Jesus
taught in parables. The Gospel of Mark
(chapter 4) contains a teaching that reveals much about the heart condition of
mankind.
"He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large
crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the
whole crowd was by the sea on the land. And
He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His
teaching, “Listen to this!
Behold, the sower went out to sow;
as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road,
and the birds came and ate it up. Other
seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil;
and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and
because it had no root, it withered away. Other
seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it
yielded no crop. Other seeds
fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop
and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” And He was saying, “He
who has ears to hear, let him hear”
(Mark 4:1-10).
If you
don't get it on the first reading, that's okay. Read it again. Even his
closest disciples had to have him explain it further a few verses later. Leaving the expanded explanation in the
Bible for you to read on your own, let me offer a few tidbits here.
For years I
only understood this parable to describe an initial conversion experience as a
response to the message of God's grace through the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. That interpretation is
certain, and I also believe this parable applies to everyday situations and
ongoing followership of Christ.
The seed
represents God's message to a person and the soil is a person's
response.
There are four basic types of receptivity to what God
speaks to humankind. The first can be
described as distraction. When a person
is too busy, or too pre-occupied with so-called important things, the Creator's
master design has no place of value in a person's life. An example of this might be when a person
develops a preventable health problem, but tries to ignore the symptoms and
avoids the simplest of adjustments to correct (ie. diet to consume less salt to
lower blood pressure). The laws of nature apply to all persons, for all times,
in all places. Pain is sometimes a
message to encourage a change for improving health.
The second
type of response gives a message from God some value initially, but then old
behaviors and habits override the new message.
The soil may be hard or contains rocks that do not allow roots to take
hold. The soil does not contain
supporting nutrients to grow a healthy plant.
An example of this might be a person is excited enough about a
particular diet to lose weight by working it a few months, and then gain the
weight back after losing interest.
The third
type of soil contain too many competing messages. The good seed is valued and begins to grow, but competing
pursuits become weeds and thorns that overtake the healthy plant. Negative messages crowd out the positive
messages and the soil can no longer support a healthy plant. An example might be a person who overcomes
an addiction to alcohol only to start drinking again because of the bad influence
of a friend or an additional stressor entered his life. A job, relationship, hobby, or even a good
cause can steer your life out of balance and rob you of energy and focus.
Fourthly, the soil produces a good crop. The plant flourishes and yields the kind of
fruit it was designed to produce. It
provides abundance of enjoyment and provision for pro-creative seeds for
replanting. For example, a person who
is using his time and talent for abundance in his own life and family, and also
to help others improve their quality of life as well.
Jesus
taught in parables to reveal the heart condition because he knew mere knowledge
of the truth is not enough. A person
must engage both the mind and heart in order for transformation of behavior. When
Jesus explains this parable further in verses 11-12 of Mark chapter 4, He
quotes the prophet Isaiah saying, “‘they may be ever seeing but
never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they
might turn and be forgiven!’” (Isaiah 6:9-10).
Forgiveness and healing come through receiving with gratitude the
message from God and applying it in practice. Hearing sounds and seeing sights
are merely sensory seeds that must be processed through the soil of the
heart.
Which type
of soil are you? Are you the one type
of soil in some circumstances and another type at other times? Do you think you hear certain kinds of
messages better than others? What
messages are easiest for you to hear?
What are the hardest? These may be difficult questions to answer,
but trying to answer questions like these may help you discern the condition of
your heart. Why is the condition of
your heart important? One reason is
given in an ancient Proverb, "Above all else,
guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" (Proverbs
4:23). Without good soil, a seed does
not sink below the earth's crust, cannot take root with space to grow, cannot
survive the crowding of the weeds, and simply will not produce a crop. But if the soil is cared for with plowing,
watering, and cultivating, an abundant harvest is the reward. Plowing, watering, and cultivating may be
likened to softening of your heart in areas of harness. Watering may involve feeding your spirit
inspirational content of faith and hope.
Cultivating is intentionally "weeding out" negative influences
and turning away from activities that lead down a destructive path.
May
I encourage you to make the effort to ensure your heart is the soil prepared
for abundance.
Note: The book Escaping the Pain of Offense: Empowered to Forgive
from the Heart discusses themes of dealing with disappointments, offense
and finding freedom in forgiveness.
This book is designed to help people (especially in the Christian
faith) to discover and dislodge things
in life that lead to defeat. Don't miss out on your chance to use this book as
a helpful tool in discovering Refuge in Christ. It can be purchased by clicking
here: http://bluerockbnb.com/healing/book_main.htm . If you get anywhere near
Pennsylvania for vacation or on business, be sure to look us up for lodging
at http://bluerockbnb.com
by Ed Hersh,
Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry
