CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO LESSONS
THE CASE OF THE NOT-TOO-BRIGHT FARMER!
In Matthew 13 Jesus did the unexpected, he
did something he had never done before; he told parables. The word "parable" comes
from two Greek words, para and ballo, which together mean "to throw alongside." A
parable, like an illustration, makes a comparison between a known truth and
an unknown truth; it throws them alongside each other.
For example, consider the kissing case of two
high school kids infatuated with each other. Dave invariably walked Ellie
to her next class. Then when the tardy bell rang he took it as his cue
to lean toward her and give her a quick kiss goodbye. Unfortunately for
them the vice-principal happened to see this ritual one day and decided to
put some distance between the two lovebirds.
He checked the school records and found out
that Dave was approximately 5'6" tall while Ellie was about 5' tall. He
then called them into his office and told them that their feet could no longer
be within 10' 6" of each other. They could continue to see each
other but only from a distance of 10' 6" or greater. For anything
less than 10' 6" would invariably result in a triangle that they could
not afford to make.1
You see, when parables are understood they are
very effective. They are effective tools of instruction for at least
four reasons. First, they breath life into truth. You see,
most people think in terms of pictures, so it helps to take an abstract concept
such as a triangle and connect it to a memorable word picture. A picture
that has the breath of life in it. We may not know that the sum of any
two sides of a triangle must be greater than the third but we can picture and
empathize with Dave and Ellie being forced to stay 10' 6" away from each
other.
Second, a good parable makes truth portable. Truth
becomes portable because stories are easy to take out the door as you exit
the classroom. And, in remembering the story you will be able to recover
the primary lesson for the story contains all the necessary ingredients.
Third, a parable makes truth interesting. In
the dull black and white world of mathematics where right is right and anything
else is wrong triangles look too simple to be all that interesting. But
when we give life to them with a meaningful word picture the story grabs someone's
attention and holds it just long enough to teach them something they didn't
want to know in the first place.
Fourth, parables allow those who want to know
the truth to discover the depths of it. As a story is told we begin
to internalize its truth and slowly but surely see how it can be applied to
our world. Note! The depth of truth can only be discovered
by those who have favorably responded to the truth they have already been given. Or,
to put it another way, parables do a nice job of hiding the truth from those
who have turned away from the truth that was initially given to them.2
With this in mind lets look at the case of the
not-too-bright farmer as told by Jesus in Matthew 13:3 - 9. We read:
Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A
farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some
fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on
rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because
the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched,
and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns,
which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good
soil, where it produced a crop-a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9
He who has ears, let him hear."
Since there is more to hearing than meets the
ear, Jesus concluded this first parable with the words "He who has ears
let him hear." In other words, he who has willing ears, let him
hear. To those who have responded to the initial truth that the "kingdom
of heaven is near," it is the intent of Jesus to give additional truth. This
doesn't mean that when you become a Christian that you will receive instant
wisdom. It does mean that God intends to share the secrets of the kingdom
with you.
Nor does it mean that we're to simply sit and
wait until Jesus explains it to us. In this case the story is somewhat
puzzling because it appears that we have a very foolish farmer before us. He
broadcast his seed with a lavish hand, flinging it about with no regard for
where it lands. I don't know about you, but when I have watermelon
seeds or seeds of whatever kind, I am rather deliberate as to where I plant
them. But here in this parable we have what appears to be a very dumb
farmer. He broadcast seed here, there, and everywhere.
Consequently, the disciples pulled him aside,
according to Luke 8:9, and asked him what this parable meant. You will
note in both Matthew and Luke that Jesus didn't belittle them for not understanding
the story, he simply and readily explained it to them. In vv. 18 - 23
of Matthew we read:
"Listen then to what the parable of the
sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does
not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his
heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The one who received
the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once
receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short
time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls
away. 22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is
the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness
of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23 But the one who received
the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands
it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was
sown."
As explained, the seed is the good news of the
kingdom. It is the message that the kingdom of heaven is near in the
person of Christ, the incarnation of the invisible God. It is the message
that the King of kings has come to serve and to give his life as a ransom for
many. Or as Paul put it in Romans 1:16 - 17,
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is
the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the
Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel (in the coming of the
kingdom of heaven) a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that
is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous
will live by faith."
Though not mentioned, it should be noted that
seeds cannot be created by man. We are utterly dependent on what
grows and produces more seeds. And the only reason we have watermelons
in the first place is that God created watermelons or watermelon seeds which
in turn, regardless of which came first, produces more seeds.
The same is true with the seed which is the
word of God. We're not called upon to broadcast a message of our own
creativity. We are not to proclaim any message other than the message
contained in this book - the Bible. Nor are we to spend our time testing
the soil.
