“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” —LUKE 8:8

In the “Parable of the Sower”, Jesus talked about a farmer who scattered his seed. Some seed landed along a path that was trampled on and the birds of the air ate it. Some seed fell on rock, but the plants withered because there was no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns and grew with it, but their plants were choked by the thorns, and still other seed fell on good soil where the plants grew and yielded a plentiful crop.

The difference in the end result was not due to the sower; he sowed the seed in the same way, and not because of the seed; it was the same quality seed. The difference was in the soil. In this parable, Jesus is the sower, the seed is the word of God, and the soil represents the hearts of people. The significance of this story was to expose the people’s lack of understanding, and to sift them, identifying those who had an appetite for God from those who didn’t.

The seed eaten by the birds represents a shallow response to the word of God. It isn’t believed perhaps because of pride, indifference or resistance to living God’s way, so the seed simply lands on the surface and the devil snatches it away. The seed landing on rock is a superficial response where it is enthusiastically received, but has not taken root, and in times of testing, the people’s hearts fall away. The seed that lands among the thorns is a secular response, indicative of those who hear, but in the course of time, are choked by life’s worries and pleasures and never mature in their faith.

The seed that lands on good soil was the seed that took root in good and noble hearts, says Jesus; hearts that hear the word of God, retain it, and by persevering, produce a crop. Only a few were in tune with Jesus, and because they shared an intimacy with Him, they got hold of the meaning. Jesus said to them, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you…” (Luke 8:10).

Seed has only one objective when planted, and that is to produce a harvest. In the Christian life, it’s the heart that seeks Christ and abides in Him that allows the seed to germinate, come to life, persevere and produce fruit. The life is in the seed; not in the sower, nor in the soil, and when the word of God finds the right heart, it will create an appetite for God and godliness, which in turn, will create a harvest for Jesus.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I pray that I not only retain your word, but that it grows and ﬂourishes in me so that I may be used in producing fruit for You.

TO REFLECT UPON: In response to God’s word, which of the four categories does my heart fall in?