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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." ~ Matthew 13:1-9
Today, we transition into Matthew 13 where the Lord Jesus is teaching the many who gathered on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. This day began back in Matthew 12:15 where the Lord Jesus taught in the synagogue. He began by quoting a most unusual prophecy that the message of God would go out to the Gentiles. Today's chapter consists of seven parables which the Lord Jesus told all in one day. In them He places emphasis on biblical faith. It has always been faith in the God of the Bible that has made man right with God and when our faith is met with His Word, things of eternity take place.
In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "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."
It was the practice of the Lord Jesus to teach with the Lake as His backdrop. And, this time, He used a boat as His pulpit. As always, He taught the people concepts that are humanly difficult to understand. The words "gathered around Him" are key in it all. We do not gather around one another, we don't gather around the buildings we meet in. No, "we gather around Him." Coming to Him is the overarching theme of the Bible. He Himself said it in John 17, "This is eternal life that they may know you." We do not know those with whom we pursue not a relationship and God is no different.
In v.3 of today's passage we read, "Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed."
We love a good story because stories are known to aid us in our understanding. This life is truly about our pursuit of God and the stories we tell that come out of those pursuits. The Lord Jesus conveyed truth through telling stories. The Greek word translated parable, is a word that means "cast alongside of" and it is used 48 times in the New Testament. The Lord Jesus employed parables in one-third of His teaching. A parable is a story cast alongside something else in order to illustrate the truth for those with a willing heart to understand. The Lord Jesus utilized parables in order to convey to us something that was unknown to us before. The Lord Jesus taught the crowd this parable about the farmer who sowed seed in three types of ground which all failed to produce a result. We fail until we abide in the truth which God has given us.
In v.4-7 of today's passage we read, "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."
The first three responses to the seed were not adequate because the soil did not receive the seed so that it could germinate and grow roots. The unwilling heart represented by these three soils was too shallow in its understanding of reality. Receptivity to the words of the Lord Jesus increases our capacity to understand His parables and our ability to listen intently. Listening is such an art and the plumb line is His written word. When we are good at listening to Him, we will gain what we need to understand in a given moment. I believe this explains why so many reject God's word and His ways.
Listening is hard work, yet, the more we do it, the easier it seems to become. When God speaks to us, He will always be consistent with His Word, the Bible. Of course, there are many situations in our lives that He doesn't speak to us in His word specifically, so we must be in His word in order to hear His voice. He will never contradict His Word when He speaks to us. When we were born again, we were given new ears. Now, our ears are tuned to the frequency of the voice of the Lord Jesus who said in John 10, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."
In v.8 of today's passage we read, "Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
There are two main ways to get to know anyone. One way is to hear about them from someone else. Another is to hear from them for ourselves. The advantage we have in developing our relationship with God which is fellowship is that He tells us about Himself in the Scriptures. We call this His self-revelation. Essential in knowing God is to come to Him through His written and His Living Word. Of course, the Living Word is the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Hebrews 11:6 we learn that the Lord Jesus rewards us with revelation about Himself when we seek Him. And, the seed in today's parable represents the Word of God. According to Romans 10:17, it is His word that creates faith in us. But not all who hear the word, as in this story, believe. The difference is that of the willingness of the heart. Faith operates in the arena of our soul which is made up of our mind, our will, and our emotions. Faith is an act of our will. This explains the different responses given in this parable.
In v.9 of today's passage we read, "Whoever has ears, let them hear."
Listening is believing. God will always appeal to the deepest longings of our heart because He made us to be in a personal relationship with Him. The Lord Jesus said in John 17:3, "Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
When the human heart is left to itself, it will always be barren and empty. If we do not bring our heart before the Lord, "breaking up the fallow ground," as the prophet Hosea said, it will remain as it was when we were born into this world, barren and empty. The prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all else, and desperately wicked." Solomon said, "Keep your heart with all diligence, out of it proceed the issues of life."
The receptivity of the human heart to the truth of God is evidenced by obedience. When we hear spiritual truth, and we give it safe haven in our heart and soul, more truth will be given to us. This is why some people get bored with Bible study, because they never allow the truth to sink deep enough into their soul. It is not given the chance to penetrate the heart and the soul.
The phrase, "Whoever has ears, let them hear," appears eight times in the New Testament. When the Lord Jesus addresses those who have ears, He refers to all who have been given His Word, no matter our age, ethnicity, language, or status. But there is a difference between having ears and having "ears to hear." It means we are allowing the Word of God to penetrate our heart and soul, leading to a confrontation of our natural way of thinking and then allowing God's way of thinking to define us. When God's way of thinking defines us, we will bear His fruit. It is up to us, the hearers, to decide whether to receive His life altering words or not. When we throw the welcome mat out before our heart for His word, He promises, eternal life will happen.
