Growing In Fertile Soil

It was 4: PM on Sunday evening, and I was enjoying the conclusion of the Masters Golf Tournament...my favorite tournament of the year. As I was watching the golf, I began thinking about the Sunday evening meeting which was to begin in just two hours. I found myself writing a song between golf shots. I grabbed my guitar and actually taught it to the congregation that night before we began our second study entitled "Don't Waste Your Life." I think I'll make it our theme song for the Sunday evening series. It's a simple little song. By popular demand, here's the words.













This Sunday morning I continue in the gospel of Mark, chapter 4:1-20. Jesus tells the parable of the sower. The traditional teaching of this parable interprets the seed as the gospel. The 4 soils as 4 different responses to the gospel. I have a few questions to ask Sunday. Here a portion of the text with a couple of my questions.

Mark 4:10-12
10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.
11 And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,

Q. Who are those on the outside? Unbelievers

Q. What are parables? Simple stories which illustrated a spiritual truth.

Q. Why did Jesus use parables? Two reasons…
1) to reveal spiritual truth to His followers.
2) to hide spiritual truth from "outsiders."

12 so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN." Quoting Isaiah

Again… Why did Jesus speak and teach in parables?
To keep those on the outside on the outside.

Q. What is the seed? The word. Verse 14 says, "The sower sows the word.”
Matthew refers to the seed as "the word of the kingdom." (13:19)

Word = Gk. logos …or the Truths of the Kingdom.

So the “seed” the sower sows can be more than the salvation message (gospel).

Here are three important conclusion which may shift the traditional view of the parable of the sower.

1. Therefore, the soils should not purely be seen as responses to the gospel, but responses to the Word.

2. Remember, the truths of the parables were not going to the unsaved.
LOGIC: According to the traditional view of the second soil, how could the Word (parable) be received with joy by an unbeliever when it’s designed to be not receivable. To the unbeliever, the Word is referred to as foolishness. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (1 Corinthians 2:14).

3. So the “word,” the seed being sown into the hearts of people are the truths of the Kingdom of God.

That can only occur in believers lives and hearts.


So allow me to offer another view of the 4 soils.
Instead of describing 4 types of responses to the Gospel, could it be that the 4 soils describe 4 different ways a person responds to the Word of the Kingdom? INCLUDING BELIEVERS.

Sunday morning @ 10:30...for the rest of the story.