HOW'S YOUR HEARING?
MATTHEW 13:1-9
INTRODUCTION
Some know firsthand what it is to have a hearing problem. Those who have one are often required to have a hearing aid. Others choose not to. Losing our hearing or even a part of it is a very serious and aggravating thing. Some have what is termed “selective hearing.” My family often kidded my father about his hearing problem. I recall the time it became evident that Daddy needed a hearing aid, but he did not like to admit he had a hearing problem. Daddy's hobby was woodwork. He often used very loud machines without wearing ear plugs. This, no doubt, led to his hearing problem. Sometimes, these lack of hearing situations were comical. I remember one occasion when most of the family was together for a Labor Day meal. Momma had just asked everyone around the table if they needed a refill on their tea, when a couple of minutes later Daddy asked the same thing. He claims he was out of the room to answer the telephone when Momma asked the question. We had to remind him that he was sitting right there.
I also recall working in the textile mill and having to have hearing tests every so often. Even though required to wear hearing aids, we worked around machines, especially in the weave room, that were very loud. If you wanted to talk with the person next to you, you had to almost scream for them to hear you. Many times, we simply had to learn to read lips or hand motions. There, we had the ability to hear but could not hear because of outside interference.
This is what Jesus speaks of in this parable. The people he told the parable to had the ability to hear, but many of them were not because of some type of interference.
The mother and brothers of Jesus had just come to look for him. Their intent was probably to try and persuade him to stop his preaching and teaching lest it cost him his life. Jesus has now left that house and is sitting by the sea. Though the religious leaders of Jesus' day often tried to trap him and kill him, the common people were fascinated by his teachings. The multitude was so great on this occasion that he got into a boat to teach. As the multitude stood on the beach, Jesus began to tell them a parable, a normal style of teaching for him. He tells of a farmer who went out to sow seed. Farming was the way of life for many people during this time, and it may be that Jesus even saw a farmer in the distance as he told the parable. The farmer would sling the seed bag over his shoulder, walk up and down the furrows of his field and scatter the seed. Using this method of planting, we can understand that it was impossible to control where the seed fell. Jesus tells of four kinds of soil upon which the seed fell.
The first type of soil was the ground beside the road. This road was a path that separated fields. It was walked on by the farmers as they made their way between the fields and by travelers as they traveled from one part of the country to another. We can compare it to the part of our gardens located between the rows of crops. As we walk on that part of the garden, over time it will get hard. The roads Jesus speaks of were not plowed. Because of the traffic, the dirt was packed down hard. When the seed fell on this soil, it could not penetrate it. Therefore, it would not take root and grow. Being exposed as it was, it was common for the birds to swoop down and devour them.
The second type of soil Jesus mentions was rocky soil. This does not mean that the soil was full of rocks. The farmer would have removed such rocks. Jesus refers to a bed of solid rock that lay just below where the plow of the farmer would reach. The soil that covered this bed of limestone rock was very shallow in depth. The seeds that fell here would spring up quickly, but since the roots of the plant could not penetrate very deeply the plant would soon wither.
The third type of soil was infested with thorns. This ground had been cultivated and looked good, but it wasn’t. When the seed sprouted, so did the thorns.
The final type of soil was the good soil. This was the ground that had been plowed and was loose and soft. It was also deep enough for the plants to grow. Here the seed would grow well.
After telling the story, Jesus took aside some of his followers and disclosed the meaning of the story. Because of their faith, they were able to understand what Jesus was teaching through the story.
Jesus says the farmer represents the Son of Man-a reference to Jesus himself. The seed is the teaching of God's Word. In a more general sense, all believers are sowers because Jesus has instructed us to go and preach and teach the Word of God to others. The main teaching of the parable does not concern who the sower is or what is sown. The main area of interest is the type of soil the seed falls on. The four different types of ground represent four types of hearing, or four different states of mind that people may have concerning God's word as it confronts them. As God's word is disseminated, there will be different responses to it. Jesus encountered these responses and so will we as we seek to teach others his Word.
