the point of this parable was to illustrate the basic reason for people’s responses to the gospel.

THE PARABLE: A STORY ABOUT SOILS

He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (4:1–8)

After His family came to find Him in an apparent attempt to take Him with them back to Nazareth (Mark 3:21, 32), Jesus left the house where He had been ministering and retreated to the shores of the Sea of Galilee. There, still surrounded by throngs of people, He began to teach again by the sea. Earlier that same day (Matt. 13:1), after healing a blind and mute demoniac, Jesus had been accused by the unbelieving Pharisees of casting “out the demons by the ruler of the demons” (Mark 3:22). In response, the Lord warned them of the eternal danger of thus blaspheming the Holy Spirit who was at work through Him (vv. 28–29).

Though He had been rejected and repudiated by Israel’s religious elite because of His words, Jesus remained popular with the common people because of His works. The massive multitudes compelled Him to spend prolonged periods of time in rural areas, away from the cities, in order to accommodate all who came to Him because of His miracles (cf. 1:45). On this occasion, as on others (cf. 3:9), such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. In order to address the entire multitude, Jesus put some space between Himself and the pressing mob by getting into a boat—likely a small fishing vessel—which was pushed just offshore. In typical rabbinic style, the Lord sat down to teach. Doing so also provided Him with stability due to the rocking of the boat. According to Matthew 13:2, the crowd listened while standing on the beach.

On this occasion, He was teaching them many things in parables (cf. Matt. 13:1–52). From this point on, parables would be Jesus’ primary means of teaching the multitudes (cf. Matt. 13:34). The purpose of parables was to clarify truth to believers and hide it from unbelievers. In that sense they were both a blessing and a judgment. The term parabolē (parable) comes from two Greek words—para, meaning alongside of, and ballō, meaning to place or lay. The idea is that of making a comparison by placing something alongside something else for the sake of illustration or explanation. As analogies or extended short stories, parables used familiar practices or objects to elucidate unknown or complex spiritual truths. They represented a common form of rabbinic teaching, with the term appearing some forty-five times in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament).

As Jesus introduced the parable of the soils, He began by saying to them in His teaching, “Listen to this!” The command to heed His words underscored the importance of what He was about to say. The Lord chose a well-known scene for the setting of the parable of the soils. Undoubtedly, many of His listeners were farmers themselves. They knew, from firsthand experience, what it meant for the sower to go out to sow his fields. Everyone in that predominantly agrarian society in first-century Israel was well acquainted with the analogy Jesus used. Grain fields covered the landscape of Galilee. A man hoisting a seed bag over his shoulder and scattering seed as he slowly traversed his furrowed field would have been a familiar sight.

Jesus’ listeners were equally aware of the types of ground on which seed could fall as the sower was sowing. Scattering seed by hand meant that some of the seed inevitably fell on various kinds of poor soil. Some seed was bound to fall beside the road, a reference to the narrow paths that crisscrossed the Galilean landscape, separating fields and providing both farmers and travelers access through the countryside. Jesus and His disciples had earlier walked along such a road when the Pharisees confronted them for picking grain on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23–28). Such paths were dry and unprotected from the hot, arid climate. Due to repeated foot traffic, roads were hard packed, almost like pavement, making it nearly impossible for any seed that fell there to penetrate the ground and take root. Because seed that fell beside the road lay exposed alongside the dusty path, it was not long before the birds came and ate it up. They followed the sower, flying behind and waiting until the sower had moved on to another part of the field, in order to swoop down and eat the easily accessible seed. Whatever the birds missed would be “trampled under foot” (Luke 8:5) by travelers as they walked along the path.

Other seed fell on a second type of unproductive ground: the rocky ground where it did not have much soil. Israel is a very rocky land, with much of the rock invisibly lying beneath the surface. Though farmers always removed the loose rocks from their fields prior to planting, there were inevitably places where underlying bedrock, usually limestone, was covered by only a shallow layer of soil. When seed landed in these areas and germinated, immediately a plant sprang up, because the soil was warm and the underlying rock helped to trap moisture and nutrients. What initially looked good on the surface was only temporary. Though the plant initially sprouted, because it had no depth of soil due to the underlying rock, its roots were unable to develop properly. Consequently, after the sun had risen, it was scorched in the dry, desert heat. After the spring rains ended, the fledgling plant was subjected to the harsh conditions of the summer months. Because it had no root, it quickly withered away. Without an adequate root system, the plant could not get the moisture it needed to bear fruit (cf. Luke 8:6).

