'The problem isn't the seed, it's the soil'

This is the first of a mini-series of articles looking at the four soils in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13v1-23).

There’s a humorous little cartoon that does the rounds in Scotland every summer. Picture the scene: a Scottish man is reading out a Shakespeare sonnet to his beloved. Behind them is a window that reveals the lashing rain outside. "How dare you compare me to a summer's day!" she angrily growls to him. Hashtag summer in Scotland.

During the bitterly cold winter nights it’s often the thought of some June sunshine that gets you through. Yet when "summer" comes it often feels like an anti-climax. Surely there has to be more. We waited all year... for this? Is this it?

'Is this it?'

The Christian life can often feel like that. Indeed, as you read the Gospels you get the distinct sense that Jesus cares a lot about expectations. He’s set on teaching His disciples Kingdom truths to equip them for their "Is this it?" moments.

There’s something of that in the atmosphere of Matthew 13. In the immediate context, Jesus has performed many miracles that demonstrate the arrival of the Kingdom in the coming of the King. However, not everybody responds positively.

Matthew introduces the rejection theme. The Pharisees seek to besmirch Jesus publicly (12v24). His own family try to rebuke Jesus privately (12v46).

You can imagine the disciples trying to square the circle. Why doesn’t everyone see what they see? Moreover, when it comes to Jesus and the arrival of His Kingdom, Is this it?

Parables

To help them understand what they are witnessing playing out in front of them, Jesus proceeds to introduce them to the world of parables.

We’re used to thinking of Jesus’s parables as "heavenly stories with earthly meanings". Of course, that is wonderfully true. However, Jesus wants His disciples to discern another divine purpose as He quotes from Isaiah (13v14).

The Parables will have a dividing function: some people will hear them and conclude it’s nonsense – in that sense it will further their distance from the Kingdom; other people, however, will hear the same truth and for them it will open up a spiritual cave of wonders – in that sense, they will be drawn into the Kingdom, in that sense, the parables function something like an in-house joke.

Jesus proceeds to tell a parable about a sower. I do love how Jesus uses everyday metaphors to usher us into spiritual truths: the farmer sows seed, it's hit and miss work – what is Jesus getting at?

To some extent, the parable is the preacher's dream, as Jesus offers the accompanying interpretation. In this article, I want to consider the first of the four soils.

The seed that falls along the path

Jesus talks about the seed that falls along the path that the birds come and eat up. The devil comes and snatches the word away from the heart of the hearer. What is the expectation that Jesus is seeking to cement in the minds of His disciples in His and every generation?

The problem isn't the seed, it's the soil.

Every rejection of the gospel is a spiritual matter. So often when we faithfully present the gospel to people and they seem disinterested, we conclude that the problem is with us and our presentation of the gospel.

Jesus, however, is keen that we are perceptive to the spiritual battle that’s raging unseen to our eyes.

As it turns out, the issue isn’t so much that the cat got our tongues but that the bird got the seed: the devil snatches the gospel message away.

There are two things for us to notice here.

1. Firstly, it also means that we have a responsibility not to give the devil a helping hand. Do we allow breathing space for the Word to make an impact in our lives? Are we quick to change the conversation after the Sunday sermon? Are we slow to ask each other how we are really doing?
2. Secondly, only a miracle of grace will open people’s hearts to the beauty of the gospel. If you’re a believer, then this is your story. We were that rocky path. Praise God for His grace.

Sow and pray

I remember when I first heard this parable wondering why the farmer wouldn’t just focus on the most fertile soil? Shouldn’t this be called the parable of the haphazard farmer? Surely this farmer would benefit from some agricultural CPD! However, on closer inspection, that seems to be Jesus’s point.

So what is Jesus calling us to be?

There are some nights, as a parent, that I question whether it’s worth it. Family devotional times can feel less like a worship service and more like a trip to the zoo. But every day is a gospel-sowing day: in the lives of our children; in the lives of our non-believing family members and colleagues.

Spiritual work requires spiritual weapons.

Our job is not to pre-assess or determine the suitability of the soil; our job is to keep sowing the Word and trust God with the growth.

We might not see the fruit in our lifetimes; we might not see any fruit full stop; but God is accomplishing His purposes regardless, as His Word goes forth. There’s a wonderful freedom that comes when we trust our loving heavenly Father with the results.