Soil of the Heart

When we think about our “hearts”, we think of soft and squishy in a variety of ways.  Physically, they are fleshy and tough, but not really moldable. Emotionally, they can be soft and fluffy depending on the situation. Spiritually…well that depends. We don’t all have the same kind of heart. Some of us have soft, moldable hearts, but others have hard, unyielding hearts. What kind of heart do you have and why does it matter?

 

Matthew 13:3-9 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

And He told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and they sprang up immediately, because they had no depth of soil. But after the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. But others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much. The one who has ears, let him hear.”

 

Jesus taught in parables intentionally, so that only those with hearts open to the Spirit would understand what He was saying. He did not “throw pearls before swine” as it were, but saved the gems of His teaching for those who would appreciate and utilize them. They were similitudes of common, ordinary things that His audience could relate to, and thereby help them understand if they were willing to hear and learn. Let us be humble and willing to hear and learn what Jesus teaches!

 

The “seed” is the Gospel, the Word of God, and the Sower is of course ultimately God, though not always directly; it can come through a person guided by Him. The ground in this parable refers to a person’s heart or soul. Some have hearts soft and open to the Spirit, others do not. Our hearts are very like soil, some grow good crops well and easily, others must work harder and require more effort, still others will grow nothing good at all. It is also important to note that all of these may be people we meet in church. Some come out of habit or force, but reject what is said. Others come for social status or to “have their ears tickled.” This parable does not by default contrast those in church with those out of church.

 

In the first group are those of the trodden path. Their hearts are hard and unwilling. They sit in church for some reason other than to hear and learn, and the message goes in one ear and out the other. They neither accept nor truly understand what is said, nor do they have any desire to. They may not reject God openly, but they reject His message and truth internally. This can be seen in their lives. They may go through the motions, but they produce no true godly fruit. While being smart, they lack wisdom. In politeness they lack love. They have no desire to grow, learn or be truly godly.

 

In the second group are those of stony ground. They like what they hear and approve of it, but are “fair weather” believers. They want the prosperity gospel, and expect life to be perfect as a Christian where it rains money, bright sunny days, and happiness. They have shallow ground, so their “faith” springs up quickly, but doesn’t last. They receive the Word with joy and are often very vocal about their praise and support, but it does them no good. They do not learn from it, think about it, or apply it. There is no transformation. They do not have the depth of root to produce fruit or to endure the heat and storms. Sometimes, the “storms” that cause them to fall away are not hardship, but conviction. A message is given which confronts some pet sin or lifestyle, and rather than take it to heart, they turn away. This does not necessarily mean they quit going to church either, but their hearts turn hard.

 

The third group had softer soil than the first, and deeper than the second, but there was also a crop of weeds along with the good seed. Weeds can grow anywhere that they are allowed, which suggests in these they did not cultivate or attempt to remove the sinful ways and harmful habits from their lives. These weeds can be a number of things: distractions of the world (like money, job, status) which are not kept in check or are wanted/worried about overtly, and wealth which becomes a god more desirable than Christ (note it is the desire for and reliance upon it, not the wealth itself). These care more about what is around them than where they are going. In the Chronicles of Narnia, Susan stopped believing in Narnia because she was entangled by “the cares of the world.” Worldliness was more important than godliness. There is some debate whether these are truly saved (depending on which theological camp you come from). Verse 22 says they “became unfruitful” which may indicate that they are or were truly saved, but their concern with the world kept them from producing fruit or experiencing the joy of salvation, and led them to turn from their faith in the end. Others believe that their lack of fruit was evidence that they were never truly saved, but “believed in vain.” They had some amount of belief, but it did not result in salvation.

 

Ah, the good ground. These are different from all the rest for one reason: they bear fruit. This is to varying degrees, some more than others as God has given grace and faith according to His measure. We should not compare our fruit with others because all are different, and a lot of it cannot be seen until the very end, if at all. These are people who are not sinless, but free from its reign. They hear the message and understand it to the extent that they see themselves in it and apply it as necessary (for many can see others in the truth and sit in judgment without finding any conviction or transformation therein.) This understanding is evident in the fact that they bear fruit. They grow because they put into practice what they hear. As with farming or gardening, there may come some weeds or storms, life is not always sunny days and fair weather, but the overall direction is upward. Though we stumble and fall, we do not stay down. Though sin may come, we do not stay in it. Instead, we desire to be more godly, to put off the world for the sake of Christ, and slowly but surely move that way. It is said that slow and steady wins the race. In the way that the second group started out fast yet fainted before the end, so this last group may start slow yet they keep on and in time win the race.

 

What kind of soil is your heart? Do you bear true fruit or are you going through the motions? Do you accept the Word with gladness or do you care more about the world? Help God to grow in you, to develop the soil of your heart to accept and grow better fruit.