seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Matthew 13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 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 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18 “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 their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
The people in verse 22.... that part of the parable bugs me the most. The "worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth", choke the Word. When politics, economy, and the Word meet.... it must be a tangled mire of opposing thoughts.When a preacher steps up to the pulpit and delivers a big sermon with lots of fancy assertions, including a thousand supposedly supporting verses no one can possibly keep up with, which taint the message to fit the needs of the offering plate for the day.... there is no real message and that's today's version of "sewing along the path". Sure, we do what we're supposed to do.... we are there... ready to learn... ready to change.... but the message is beyond our comprehension "on purpose". So, we're left with lots of love but no clue about what we are to do with that love.
Remember the song that says "Signs, Signs, everywhere a sign"? In the song... that guy goes into a church. I don't think that guy got a message. He told God he's alive and doing well. But God already knew that... God knows everything.... but this guy thinks he's updating God. That's how the seed that falls on rocky ground works. His love for God has no root.
And then there are the guys in verse 22.... They do everything right... but the preacher sold them out. We just saw that. People have been thrown out of church for wearing, or not wearing, a mask. People have been thrown out of church for supporting the wrong political candidate. Now that's our modern-day example of seed being thrown where the weeds choke it out.
People are walking into our schools and shooting our children while others are shaking their fists and claiming abortion to be the worst thing that has ever happened to humanity. We don't make sense anymore! Humans are acting like we never saw the inside of a church.
Jesus talked about the "worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth".
