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The Four Soils

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23   Pentecost 9     Year A

“But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the one who hears the word and understand. They produce a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Let me ask you a question? 

What do people who go to church expect to hear in the sermon each Sunday? Each of you would probably give me a different answer, and yet again, some of your answers would be the same. Those of you who have heard me preach probably have a good idea of what to expect.  Things like God’s love for his people, salvation, grace, prayer,   etc...  And occasionally someone comes to one of our churches who has never been here before and has never heard me preach before. 

This reminds me when my mother first heard me preach.  Until then, she had never heard me preach, therefore, she had no idea of what to expect.  However, I knew what some of her expectations would be such as: stand up straight and speak clearly.

 In our gospel today we find Jesus in a boat on a lake with crowds gathered all around him, waiting to hear what he has to say.  They too like you folks are probably expecting him to talk about God’s love, his grace, salvation, etc. . .  Some of them could have been like my mother or other newcomers to our church, they may not have heard him speak before and they are waiting with great expectation.  And what does Jesus talk about of all things, a farmer going out to sow his seed.  Is this what they want to hear, is this the message they came to listen to?    Probably not. 

 But Jesus found that the best way to reach people was to tell them a story.  Now sometimes his stories were understood and sometimes they weren’t.  Today we’ll take a look at the Parable of the Four Soils and see if it has something to say to us or not.   

Jesus speaks about 4 different kinds of soil:                                           

1. The Path

2. The Rock

3. Thorn Patch

4. The Good Soil                         

Normally, we think that Jesus was talking about 4 different kinds of people, but he may also have   been talking about different times or phases in a person’s life. He may have been talking about how we are willing to receive God’s message in some areas of our lives and resist it in others.  There probably have been times in our lives when we have been like all 4 types of soil.  Let’s take a closer look at these types of soil and see if anything rings a bell for us.

The Path: People who have refused to believe God’s message.  This has kept many a person from accepting God’s word.  If we don’t believe something, chances are we also won’t accept it. If we don’t accept it then we become unwilling to receive it.  And if we are unwilling to receive it then we have chosen to live without it.  In other words, we do not have God’s Word planted in our hearts.  Today’s Psalm 119:105 says: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”  In order to walk through this world we need a light to show us the way.  The Word which is the Bible can be our light to show us the way. And what is the Way?  John 14:6   “ Jesus said, I am the Way,  The Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me.  Jesus is the only Way to God the Father.  Jesus is our Path to God.

 The Rock:  People, who followed Jesus, believed his message but never got around to doing anything about it. How can we know if we are true believers, a people who not only believe but take action?   In our 2nd lesson today from the book of Romans, chapter 8:9 Paul’s words seem to shed some light on that very question.  How do we know if we are true believers?  Paul says: A Christian is anyone who has the Spirit of God   living in them, Someone who is not controlled by the sinful nature; but by the Spirit.   When the Spirit is working within us, we not only believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and eternal life comes through him.  We also take action.  We find help in our daily problems.  We pray and in praying we become empowered to serve God and minister to others.   

The Thorn Patch:  People who are overcome by worries and have no room in their lives for God.  There are times in our lives when we seem to have no time for God. Our lives become busy with deadlines and schedules.  So busy that God is not on our list of to-do.  As Jesus said these things choke the seed, making it unfruitful. Therefore it is unproductive and yields no crop.

The Good Soil:  People who follow Jesus no matter what the cost.  An old saying we have heard many times is: nothing is free, there’s always a price.  Christians know better than anyone that there is a cost to following Jesus.  What are the costs?  Things like rejection from others, even threats, physical harm and public ridicule.  Jesus was no stranger to these things; he encountered them all during his life on earth. So how do we know if we are good soil?  Jesus says it is the one who hears the word and understands it.  There were some who understood what Jesus was saying and some who did not.  What prevents people from understanding God’s Word? One reason is that they are not ready for it.  God reveals truth to people who will act on it, who will make it visible in their lives. When we talk to people about God they may not understand what we are saying if they are not ready. But don’t give up on them.  (Jesus didn’t).  Keep telling them about God, and pray that the Holy Spirit will open their minds and hearts to receive the truth and act upon it. Some ground needs more plowing before it will take the seed.  I am glad that people did not give up on me.  I was like the Rocky soil; it took a long time for God’s Word to penetrate my soul.   

The four different soils represent the four different ways we respond to God’s message.

 “But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it.  They produce a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”   

 Let us pray:  God our Father thank you for the gift of your Word, your love, and your spirit in our lives.  Help us to always be willing to receive from you and be willing to share what we have received with others.    We ask these things in the name of your Son Jesus.

 Amen+