Four Kinds Of People In Responding To God's Word

Often, Jesus spoke in parables. According to "Vine's Expository Dictionary," the word "parable" in Greek means "to place one thing next to another for the purpose of comparing." A "parable" is an illustrative story in which a familiar idea is placed next to an unfamiliar idea in such a way that the comparison helps people better understand the unfamiliar idea. A parable is "an earthly story that has a heavenly meaning." Let's learn the meaning of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.

1. Seeds that fell by the side of the road and birds came and ate them up (v. 4) => People whose hearts are hard. According to v. 19, the enemy took the word because they did not understand, NOT because the other way around. And they don't understand it, not because of the Sower or preacher, but because of the condition of their hearts. I'll give you this illustration and then ask for your response: Three boys talked about their fathers. One of them said, "My father is a great professor. When he is talking about a subject, only ten percent can understand him!" The second boy said, "My father is a great brain surgeon, and when talking about his surgery, only five percent of the world can understand what he is saying." The third boy said, "My father is a preacher, and nobody can understand what he is saying when he is preaching." So, the listeners need help understanding the professor, the brain surgeon, and the preacher. Whose fault is that the listeners don't understand their sayings, the speakers, or the listeners? It can be both. The listeners probably needed to become more familiar with the subject the speakers talked about. Or the speakers needed to explain the subject more clearly. Therefore, the listeners needed help understanding them. According to Jesus, in this parable, it is the fault of the people who do not understand the word, not because of the preacher. It is not because the speaker does not explain the word well but because the listeners' hearts are not right. So, here, what determines the response to the word is not the preacher but the recipient.

Characteristics of the first type of people in this parable:

a. Arrogant. They thought they already knew the Bible well and did not need to hear other people's teachings. Illustration: John Moody was corrected by a gentleman who is an expert in the English language.

b. Have a certain mindset that wants to stay the same. Sadly, some people are willing to hear sermons but don't want to do the teachings in the sermon or change their minds and attitudes.

c. Often fall asleep when hearing the word (have no interest of God's word, not because of having a medical problem)

2. The seed that fell on the rocky ground then the seed immediately grew, but after the sun rose, it withered and became dry because it had no roots (v. 5 & 6) => Emotional people (v. 20 & 21). Characteristics of the second type of people:

a. Enthusiastic in hearing sermons. They respond to the Word with: "Amen!" or "Hallelujah," they may weep with joy or say, "I feel the Lord's presence." But a few moments later, they become lukewarm again. Application: After attending a Revival Service, Bible Camp, or Retreat, we usually are excited. But after a month or two, we become lukewarm again.

b. Not paying attention to what God's word says. Illus.: There is a story about President Franklin Roosevelt. He often felt tired and bored when he had to greet the crowds in the White House, and they didn't listen to what he had to say. One day, at a reception, he decided to set up an experiment. He said to everyone who shook his hand this way: "I killed my grandmother this morning." Guests respond with phrases like, "Excellent! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir." Only at the end of the line did anyone notice his words. He is the ambassador from Bolivia. The ambassador must have been surprised to hear what Roosevelt said. But then he quickly realized that Roosevelt was kidding.

Application: Do you pay attention to what a preacher teaches? Nowadays, preachers find it hard to know whether their congregation is reading the Bible when they look at their cellphones, or they are reading something else, or even playing a game. I hope no one does that here. Because if you do, even though you go to church every Sunday, you won't grow spiritually.

3. Seeds that fall amid thorns, then the bush grows bigger and crushes it to death (v. 7) => People whose foundation of faith is weak (v. 22). Characteristics of the third type of people: