Soil and Seed, You and Me

N.T.#535 "Soil and Seed, You and Me"

April 23, 2025 

Luke 8-Part 2

A large crowd from many towns had gathered to hear Jesus. They came to see His miracles and hear Jesus' teachings. Jesus used metaphors and illustrations, but this is the first parable in Luke's writings. 

Jesus told the crowd a parable, which we consider a heavenly story with an earthly meaning. It teaches us a life lesson. 

In the Greek, parable refers to a fictious narrative (of common life conveying a moral). 

This parable is about a farmer who scatters seeds across his field. We call it a parable of the seeds, but it is actually a parable of the soils. The seeds land on 4 various types of soil:

1. The first type of soil where seed landed on was a footpath where it was trodden upon and eaten by birds. (If seed survived the trampling, then it became a treat for the birds)
2. The second type of soil was rocky ground. The seed began to grow into plants with the rocks but wilted and died for a lack of moisture. (A slab of limestone could have been just under the surface. Roots could not push down into the soil for nourishment to grow and anchor the plant.)
3. The third type of soil had thorns that grew up with the seeds' plants, but the plants were eventually choked out and died. (Grain stalks wouldn't compete with briars, weeds, nor brambles. Those could grow as high as 6 feet tall.)
4. The other soil was good, fertile ground for the seed to grow and produce a crop of a hundred times as much as was planted. (Grain stalks had ample opportunity to grow. The harvest was a great return for the farmer's investment.) (New Living Translation, Swindoll's Living Insights on Luke)

We studied this parable back in Matthew 13 and Mark 4. It must have been important for us to have it recorded 3 times, wouldn't you say? 

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can understand the parables of Jesus. The Lord promised to teach anyone willing to learn. Parables equip serious disciples of Jesus while repelling hostile skeptics. (Swindoll)

Do we have a willingness to understand what Jesus is teaching us? Do we have spiritual discernment? 

LET IT GROW

What does this parable mean? You may be wonder the same thing as the disciples. They know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but others are given parables in order to learn, but they don't understand it.

Isaiah 6:9 uses an idiom, seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not see. 

They Lord sent Isaiah to rebuke the leaders of Israel but was warned that they would not understand with their hearts, return to God, and be healed. It was a heart problem not a head problem. Willing hearts will comprehend, but rebellious hearts will not. The natural mind can't grasp what God has to say to His people. 

Maybe the crowd was looking for a military leader or a political Messiah, so they were blinded by their own preconceived ideas. Jesus faced the same kind of reaction by people as did Isaiah. So may we.

Which are we? Will we see and hear with our hearts the meaning of this parable? Tomorrow we will study Jesus' explanation of it.

LET IT GO

Are our spiritual eyes and ears open to what God has to say to us?

Help us understand what You have to say to us, Lord Jesus.

May we show fruit of the Spirit today.

Forgive us when we do not.

Keep us in Your will, walking in Your ways.