Still more seed fell on a third type of soil: among the thorns. Though this ground looked good after it had been tilled, it was actually infested with thorns—so that as the grain began to sprout, a crop of weeds grew up with it, overwhelming the good seed until its life was squeezed out. The thorns sucked water and nourishment away from the good plants and choked them so that they yielded no crop.

Finally, in contrast to the first three useless soils, other seeds fell into the good soil. This ground was not hard packed like the road, or shallow like the rocky soil, or weed-infested like the thorny ground. Rather, it was soft and deep, free from thorns, and rich in moisture and nutrients. When seeds landed on this soil, they grew up and increased, so that they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. In ancient Israel, farmers could usually expect a six-to-eightfold yield at harvesttime. A crop that yielded tenfold would have been well above average. When Jesus spoke of crops that produced harvests of thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold—percentages that were unthinkably high—His listeners would have been stunned. Those kind of results would have been unheard of.

THE PURPOSE: THE REASON FOR PARABLES

And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.” And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? (4:9–13)

Jesus concluded His parable with a statement of warning and judgment. Not everyone who heard Him speak was able to understand the truth He was explaining. The meaning of the parable would only be revealed to those whose hearts were ready to receive it; for the rest it was an unsolvable riddle. Thus He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” The religious leaders, along with many of the laypeople in the multitudes, had already rejected Jesus. The judgment on them was that their hearts and ears were closed to His teachings. Consequently, they were not given any interpretation of the parables. Yet, Jesus’ statement served as an invitation to believers who were willing to listen. To them He gave the explanation.

As soon as He was alone, meaning the crowds had left and Jesus was surrounded only by His closest disciples, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. According to Matthew 13:10, “The disciples came and said to Him, ‘Why do You speak to them in parables?’” They did not understand why Jesus chose to address the crowds using unexplained analogies and spiritual enigmas. Why did He tell stories without explaining what they meant? In part, the disciples’ consternation was motivated by their own lack of understanding (Mark 4:13). Even they did not know how to interpret the parable until the Lord explained the meaning to them.

Jesus offered a twofold explanation for using parables: to conceal truth from the hard-hearted while revealing it to those who believed. Thus, He was saying to them, “To you [who believe in Me] has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside [who have rejected Me] get everything in parables.” The followers of Christ possessed the ears to hear, and Jesus willingly disclosed the meaning to them. When Jesus told a parable to those who believed, it was a revelation of grace that made spiritual truth clear.

The word mystery (musterion) refers to spiritual truth that was previously hidden but now has been revealed. In modern times, the word “mystery” is often used to speak of unexplainable events, unsolved crimes, or the intriguing plot of a detective novel. In ancient Rome, members of pagan cults, called “mystery religions,” developed clandestine rites and prided themselves on possessing secret knowledge. In Scripture, mystery does not refer to any of those ideas. New Testament mysteries consist of revelations and explanations of divine truth that were not fully understood by believers before the New Testament era.

In this context, the mystery is the kingdom of God, a reference to the realm of salvation. Though God reigns over everyone and everything, the kingdom of salvation consists only of those who belong to Him through saving faith. Because they have genuinely embraced Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, believers have been rescued by God “from the domain of darkness, and transferred … to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:13–14). Moreover, they have been adopted into the family of God (Rom. 8:14–17). They no longer belong to this world system (cf. 1 John 2:16–17). Instead, they are citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20), their true home.

