"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't
put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams." (Mark 4:3-8 MSG)When they were off by themselves, those who were close to Jesus asked Him about the story. He explained that the seed is the Word of God, intended for fruitful planting in human hearts, but that not all of it produced a good harvest. If we too could ask our Lord Who sows the seed what His stories mean, our question might be, "As these still the hearts of people today, and the different ways that they receive truth?"
What would the Lord of Harvest say in reply?
Perhaps He would agree, "Yes, these are the hearts of people and their responses. But not always other people and not always different hearts. It is much more personal than that! I want to talk with you about your heart, and about your response which differs from time to time."
"Sometimes," He might say to us, "I sow the seed, my Word, upon your heart and it is like the seed which fell upon the travel-worn path and was devoured by the birds. You see, you hesitate at times to ask Me what I think about certain things. You may even draw back a bit from getting too close to Me, because you vaguely know that the truth I am casting your way is very close and personal. The enemy is always there when I talk to you, and if you do not quickly receive what I have to say, he snatches it away just like the birds that came and ate the seed the farmer planted. No, this seed falling by the wayside is not the harsh rejection of a calloused world. It can be your heart if you are not really ready to receive what I am saying to you."
And what about the stony ground?
"The stony ground too," the Lord might explain, "is sometimes what you offer me. Hearing my Word, you immediately receive it with gladness. I rejoice to see your eagerness to please Me, your willingness to do anything I ask. But you have no root! You endure only for a time, and then, when temptation comes or hardship arises from your obedience or others question it, you are offended. You welcome the truth in its seed state, but then you resist its growth and development! The maturing of truth is demanding, and sometimes I see with disappointment that you are not quite willing for that much stretching. Yes, the stony ground can be your heart.
And the ground full of weeds?
The Lord might have to say, "Some of My Word falls where thistles grow. When I see truth flourishing in your life, I am glad! But then I see other things crowding in. You involve yourself in too many things to do. You get too busy. The desire for communion with Me is dulled by other interests. Sometimes mere temporal things deceive you, and what should be only a part of your concern becomes disproportionately large. The patch of weeds is not the wandering prodigal with no use for God. It can be your heart, choked off from Me and unfruitful because it is bound by all the things that are not captured by My love."
Of course, wouldn't each of us respond, "Lord, I want my heart to be good, productive ground!"
Perhaps then the Lord's reply would be, "To be good ground, do this:
-- Hear the Word I give you. Do not let yourself be closed so that what I say is taken away from you; then your heart will not be like the hardened ground.
-- Receive My Word. Take it to yourself without reservation, and obey Me with all your heart continually. Do not fear it, but purposely nourish it; then your heart will not be as the stony gourd.-- Guard my Word jealously, for many things will seek to crowd and push against it. Maintain a oneness of purpose. Then your heart will not be as the thorny ground.
"Let your heart by listening and receptive and obedient! Then there will be fruit, for where I find such ground, I grow a huge harvest, exceeding your wildest dreams!"
MaryMartha
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
(Edit 11/12/09: I replaced the two clips previously shown on this page.)
Art from http://www.biblepicturegallery.com/free/ and http://www.sxc.hu/
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