4 Soils
Sitting beside a lake, Jesus is surrounded by a crowd of people, presumably full of men and women who want to follow Him. They will all hear His message, but Jesus knows that not all of them will truly believe. He tells a parable that explains the differences in the hearts in front of Him that day.
Beginning in Matthew 13:3, Jesus story begins with a farmer who is scattering seed. The seed lands on four different types of ground or soil:
Some of the seed lands on hard ground and is quickly snatched by birds. (vs. 4)
Some seeds fall on rocky soil and while the seed initially grows quickly, it doesn’t take root and withers under the hot sun. (vs 5-6)
Some seeds land on thorny soil. These seeds grow for a while but are eventually choked out by the thorns so they don’t produce a crop. (vs. 7)
Only the seeds on the fertile or good soil thrive. They grow and bear a crop of 30, 60, or 100 times more than what was planted. (Vs 8)
In verse 18, Jesus explains what the parable means. The seed in the story is God’s Word and the Good News of salvation through Jesus. The different soils or grounds are the hearts of people who hear the message. Though Jesus has a crowd of people right in front of Him who represent these soils, we still reflect these four soils today.
The hard soil is the person who doesn’t hear the message with understanding. The enemy snatches away the seed planted and it can’t grow (vs. 19). This person has a hard heart and may be part of the crowd listening to Jesus and sitting in church week after week. They hear the message but once they leave the gathering, they really don’t think about it again.
The rocky soils is the person who initially accepts the message with joy. They hear the message and agree. They passionately walk it out for a short time, but as soon as they are challenged by a non-believer or the “easier” path of sin, the fire is extinguished, likely to be reignited and extinguished again later. They don’t have any roots (in God’s Word, accountability, prayer, etc.) so they fall away as soon as things get hard (vs. 20-21).
The thorny soil hears God’s Word and accepts it. The thorny heart agrees with the message and tries to live it out. However, it doesn’t bear fruit because worldly things (money, success, approval, etc.) get in the way as more important (vs. 22). Their fruit never comes to maturity because they don’t tend to it as a priority. They are too busy to feed their faith to help it grow.
The fertile or good soil truly receives God’s Word. It is willing to stand firm when things are hard or they’re left all alone because of their faith. God is their true priority so they weed out any thorns that try to creep in (vs. 23). The Good soil is a true believer.
Biblically, a true believer (the good soil) not only trusts in Jesus as Savior, but also as their Lord. Even though they aren’t perfect, the align their life to God’s Word and repent when they miss the mark. Jesus says it this way-
John 15:8a | When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples.
Which soil represents God’s followers?
Do you think the other soils are saved? Why or why not?
What does fruit in the lives of Jesus’ followers look like?
After reading your Bible or going to church, do you remember and live out what you learn? Based on your answer, which soil do you most represent?
If your life doesn’t look like the good soil, are you worried? Why or why not?