The Good Soil

By F. D. Adkins

A couple of weeks ago, I put together a short reel about Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed. I read the parable multiple times, thinking about how I could sum it all up in a clip brief enough for social media and what images I could use to illustrate the story. As I read each scenario given for the seeds in the story, I could not help but reflect on some of my gardening skills because some of my mishaps would have made the perfect examples in the video. Anyway, the video seemed to be a success, and as I sat thinking about my blog this morning, for some reason, this story took front and center in my brain. I know this is a parable most are familiar with, and the takeaway seems so simple. But, from my experience in growing any sort of plants, flowers, or vegetables…, well, let’s just say that I completely understand the use of seeds as a comparison because just as desirable plants are not going to flourish if they are not tended to, our faith is not going to grow if we neglect to nurture it.

The first example is given in Matthew 13:4. “And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up” (KJV). In other words, the seed fell on hard ground. Since the soil was not soft or tilled, the seed just laid right there on top.

            Picture it… it has not rained in weeks. The yard is covered in bare spots, so I decide to toss out some grass seed. But I do not actually do anything to prepare the bare spots. I just scatter a few handfuls of seed and go back inside, thinking nature will run its course. A while later I look out the window and witness nature taking its course because the yard is full of happy birds devouring the feast that I have provided.

Jesus explains the meaning in Matthew 13:19. “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side” (KJV). The Word of God is heard, but not absorbed or understood. The heart is hard and untouched, so the devil quickly snatches it from any line of thought.

The second example comes in Mathew 5 and 6. “Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.”

            Although my mishap does not involve stones, it is the image that came to me when I read these verses. When my husband and I moved into the first house we built, I thought it would be so pretty to have hanging baskets on our front porch. So, we purchased four ferns. I had good intentions. I watered them every day. And every time I watered them, the water poured right through the holes in the bottom of the pots. After a couple of days, the ends of the leaves started to turn brown, and not too many days later, (I might have actually forgotten to water them that day), I came home to find no survivors. All four were withered and scorched from the hot sun.

In verses 20 and 21, Jesus explains, “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended” (KJV). My ferns looked good for a few days, but because the pot was not holding water, and the roots had no means in a hanging basket to extend those roots deep in the ground to reach the hydration they needed, they could not handle the heat. In the same way, some hear the Word of God and accept it for a bit, but when trouble arises and tribulation strikes, they cannot handle the heat and abandon their faith.

The third example appears in Matthew 13:7. “And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them” (KJV).

            When I look at my landscaping, I often wonder why weeds are so easy to grow. They need no attention at all, and they multiply faster than one can use a calculator. Yet, if I blink, the shrubs and flowers that I actually want to grow are overtaken by the weeds, and sometimes get to the point that I cannot decipher which is the plant and which is the weed.

Jesus interprets this example in Matthew 13:22. “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (KJV). As my plants get lost among the weeds, a person can hear the Word of God and accept it but have so many other priorities that they never grow or produce any spiritual fruit. The Word becomes buried beneath their worldly desires.

The final example is given in Matthew 13:8. “But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.”

            These would be the plants at my mother’s house. She seems to have a natural green thumb… a trait that was not passed on to me. My mother has always loved plants… and her house is surrounded by them inside and out. Of course, different types of plants have different needs and require different environments. My mother has studied and developed a wealth of knowledge on how to care for each one.

In Matthew 13:23, Jesus describes the seed in the good soil. “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (KJV).

My takeaway… if I want to grow in my walk with Christ and bear spiritual fruit, I need to nurture my faith. I need to read my Bible and absorb as much of God’s Word as I possibly can. I need to spend time with God. And I need to make my relationship with God my FIRST PRIORITY.