Yes, the condition of some soil is better than
that of others. Yes, some of the seed goes to waste or simply bears
no lasting fruit. But the story clearly tells us that this dumb
farmer lavishly broadcast the seed with no regard as to where it landed. Why? Because
you and I are terrible soil testers. We discount someone as having no
interest in the kingdom without realizing, or appreciating, that they may be
but one crisis away from having their interest aroused.
So what should the farmer do when he realizes
that some of the seed was evidently wasted? He should stay stupid!
The crux of Jesus' explanation, however, concerns
the conditions of the soil onto which the seed has landed. This is what
God wants us to comprehend. The soil, as spelled out for us in Luke 8:12,
is the human heart. And wherever the seed is sown, it falls on one of
four types of hearts.
The first heart condition is found in the individual
who has a heart of stone; a heart likened to a path trodden down by the traffic
of man and beast. The idea is not that they are incapable of understanding
but that they don't take the time to understand the Word. This individual
is aware of the seed but does not want to be bothered by it. Consequently,
Satan snatches it way and leaves the individual to go on his merry way.
Oddly enough, it is this very verse that touched
John Bunyan's heart and led him to Christ. At the time, he was regarded
as the most godless man in Bedford. He was so hardhearted that no Christian
had any hope for him. But he heard the story of the sower and said to
himself, "Even the devil knows that if a man believes the Word he will
be saved!" So he believed it, was saved, and went on to write Pilgrim's
Progress (two parts, 1678 and 1684).3
The second heart condition is described as rocky. The
idea here is that there are a few inches of earth on top of a broad shelf of
bedrock. This is shallow soil that reflects a shallow life, one that
drifts from one experience to another, never content with anything for very
long. The word used to describe this sort of person is literally the
word "seasonal." Seasonal in the sense of initially receiving
it with joy, but lasting only for a "short time." Whereas the
devil took care of the first person, the timidity of the flesh uproots this
person. In the heat of the summer they wither and are soon gone.4
The third heart condition, as seen in Matthew
13:22, is found in those who want everything. They are interested in
the gospel and actually understand it. But they are so busy with the
cares of this old world, as well as the attractiveness of the world, that they
don't take the time to meditate on the Word. They want everything the
kingdom offers and everything the world offers.
When Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy
he warned him of how dangerous the world could be with these words in I Timothy
6:6 - 11. We read:
But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People
who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish
and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For
the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money,
have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and
pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
And in II Timothy he wrote of one who had deserted
him because he loved the world more than he loved God. In II Timothy
4:9 - 10 we read:
Do your best to come to me quickly, 10
for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.
Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
When Paul needed someone by his side, when he
was on the verge of checking out, Demas deserted him. Whereas the devil
took care of the first person, while the flesh prompted the second one to cave
in, the world beckoned to Demas with its deceitfulness. For the world
is a fantasy land of false values designed to result in our defection and,
for all practical purposes, our demise.
The fourth heart condition, however, receives
the Word gladly and understands it. The seed remains long enough to
sprout, grow, and bear fruit. So while sowing the seed can be pretty
discouraging this last picture tells us that there is good soil out there;
soil ready and eager to receive the Word.
Nevertheless, when we look at this parable we
must admit that it puts its finger on more casualties than conquerors. We
ought not be surprised. After all, this world is the realm of the King's
archenemy, the enemy of our souls, Satan. He uses the culture in which
we live and he uses our natural bent toward selfish living to wage war against
the name that is above every name. And he does so in such a way that
we never hear a non-christian blaming Satan for destroying the lives of so
many.
Despite this reality, despite the fact that
you and I live in neighborhoods where so many are being used, abused, and destroyed
by Satan we ought to take heart. For in fact the sower continues to
sow to this day and the seed that he sows has life in it. If it didn't,
Satan wouldn't be so quick to snatch some of it away. Nor would he use
persecution and/or the glitter of the world to sideline those who show interest
in the kingdom of heaven. So take heart, there is life in the seed. So
much so that it has given Satan that worried look!
1 It's clear that the vice principal knew that the sum
of any two sides of a triangle must be greater than the third side. With
a distance of 10' 6" between Doug and Amber the two could not lean toward
each other and kiss. If they tried, they would fall flat on their faces
with only the tops of their heads touching which isn't all that romantic.
2 John MacArthur Jr., The Parables of the Kingdom, Study
Notes Matthew 13:1 - 52, Word of Grace Communications, P. O. Box 4000, Panorama
City, CA 91412, p, 19.
3 The story of John Bunyan illustrates that the condition
of the heart can change. A hardened heart can be softened by the circumstances
of life, by the kindness o f a neighbor, or by the Word itself.
4 Incidentally, the church sometimes plays a
role in the demise of this person. At times, we communicate the message
that if they would simply accept Jesus everything would be wonderful and neglect
to tell them the secret to living the Christian life.
JESUS & THE KINGDOM OF GOD 03/04/07 1
CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO LESSONS