Jesus’ parables served an entirely different purpose for unbelievers: to hide the truth from them. For those who were outside the kingdom, like the religious leaders who had just declared Jesus to be demonic (Mark 3:22), the parables were left unexplained and therefore sounded like nothing more than riddles. The fact that, from this point forward, the people would get everything in parables was an act of divine judgment on their persistent unbelief (cf. Matt. 13:34–35). Jesus illustrated this point by referencing Isaiah 6:9–10: so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven. Though written some seven centuries earlier, those words from Isaiah provided an apt description of the unbelieving Israelites in Jesus’ day. During Isaiah’s ministry, the people repeatedly ignored the prophet’s warnings until their consciences were so seared, and their spiritual senses so dulled, that they no longer had any ability to understand or respond. God allowed them to harden their hearts to the point that they could no longer repent. Consequently, divine judgment on Israel, executed through the instrument of Nebuchadnezzar’s invading armies, became inevitable. Jesus’ parables represented a similar form of judgment on the intractable unbelief He encountered in the first century. Due to the people’s repeated rejection of His clear teachings and undeniable miracles, from this point on Jesus would frame His teachings in a way they could not understand. Unable to comprehend the truth, they would never return and be forgiven. Thus, they would face God’s wrath. Historically, divine judgment came upon the apostate nation of Israel in A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. Eternally, that judgment came when those who had rejected Jesus died and were cast into the everlasting torments of hell.

Both the curious crowds and the religious leaders had been given more than enough time and evidence to conclude that Jesus was the Messiah. Their unbelief persisted, growing increasingly resolute until it passed the point of no return (cf. Mark 3:28–30). Consequently, divine judgment had set in. Their willful rejection of the Son of God had led to God’s judicial rejection of them. God confirmed them in their resolute hard-heartedness, allowing them to remain cemented in their own unbelief. Because their rejection was final, the time had come when they would no longer be given the message.

Jesus directed the focus back to His disciples when He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?” Clearly they did not. He continued, “How will you understand all the parables?” By asking that second question, the Lord motivated them to listen carefully as He explained its meaning. As Jesus’ words indicate, understanding the parable of the soils was key to interpreting any subsequent parables. If the disciples could not comprehend such fundamental truths about salvation and the gospel, they would not be able to grasp later truths that built on that foundation. On a practical level, it was critical for Jesus’ disciples to understand why His message was being rejected by so many. They, too, would be heralds of the gospel who would experience similar treatment from unbelievers. Yet, their evangelistic efforts would not be in vain. Though not all would listen, some would, and those who responded in faith would bear abundant fruit.

THE POINT: THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE

The sower sows the word. These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (4:14–20)

Although this parable is popularly known as the “parable of the sower,” the sower is not at all the focus of Jesus’ analogy. In fact, no details about the sower are given. The seed that is sown is the word of God, the biblical message of salvation (cf. Luke 8:11). In Matthew 13:37, while explaining the parable of the wheat and tares, Jesus noted that “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.” Jesus’ mission was to preach “the gospel of God” (Mark 1:14), proclaiming the message of salvation (cf. 1:38). Paralleling that parable, it is obvious that the sower in the soils story refers to anyone who disseminates the message of the gospel.

Only mentioning the sower and the seed briefly, Jesus’ main emphasis fell on the types of soil. According to Matthew’s account, the soil represents the hearts of those who hear the gospel preached to them (13:19). The message of salvation is received differently by different people. Many may demonstrate a superficial and temporary interest in the gospel, but only those whom the Spirit of God has supernaturally prepared will respond in true faith and bear lasting fruit (cf. John 6:67). Jesus’ words would have been both clarifying and encouraging to the disciples—those whom He would soon commission to preach the gospel to all nations (cf. Matt. 28:18–20). On the one hand, this parable prepared the disciples for their evangelistic task by equipping them to expect some to respond positively to the gospel while others reject. On the other hand, it encouraged them with the knowledge that God was already at work in the hearts of His elect—cultivating the soil so that it would be ready to receive the seed of the gospel.

The Lord was preparing His disciples, and all subsequent generations of Christian evangelists, to expect four basic responses to the preaching of the gospel: the unresponsive, the superficial, the worldly, and the receptive.

THE UNRESPONSIVE, ROADSIDE SOIL

These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. (4:15)

The hard, uncultivated dirt that covered the pathways throughout Galilee provided the perfect analogy for a hard, unreceptive heart. The ones who are beside the road where the word is sown are so calloused by their unbelief that the seed of the gospel is unable to penetrate at all. The same sun that gives life to the seed planted in good soil hardens the clay of unbelief in the hearts of these rejecters. The reason such people fail to receive the gospel is not due to any deficiency in either the skill of the sower or the power of the seed but rather to their own willful unbelief. Having continually resisted the truth about Christ, their hearts have become hard like pavement. Their calloused animosity toward the truth is so great that, when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. Refusing to believe, they remain enslaved to the prince of darkness (Eph. 2:1–2).

