Last week there was a couple of people who told me that my articles are too long, so this week I will try to watch how many words I use.
In a previous article, called Eyes and Ears, I said that I would write more about the seed the farmer plants in the ground.
I also added that I would write what action should to take place for fruit to produce.
I mentioned that many Christians have a difficult time understanding the hidden things in God’s word.
Some go to church week after week and listen to their pastor's teaching but as soon as they get to the parking lot they cannot remember what they just heard.
I am not referring to the guy that will use church as leisure time to catch up on a snooze because he is not interested in the pastor and his message anyhow. But I am referring to those who do have an interest in the bible only they walk away having heard nothing.
Sometimes it is the pastor's fault the congregation leave empty because his message has no life in it; it is not God breathed. But I am not referring to this case.
I am referring to the inability of the assembly to hear the word of God as they should.
Why are there those that hear the words but fail to understand what they hear, are they uneducated?
This is not the reason because generally the message is delivered so that even a primary grade student can understand. This is not saying the minister believes his church is lunkheaded but he preaches so even a child is not lost in his communication.
Many of you can still remember Dr. Billy Graham, the worldwide evangelist in the twentieth century. He preached his message so that even someone with a grade three level education could comprehend what he was saying.
He did not want anyone to get lost in his translation of the English language.
Most adults tend to read at a grade ten level, and communicate with other people with a vocabulary at the same pace, so the reason that some may not retain what their pastor preaches is not because they are inept.
There can be multiple reasons why some Christians have a hard time understanding the word of God but the main reason has to do with the spirit and not the brain.
This is why Jesus taught the parable about the farmer who sows seed.
If you are a believer that is serious about your faith, and is concerned that your ability to understand what the bible says is deficient, then you are in a good place.
The Christian who should be concerned is the person that knows he cannot conceive the Word and they express no solicitude in the matter.
Did you know that God has purposely hidden the power of comprehending his word to some people?
Who are these people, and why would God hide his word to them?
These people are the group whom Jesus refers to when the disciples asked him why he speaks in parables (Matt.13:10), and he said to them that they are to know the mysteries of heaven but certain others are not (Matt.13:11).
This doesn't seem right.
Why is the Lord's word beyond comprehension to some people, why is the capacity to apprehend been kept from them?
The reason certain people cannot grasp the meaning of God's word is because their spirit is dull; it is slow and even stopped distinguishing the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said that these people have hard hearts, they cannot hear with their ears, and they have purposely closed their eyes (Matt.13:15a).
God did not do these things to them but this is the choice they have made.
If they would have a different attitude and turn to God he would heal them and give them the power to understand (Matt.13:15b).
The mysteries of heaven are only for those who belong to God's kingdom.
Everyone who belongs to his kingdom are those that put their faith in the Christ and have become one new man either Jew or Gentile (Eph.2:11-22).
There are four spiritual reasons why a person can and cannot understand the mysteries of heaven.
These principles would not apply to the person who deliberately hardens their heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, because when a person intentionally hardens their heart to the Lord they are literally making the confession that they do not believe the bible is true.
The person who does believe the bible is true and still finds it arduous to understand should take heed to the principles Jesus taught (Matt.13:3-9).
He taught there are four things that can happen when seed is planted into the ground using the natural procedure of planting seed to teach spiritual truth which he then reveals (Matt.13:18-23).
In verse four Jesus said when seed is not planted the right way, like when it slovenly falls outside its intended destination meaning the rich soil, birds can then come and eat it up.
In verses five and six, if seed falls on stony places it has the potential to grow up quickly, but because there is not much earth to give it root what grows can burn up by the hot sun.
In verse seven, he explains seed can be choked off if it is planted among thorns.
Quite the opposite happens if seed is planted in good soil, it will grow up and produce a fruitful harvest if it is taken proper care of; in verse eight.
Jesus used this natural procedure of planting seed to teach his parable to his disciples while the crowd was present, but the crowd had no idea what Jesus was really saying.
He did not reveal the interpretation to this parable to the crowd either but only to his disciples, and only after they asked him to explain it.
