Today, we are finishing the second part of A Fruitful Life, taken from the familiar “Parable of the Sower” in Mark 4:11-20. In the previous episode, we examined the skill of the sower, the quality of the seed, and the first type of soil—the soil of the footpath. Today, we’ll look at three more types of soil—rocky, thorny, and good. When we understand the condition of our soil, we can make it our goal to allow the Word of God, in the hands of the Spirit of God, to plow deeply in our hearts and help us bear fruit that brings God glory.
We are honored and happy to be with you today. Thank you so much for being there as we continue looking into the parable of the Sower, or, as J Mark mentioned last time, the parable of the soils. I find it amazing how the Word of God is never exhausted. We can read and study it all our lives, but we will never reach the point where we know everything there is to know about a specific passage. Actually, it usually works the opposite way; those who study the hardest and know the most recognize how much there is to learn. They understand how little they know in comparison to what could be learned.
Today, we are finishing the second part of A Fruitful Life, taken from this familiar parable in Mark 4. Even though we have all heard this before, let’s pay attention to what God is revealing to us now.
In the previous episode, we began studying Mark 4:1-20, Jesus’ parable of the soils. We examined the skill of the sower, the quality of the seed, and the first type of soil, the soil of the footpath. Today, we’ll look at three more types of soil and the yields of good, productive soil.
The second kind of soil is the rocky soil. Luke and Matthew’s accounts of this teaching help our understanding by describing this kind of soil as “stony places” or “stony ground.” In other words, the soil was shallow, and beneath it was bedrock.
This kind of soil will absorb the sun’s warmth more quickly than soil with greater depth. So, it’s no surprise that the seed would sprout quickly and spring up in this type of soil. However, the same shallowness that allows rapid warming also means it will dry out faster.
There were those in the crowd because it was “the place to be.” There was excitement about this itinerant preacher. Many had heard and seen how He could heal illnesses and disabilities with just a touch or a word. He could command evil spirits to leave the oppressed, and they dared not defy Him. What a great man He was, and what a joy it was to see his ministry.
Later, when the crowds called for His death, some of those same people were there. John 9:22 tells us the religious leaders threatened the ordinary people that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, they would be “put out of the synagogue.” So that was the end of their identification with Jesus. Their response proved what Jesus said about them: they had no roots. When they were persecuted because of the Word, they turned away from Him.
People today respond to the Gospel at large crusades. They get caught up in the emotion of the moment and are surrounded by thousands who are praising the Lord and praying. With all that emotional and vocal support, they “accept Jesus Christ as Savior.” However, many make this choice without fully considering the cost of their decision. They forget —or haven’t been told —that becoming a Christ-follower involves discipleship; Jesus demands total surrender.
When they face ridicule from friends or family, it catches them off guard, and many give up. When the Holy Spirit asks them to break off ungodly relationships or get rid of their porn collection, or empty the liquor cabinet, that’s farther than they want to go.
Is this the type of soil your life represents? Are you with Jesus until a personal cost is involved, until the Holy Spirit asks you to make changes in your lifestyle? Are you with Jesus when it’s popular, but silent or absent when He’s unpopular?
In the natural world, most farmers who have areas where bedrock lies just a few inches below the surface will abandon those areas. They are unsuitable for growing crops, and there’s little they can do about it. But in the spiritual realm, that underlying bedrock can be broken up.
The prophet Jeremiah speaks of this. “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” If we allow the Spirit of God to take the Word of God and penetrate our hardened hearts, that brokenness can lead to productive soil that will bring forth fruit. However, that breaking may be very painful and come at a tremendous personal cost. That’s why Jesus said that His followers must be prepared to give up EVERYTHING.
And then Jesus moves on to the thorny soil. “Why sow precious seed among thorns?” I think Luke’s record of this provides the answer. He wrote, “Some [seed] fell among thorns, and the thorns SPRANG UP WITH IT and choked it.”
Many varieties of thorny vines are rhizomes; that is, their root systems spread beneath the soil. In the winter, the old growth dies and deteriorates. In the spring, new growth will emerge from those underground root systems. Depending on how the soil was prepared to receive the seed, the sower would not see any evidence of the thorns. That area of the soil may look just as good as all the other areas.
In verses 18 and 19 of our text, Jesus explains the characteristics of the thorny soil. As the young stalks of grain and the young thorns grow together, literally becoming intertwined, the thorns overtake the grain and choke out its life until it is dead! Death precludes any possibility of bringing fruit to maturity.
Let me pause here to note something I think is essential. Except for the very first soil —the hard-packed path —each of the other soils appeared suitable for sowing the seed. However, what lay beneath the surface was crucial in determining whether a crop would be produced.
Jesus said the thorny soil represents those who, as they are going forth, are “strangled” with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. As a result, they bring no fruit to perfection or maturity. Let’s examine the things Jesus mentioned that strangle these fruitless plants.
First, cares. What cares prevent fruit? Matthew and Mark refer to “cares of the world.” Jesus is talking about a preoccupation with the affairs of this life, where I invest my time and energy in things that may not be sinful, but they distract me from what is most important. My thought processes are patterned after the ways of the world rather than after God’s ways. Many people claim they want to follow Christ and be fruitful, but they struggle to find time in their busy schedules to make it a reality.