Satan (the “evil one,” Matt. 13:19) is “the god of this world [who] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4). In his efforts to thwart the advance of the gospel, Satan may use any number of means to take away the word which has been sown. During the ministry of Jesus, the primary stumbling block to belief came from Israel’s religious establishment. The Pharisees and Sadducees, who disguised themselves as angels of light (cf. 2 Cor. 11:14), were in reality agents of Satan (John 8:44). They openly opposed Jesus and denied His authority (cf. Mark 2:7; 3:22). They promoted an external system of works righteousness that was diametrically opposed to the true gospel of grace (cf. Matt. 23:1–39). Moreover, they used their influence to pressure people into following their lead (cf. John 7:13; 12:42). In the centuries since, Satan has continued to use false teachers, hypocritical religion, and the fear of men to keep the gospel from penetrating unbelieving hearts.

THE SUPERFICIAL, STONY SOIL

In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. (4:16–17)

When the seed fell on the stony ground, it penetrated the soil and even sprouted quickly but soon died. The stony soil, then, represents people who, in spite of their initial excitement, ultimately reject the gospel. Because their faith is not genuine, Jesus compared them in a similar way to those described by the roadside soil. The only difference is that their hard-heartedness is not initially apparent, being buried beneath the surface.

At first, the stony soil looks good. As Jesus explained, these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. The initial response of some to the gospel is emotional and dramatic. Every external indication seems to indicate genuine faith. In reality, however, their faith is shallow and temporary. Their feelings were affected, but their hearts were not transformed. Consequently, they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary. Beneath the thin veneer of outward enthusiasm lies an impenetrable layer of unrepentant unbelief, like a ribbon of bedrock that is not immediately visible.

The superficiality of their commitment is evidenced when affliction or persecution arises because of the word. Forced to count the cost of following Christ, the true nature of their interest in the gospel becomes evident. Rather than enduring suffering for the sake of the gospel, their faith collapses at the first sign of self-sacrifice and trouble. Unable to persevere, because their faith in the gospel does not go deeper than the surface, immediately they fall away under the pressure of hardship.

The phrase fall away translates a form of the Greek word skandalizō, meaning to offend or cause to stumble, from which the English word “scandalize” is derived. When their faith is put to the test (cf. John 8:31; 1 John 2:19), these false believers stumble, fall, and are scandalized on account of the persecution they face. Because their faith in Christ lacks a genuine sorrow over sin, a sincere repentance, a heartfelt hunger for righteousness, and a deep love for the Savior, it has never truly taken root. Inevitably, when the going gets tough, they abandon their superficial commitment to the Lord. True believers, by contrast, possess a faith that endures persecution and even martyrdom for the sake of following Christ (cf. Luke 9:23–25; 2 Tim. 3:12).

THE WORLDLY, THORNY SOIL

And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (4:18–19)

The ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns, like the rocky soil, look good on the surface, but underneath the ground is contaminated by dormant thorns and weeds. The word thorns (akantha) refers to a thorny bramble common to the land of Israel and frequently found in cultivated soil. (This same word is used in Matt. 27:29 to refer to the crown of thorns placed on Jesus’ head at His crucifixion.) When the seed begins to grow, a thorny weed sprouts alongside it, eventually choking out the good plant so that it cannot bear fruit. The weed-infested soil represents the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Unlike the hard-hearted resistance of the roadside soil or the shallow emotionalism of the rocky soil, those represented by the thorny soil are double minded. Rather than possessing a singular love for Christ, their hearts remain captivated by a love for the world. Their preoccupation with the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things exposes the true allegiance of their hearts. As Jesus explained in the Sermon on the Mount,

Few barriers to the gospel are more deceptive or deadly than worldliness and the love of money. The apostle Paul warned that “the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim. 6:10). The apostle John issued a similar admonition:

A love for the world and a love for the word are incompatible and mutually exclusive; the one will choke out the other. Those who truly love Christ will forsake the world. Conversely, those who love the world will forsake Christ and thus be spiritually unfruitful.

