Attitudes Toward the Gospel Message

Luke 8:4-15

GOLDEN TEXT: “Take heed therefore how ye hear.”—Luke 8:18

THE parable of our lesson is a very simple statement of a matter familiar to Jesus’ hearers: A farmer sowed good seed, a portion of which fell on the pathway leading through the farm, where it was readily seen and quickly devoured by the birds. Some fell on stony ground, the soil of which was good enough but shallow, with the result that it sprang up quickly, made a good show at first, but soon withered under the heat of the sun. Other seed fell upon ground infested with the seed of thorns, and the two growing together the thorns so choked the good seed that it became unfruitful. But some of the seed fulfilled the farmer’s intention and brought forth much fruit, some thirty, sixty and a hundred-fold, because the soil was more favorable: it had been prepared by the plowing processes to receive the seed, it was deep enough to properly care for and root the seed, and it was not thorn-infested.

In another account our Lord concluded this parable with the words, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” The majority of the multitude heard, wondered at His gracious words, thought of Him as a wonderful Teacher sent of God, but took no deeper interest. They had not the ears to hear, they were not hungry for the Truth, their hearts were not prepared.

There remained with the Lord not only the twelve apostles but a considerable number of disciples or followers. These now gathered about the Master to ask the interpretation of this parable. They had ears not only for the story, but for the meaning, for the lesson.

Introducing His explanation, as recorded in Mark’s account of this parable our Lord’s words are, “Know ye not this parable? and hover then will ye know all parables?” These may be understood to signify: It is proper for you to understand this parable, because it will prove a key valuable in the interpretation of all parables. Our Lord then proceeded to give a very particular interpretation of the parable.

The “seed is the Word of God.” (Luke 8:11) The different kinds of soil represent different kinds of hearts coming in contact with that Word. By the Word of God we are to understand the entire revelation which God has made to us in the Bible. This includes, as the apostle points out, “the word spoken by angels”—God’s direct messages in the past to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses. etc., including the giving of the law. These angels represented God as His mouthpieces. It includes also the messages sent through the prophets, when “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (II Pet. 1:21) And it includes the teachings of our Lord Jesus and His apostles, whom He authorized to speak in His name, as it is written, “God hath in these last times spoken unto us by His Son,” and the Son declared respecting the apostles that those who heard them heard Him, those who received them received Him, as those who heard and received Jesus heard and received the Father.—Heb. 1:2; Matt. 10:40

Our Lord declared that the field is the world, but not all of the field, or world, is being planted, or has been planted during the Gospel age. It is in Christendom that the seed primarily is sown. It is in Christendom, therefore, that we are to look for the four kinds of results brought to our attention in this parable. In Christendom some are like the wayside paths, hard-trodden by life’s experiences; sometimes because of too great prosperity these are unprepared to receive God’s message, are unappreciative of it. If such hear the message it enters not into the heart, and ere long the enemy comes, Satan, the adversary, and steals away from them the elements of truth they once had seen or appreciated.

The truth is not for such, even though, being in the way, some grains fell on them. These hearts are not fit for the Kingdom under present conditions. What the Lord may do for them in the future through trials and sufferings and disappointments in the present life, that will plow them up and make them ready for the reception of the truth, or what He may do for them in the disciplines of the Millennial age to fit and prepare them for the truth, are different questions. All the parable says is that while in this condition they are not acceptable, not wanted amongst the Lord’s people.

The next class mentioned by our Lord are the stony-ground hearers. We have all come across some of this class of hearers. They not only see something of the beauty of God’s plan, but they receive it with joy, they give every evidence of bringing forth fruit. We are inclined to say to ourselves, I believe that person is a true Christian and may be one of the over-comers.

But we cannot see as God sees, we know not the heart; the shallowness of the nature is not disclosed until, opposition being aroused, the sun of persecution blights and withers the response. We may be inclined to feel discouraged, especially if we helped to plant the seed and had expected great results. The Lord in this parable cautions us against discouragement by assuring us that He knows in advance that considerable of the seed will fall upon stony-ground hearts, where, having little nourishment, little strength of character, it will soon wither and bring no fruitage to maturity.

This should not signify to us that the case is a hopeless one as respects the future. Under the future conditions, character will be deepened and good results will follow, or else, if the heart will not come under the influence of the Lord’s dealings in the future, it will be utterly discarded as useless ground.

The next class mentioned is the thorny-ground hearers. The soil that brings forth great thorns is rich, and if devoted wholly to the production of wheat, would bring forth large crops. Thus it is, our Lord explains, with some who hear the message of God respecting the Kingdom—they are good, strong, deep characters, they would make noble Christians and bring forth much fruitage to the Master’s praise and to their own honor if they were fully devoted to the Lord.

This portion of the parable is but another way of saying that those who have heard of the Lord and love Him are mistaken when they suppose they can love both the Lord and the world. In other words it is telling us that we cannot serve God and mammon, that we cannot bring forth both thorns and wheat. Our hearts must be single, wholly given to the Lord; we must love Him with all our heart, soul, strength, mind, else we cannot bring forth the fruitage which He requires of disciples.

The last class mentioned in the parable are the good-ground hearers. Thank God that in His providence and grace some of our hearts have been plowed deeply by the plowshare, of experience, trouble, disappointment in respect to earthly affairs and conditions. Thanks to Him, too, if the soil of our hearts is deep and able to receive and appreciate the truth, of the Word of the Kingdom. We praise Him if we have learned the necessity for the establishment of His Kingdom and have heard the invitation and received the seed of truth which invites us to become heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord, and which makes known to us the terms and conditions of fellowship in His sufferings if we would have fellowship also in His glory to follow.

Let us, dear brethren, not only be sure that our hearts are of the good-ground sort, and be sure that we have received and are developing the good seed, the Word of the Kingdom, but let us seek also to bring forth much fruit. Seeing that some of these may bring forth thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred-fold to the Master’s praise, let us determine that by the grace of God, which we know is ours and will assist us, that we will be of those who bring forth fruitage an hundred-fold—to our largest possible capacity of service to our King.

QUESTIONS:

What does the “good seed” represent in the parable of the sower?

What is represented by the various kinds of ground upon which the seed falls?

Are we to understand that those who hear the Gospel, and do not fully respond and bear fruit, are forever to be cast off from God’s favor?

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