Next, Jesus mentions riches. Maybe you’re not rich. However, the Scriptures warn us that it is “those who have a desire to be rich that fall into a snare and many foolish and hurtful desires.” I’ve found that preoccupation with ‘stuff’ can easily strangle my relationship with Jesus.
Both Matthew and Mark use the phrase “the deceitfulness of riches.” What is deceitful about riches? They promise what they cannot deliver. They promise relaxation but bring tension. They promise security but promote worry. They promise freedom but bring slavery.
Finally, in Luke’s record, Jesus mentions pleasures. The Greek word is hedone. It is the root of the English word “hedonism,” referring to the doctrine or belief that the primary goal in life is pleasure or happiness.
What then is the outcome of this thorny soil? Sadly, it brings no fruit to maturity. The prophet Jeremiah wrote to the people of Israel in this way. “For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.” That’s Jeremiah 4:3, written in the context of idolatrous and pleasure-seeking people.
When you and I stand before God to give an account of what we’ve done for Him, what will He say? Will the things we’ve accomplished in life be considered wood, hay, and stubble, things that will burn up? Do you and I want to enter His presence with no eternal rewards? If we allow the cares of life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the pursuit of pleasure to determine our life choices, that is where we will find ourselves. No fruit to offer the Master; how tragic!
The final soil quality Jesus identifies is the good soil. This is the soil type I want for my life. Luke describes the good soil as those followers of Christ who have an honest and good heart. Matthew calls them those who hear and understand the Word. As you meditate on both descriptions and examine the words Jesus used, you discover a key concept: obedience.
Mark says that the good soil is represented by those who hear the Word of God and keep it. That means they hold it fast, they embrace it, and they make it a part of their daily living. They see truth as essential to fruit-bearing, not incidental to it.
They understand that good soil doesn’t just happen. Good soil must be cultivated; stones must be removed, and weeds must be rooted out. Soil health must be maintained through fertilization and crop rotation. There is a need for conservation to prevent soil erosion and depletion of valuable nutrients. Maintaining good soil is HARD WORK!
What are you doing to maintain healthy, productive soil? It won’t just happen on its own; it will take diligent effort on your part. In your pursuit of bringing fruit to maturity, you will probably miss out on some things that others find pleasure in. But their enjoyment is only temporary. The fruit produced by a godly life will bring its reward now and in eternity. Good soil will be rewarded for faithfulness!
The Final INGREDIENT (necessary for a fruitful life) is,
The Quantity in the Storehouse
In verse 8 of our text, Jesus states that the good soil brought forth thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. Not all good soil is identically productive. A hundredfold means the seed produced one hundred times more than what was sown.
This is what you and I can expect if we cooperate with God in maintaining good soil in our hearts. We must begin by having the disposition to hear. That must be followed by a willingness to have the bedrock of our pride and self-righteousness smashed; broken to bits by the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. Add to that the rejection of worldly priorities and pleasures, and the pursuit of riches. It includes an honest and good heart that embraces the Word in every area of life, even when it means being in the minority among professing Christ-followers. But Jesus promises that a life of fruitfulness will follow those who understand these factors.
Having delivered the parable, Jesus cries out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” That is, let him hear with a heart inclined to obedience. Will you and I listen to Jesus?
Do you want lasting fruit from your life? I do. For that to happen, we need to understand the critical INGREDIENTS necessary for a fruitful life.
First, we must understand the Sower’s skill. His skill is unmatched, and He scatters the seed liberally everywhere, hoping that even the least productive ground will yield some fruit.
Second, we must understand that the seed of God’s Word is of the highest quality. There is nothing that can compare to it in purity and potential.
Third, we must understand the condition of the soil and make it our goal to allow the Word of God, in the hands of the Spirit of God, to plow deeply in our hearts. The more we submit to God’s Word, the less the things of earth will attract us. We will be able to concentrate on what matters, bearing fruit to God’s honor and glory.
And finally, we must understand the quantity in the storehouse. Our rewards will be based on our faithfulness to the Master and how we have ministered to His needs. Jesus said we minister to Him by serving others. What is in your storehouse today? Are you living a fruitful life?
Thanks, J Mark, for explaining the parable in this way, and that was a nice summary there at the end. This lesson was two parts, so if you missed the first part, it was a summary of the last time. He finished with the question, “Are you living a fruitful life?” It seems to me that everyone is living a fruitful life; we are all making fruit. The question is, what type of fruit is it? Are your choices and decisions bearing good fruit? If not, you are bearing bad fruit. That’s the only other option. God help us do what we can to bring forth good fruit.
If you want to review this lesson or the first part of this teaching, please let us know. You can reach us by email or the internet. Our email address is [email protected], and our website is heraldsofhope.org. There, go to the “partner” tab at the top. Under this tab, you will see “contact us”; from there, you can message us directly. Please get in touch with us using the method that is easiest for you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thanks so much for being with us today. Thinking about fruit and bringing forth good fruit made me think about the fruit of the Spirit. Let’s close with the thought from Galatians 5, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Notice this is the fruit of the Spirit, singular. It is not fruits, and with God’s help, many of these fruits increase in us.