THE GOOD, RECEPTIVE SOIL

And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. (4:20)

Jesus contrasts the three types of poor soil with the soft, clean, and fertile soil of true belief. He describes genuine disciples as the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil. Their hearts have been prepared by God Himself (cf. John 6:44, 65), cultivated and tilled by the Holy Spirit (cf. John 16:8–11), so that when they hear the word, they accept it (cf. Paul’s words in 1 Thess. 2:13: “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe”). The truth of God’s Word takes deep root in them. Neither Satan nor the world can thwart the saving effect of the gospel when it is deposited in a heart prepared by God to receive it. By including the good soil in His parable, Jesus sought to encourage His disciples and, by extension, all other believers who proclaim the truth of His gospel. Though many hearers will reject the gospel—due to hardness, shallowness, and worldliness—there will always be some whom God has prepared to receive the good news of salvation (cf. Isa. 6:8–13).

True believers, those characterized by the good soil, do not merely accept the gospel mentally, they are transformed by it through the power of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, they inevitably and necessarily bear fruit. As Jesus explained to His disciples in John 15:5–8, using a different agricultural metaphor:

As Jesus’ words indicate, fruit-bearing is the ultimate mark of those who genuinely believe (John 8:31; 14:15). Having been made alive by the Spirit of God (cf. Eph. 2:4–5), they produce “fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matt. 3:8), “the fruit of righteousness” (Phil. 1:11; cf. Col. 1:6), and “the fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22–23). Though believers are not saved by doing good works (Eph. 2:8–9), those who are truly saved will give evidence of their new life in Christ through the fruit of obedience (Eph. 2:10; cf. Matt. 7:16–20; 2 Cor. 5:17).

Jesus often included a surprising element in His parables. The harvest He described here, of thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold, went far beyond anything farmers in the first century experienced. Those figures represent yields of 3,000, 6,000, and 10,000 percent. As noted above, natural yields were less than eightfold, and a crop that produced tenfold would have been extraordinary. Yet, the fields of which Jesus spoke were exponentially more productive. When the gospel goes forth, empowered by the Spirit of God, the results are supernatural.

All believers are called to be witnesses to the gospel of Jesus Christ (cf. Matt. 28:18–20). They are not to tamper with the seed, nor can they cultivate the soil. Rather, they are to faithfully cast the gospel message. As they do, they can expect the responses they receive to fall into one of these categories. Some will reject outright, due to hard-heartedness. Others will demonstrate a superficial interest, only to fall away when hardship comes. Still others will profess a love for Christ while simultaneously nurturing a deadly affection for the world. Finally, there will be some who genuinely receive the gospel. They will humbly turn from their sins and wholeheartedly embrace the Lord Jesus as their Savior and King. The genuineness of their profession will be demonstrated by the abundant fruit of their transformed lives, as they walk in obedience and faith.

On the one hand, knowing that many will reject the gospel enables believers to approach evangelism with proper expectations. On the other hand, knowing that some will truly believe ought to serve as a great encouragement. In evangelism, Christians are privileged to participate in an enterprise that cannot fail. Those whom God is sovereignly drawing to Himself will be saved. If He has prepared the soil of their hearts, the seed will invariably take root and bear abundant fruit.

Although there can be many explanations for why people reject the message of salvation, true repentance is only explainable as a supernatural work of God (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25). All sinners are born with hearts that are hard, shallow, and worldly. Speaking of their preconversion state, Paul told the Ephesians,

The unredeemed heart is incapable of making itself ready to receive the gospel. Only God can transform that which is cold, calloused, and dead into something vibrant, receptive, and full of life. As Paul went on to say, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (vv. 4–5).

What a comfort it is to know that soil preparation is God’s work. He supplies both the seed of His Word and the power of His Spirit. He readies the soil, working in the hearts of those whom He is drawing to Himself. The task of the evangelist is simply this: to disseminate the seed through the faithful proclamation of the gospel. Having fulfilled that responsibility, believers can rest in the sovereignty of God, knowing that His Word will bear fruit in the hearts and lives of those whom He has called.