Jesus does so and begins the interpretation in verse nineteen by saying; when a person hears God's word and is devoid of understanding the devil then robs him of what was planted. It is like seed carelessly planted.
The seed that is planted represents the word of God.
Many times this parable is used to explain why the unbeliever does not receive the Lord which is because they do not receive God’s word.
The above interpretation can be justified but in the other two examples in verses twenty to twenty three it is a little more difficult; if you want to interpret what Jesus was saying properly.
In the first example the case can be made not only for the unbeliever who does not receive God’s word for salvation but it can also be used for the believer who hears the deeper things of the Lord yet he does not have the proper soil for comprehension.
They have a renewed spirit but yet their spirit is not being cultivated properly—we have the responsibility to do that.
How is our spirit cultivated properly?
The way we cultivate our spirit is by spending time with Jesus like his disciples did, that is why they had the spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear, their spirit was good soil because of their fellowship with the Lord.
Verse nineteen explains why some Christians can go to church week after week and leave learning nothing; leaving empty.
The believer hears the word of God and does not have the capacity to apprehend it so the devil takes what the Christian hears out of his heart. It is like a crow picking away the seed along the path.
Whose responsibility is it to learn what the bible says?
It is our responsibility, but some will blame the pastor or teacher because they did not understand.
As he continues Jesus says some people will hear the word and receive it quickly with joy, they will hold onto it for awhile but when trouble comes they stumble because the word does not take root; this is like the seed planted on the rocky places (Matt.13:20-21).
The person's heart is too hard for the word to make sufficient root, it does not hold, so they only stick around for a short time.
Why would their heart be too hard for the word to take proper root?
Their heart is too hard because they have not taken the time to cultivate it fully.
Sticking around for only a short time is giving up too quickly and fleeing from the faith.
They stay for only a short time because of oppression and persecution.
Jesus said that they immediately stumble, which means more than just a little trip up.
The Greek word that the writer utilizes and we translate
‘stumble or offended’ is the word ‘skandalizō,’ which makes reference to being lured
into sin again; also can suggest departing from the faith.
The people in the rocky place are believers who receive the word and acquire it with joy.
Their understanding has been made aware to salvation.
The seed however is not able to go deep and root, because they do not take the time to cultivate their spirit which makes it easy for them to be seduced back into sin; some even fall away from the faith.
Understand what Jesus is suggesting.
The word is planted into their heart but they only stay in the faith for a short time.
They do not keep the word in their heart so the seed cannot produce fruit.
This is not referring to the word being planted in the mind. Jesus makes it clear that the word is being planted in the person's heart; meaning the spirit part of their being.
The third type is the person that receives the word of God but because of the cares of this world and the stress it brings, coupled with the love of money, causes the word not to grow in their heart.
This person’s heart is like a thorn bush (Matt.13:22).
Why does this group continue with a thorn bush type spirit?
They let the cares of this world rule their heart instead of the seed that is planted.
The thorny bush can be like a Judas Iscariot who although was called into the group of twelve and had received Christ’s words but he was also consumed with the cares of this world.
The deceitfulness of riches continually drove him so his spirit was not able to produce fruit.
The thorn bush is similar to the rocky place; they both are in danger of being coaxed back into the old life and turn away from the faith.
The word cannot grow in these people primarily because they are unable to understand the word beyond the stages of infancy, like the group who had the word snatched out of their heart by the enemy (Jn.15:1-8; 2 Pt. 2:20-22).
The fourth group receives the word into their heart because their spirit is like good soil, it is fertile and rich, and gives the word potential to grow and produce fruit (Matt.13:23).
The word of God will bear much fruit in good soil, which has the effect of understanding the mysteries of the kingdom; they increase in spiritual insight and discernment.
Those with spiritual insight and discernment are able to hear (Matt.13:9). They learn to grasp what the bible says.
Picture: CC0 Public Domain
YouTube Video: The Farmer and The Seeds I Stories of God I Animated Children´s Bible Stories
The Holy Tales: Bible
