portant dual roles in the kingdom of God. First, such trials expose false believers, and second, they
The Soils
of heart is enthusiastic but shallow. It responds positively but not with saving faith. There is no thought involved, no counting the cost. It is quick, emotional, euphoric, instant excitement without any understanding of the actual significance of discipleship. That is not genuine faith.
The superficial response is epidemic in twenty-first-century Chris tian ity. Why? Because the gospel is usually presented with the promise of joy, warmth, fellowship, and a good feeling, but without the hard demand to take up one's cross and follow Christ. "Converts" are not confronted with the real issues of sin and repentance. Instead, they are encouraged to jump on the Jesus bandwagon for the good things they are promised. Yet underneath the shallow layer of apparently fertile topsoil is an unyielding rock bed of rebellion and resistance to the things of God. There is no true repentance, no brokenness, and no contrition. The slab of defiance under the soft surface is even harder than the roadside soil. And the eternal consequence is just as tragic. The initial enthusiasm is mere emotion; the germinating seed quickly dies. These people are not saved (cf. 1 John 2:19).
Shallow responders like this constitute one of the greatest disappointments of the ministry. I have spent hours discipling some of them. On the surface, their faith looks encouraging. In fact, when you look at the field, you might think these people stand taller and stronger than everyone else. But they have no root to support such lush growth, and as soon as a trial or persecution comes, they dry up and wither away.3
Be on guard against conversions that are all smiles and cheers with no sense of repentance or humility. That is the mark of a superficial heart. A person with such a heart lacks the root system needed to endure harsh weather. If a profession of faith in Christ does not grow out of a deep sense of lostness; if it is not accompanied by an inner conviction of sin; if it does not include a tremendous desire for the Lord to cleanse and purify and lead; if it does not involve a willingness to deny self, to sacrifice, and to suffer for Christ's sake, then it is without a proper root. It is only a matter of time before the flourishing growth withers and dies.
The Worldly Heart
Weedy soil represents a heart preoccupied with worldly matters. Matthew 13:22 says, "The one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the
3. A sidelight of this truth is the encouraging assurance that suff ering and persecution play important dual roles in the kingdom of God. First, such trials expose false believers, and second, they strengthen true believers. First Peter 5:10 says, "Aft er you have suff ered for a little while, the God of all grace . . . will Himself perfect, confi rm, strengthen and establish you."
Jesus Illustrates His Gospel
man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful."4 That is a perfect description of a worldly person — one who lives for the things of this world. He or she is consumed with the cares of this age. Such a person's chief pursuit is a career, a house, a car, a hobby, or a wardrobe. Prestige, looks, or riches are everything to the weedy heart.
Have you known people who fit this category? For a while, they look just like the rest of the field. They come to church, identify with the people of God, even show signs of growth. But they never bear spiritual fruit. They are uncommitted and preoccupied with the world's pleasures, money, career, fame, fortune, or the lusts of the flesh. They say they are Chris tians, but they care nothing about a pure life. That is the response of weedy soil. The germinating seed that looks so good will ultimately be overwhelmed by the thorns of worldliness, and eventually the weedy heart will show no evidence that good seed was ever sown.
What happens when the seed that once looked so promising is choked out? Has such a person lost his salvation? No, he never had it. The Word of God fell on a heart that was unprepared because it was full of malignant weeds. That person received the seed of the gospel but not into clean soil. The gospel germinated but was choked out before it could come to fruition. The person with the weedy heart was never saved in the first place. Weedy hearts may be willing to accept Jesus as Savior, but not if it means letting go of the world. That is not salvation. Jesus said, "You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matt. 6:24). And the apostle John wrote, "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). Soil must be cleansed of the weeds and thorns if it is to produce a crop.
The Enemies
The weeds, the sun, and the birds of this parable represent our enemies. The weeds are "the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of riches" (Matt. 13:22). The sun that scorches the improperly rooted plants is "affliction [and] persecution" (cf. vv. 6, 21), which challenges the comfort that appeals so much to the flesh. The birds portray "the evil one" (cf. vv. 4, 19), Satan, who does everything he can to steal the seed of the gospel even before it can germinate. These are the three constant enemies of the gospel: the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Here is an important lesson for the sower: you will face resistance and hostility. There will be shallow, short-term converts. And you will encounter
4. "Becomes unfruitful" does not imply that this soil once bore fruit. Mark 4:7 shows that there was never fruit at all: "Th e thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop."
The Soils
double-minded people who want Christ but won't let go of the world. The hardness of the road, the shallowness of the soil, and the aggressiveness of the weeds will frustrate your efforts to sow a good crop.
Nevertheless, be encouraged. The Lord of the harvest can break up even the hardest ground and rid it of the most stubborn weeds. Hard soil, shallow soil, or weedy soil may not always stay that way. God can till the soil of the most stubborn heart. One ancient Palestinian method of farming was to throw the seed first, and then plow it under. That sometimes happens in evangelism. We sow the seed, and even when it seems that the hovering birds are about to snatch it away, the Holy Spirit plows it under so that it can sprout and bear glorious fruit.
The Receptive Heart
Knowing there are three kinds of soil that produce undesirable results might be discouraging. But there is still the good soil, which illustrates the receptive heart. "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty" (Matt. 13:23). This is the climax of the parable. It is a promise to the discouraged disciples that there is good soil in the field. Lest they be shaken by the people's negative response, Jesus wanted them to know that there is a huge field cultivated and ready to receive the seed. It will bear abundant fruit.
The Fruit
Fruit-bearing is the whole point of agriculture. It is also the ultimate test of salvation. Jesus said, "Every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits" (Matt. 7:17 – 20). If there is no spiritual fruit, or if the fruit is bad, the tree must be rotten. Or, translating the imagery to the metaphor of a field, if the soil does not produce a crop, it is worthless ground, symbolic of an unredeemed heart.
Taken at face value, the message of the parable of the soils is clear: of four soils, only one is good. Only one produces fruit, and thus it alone is of any value to the farmer. This good soil pictures the believer. The weedy soil and the shallow soil are pretenders. The soil by the wayside is an absolute rejecter.
Fruit, not foliage, is the mark of true salvation. Those who miss that point confuse the meaning of the parable. Much has been written in recent