I. THE UNRESPONSIVE HEARER
The one who hears the word of God and does not understand it or makes no effort to understand it is like that seed that falls on the hard ground. Here the soil is packed down by the steps of farmers and travelers. The seed cannot penetrate but is left for the birds to swoop down and devour. The reason this person does not understand the message of God's Word is not because the message is defective in any way. Nor does the seed fail to grow because it is defective. The soil is simply too hard. In like manner, the person represented by the hard soil has a hard heart.
The Old Testament referred to such people as stiff necked. They are unconcerned with the things of God. They have no interest in spiritual things. They may hear the gospel message but it means nothing to them for they lack interest in spiritual things. It may even seem foolish to them. God's Word cannot penetrate that hard heart. The gospel message has no effect on such a person. They have resisted the voice of God’s Spirit for so long that they have become cold and callous to spiritual things.
The Bible says of such people: "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (II Corinthians 4:3)
People such as this often fear what others will think if they become a Christian. They may be filled with doubt, stubbornness, love of sin and a host of other things that keep them from becoming a Christian. In fact, the Bible tells us that this is the state of every person's heart. It is only through the work of the Spirit in our life and our trust by faith in Jesus Christ that our hearts can be different. Because this person has no desire to become a Christian and has a love for sin, the seed of God's word accomplishes nothing in his life. They are like Pharaoh of old who hardended his heart in spite of the work of God taking place right in front of him.
II. THE SUPERFICIAL HEARER
The soil that had the underlying rock foundation represents this hearer. The seed sprouted, but since the depth of the soil was so shallow, the plant quickly withered and died. It is somewhat like the grass that covers septic tanks. You can almost always tell where the septic tank is in dry weather because the grass over the septic tank has shallow soil to grow in.
This type of hearer hears the word of God, receives it with joy, but when persecution comes he falls away. This persecution might be ridicule by a friend or family member. This person is the exact opposite of the previous hearer. He receives God's word enthusiastically. He is on an emotional high over what has happened in his life. He is committed to Christianity and all its functions, but only for a while. Why? Because he has no root. What has happened in his life is only surface reality. There is no depth to his experience. At first, we might think this person is a believer, but he has only had a change of feeling but no true salvation experience. This person has not truly repented of their sin and realized their offense against God in those sins. It is not someone who has lost their salvation. They never had it.
Sometimes as we distribute God's Word, we forget to tell people that they must hate their sin. This is a vital part of salvation. Not only must we love and serve God, but we must hate sin and refuse to make it a practice in our life. Following Christ involves taking up our cross daily. John reminds us in his epistle that the person who is a true believer will not sin. The word carries the idea of practice. (I John 3:9)
We might say this person had a religious experience. Perhaps, he had an emotional experience, but the gospel message only penetrated his mind, not his heart. Believing in Christ is more than an intellectual experience. It involves our very being. Perhaps this person wants only the benefits of Christianity but not its persecutions. The trials and afflictions that come his way because of his supposedly belief in Christ cause him to turn his back on what he thought he believed. We must be careful to say that this person did not lose his salvation. He never had it. The Bible says that the truly saved will endure to the end, not just for a period of time.
III. THE WORLDLY HEARER
Here is another person who at the outset seems to be a Christian but proves otherwise when it interferes with his worldly pursuits. The soil infested by thorns represents him. The thorns keep the newly sprouted plant from growing. Gardeners are very familiar with what weeds can do. If not kept under control, they will control. They will take over and keep the plants from bearing.
This person's first love is for what is sinful. He loves the things of the world. This blinds him to spiritual concerns. The person who truly believes in Christ and sincerely wants to follow him will have a hatred for sin not a love for it. Jesus says we cannot serve him and the world at the same time. We must choose one or the other. This person tried to do both. He failed just as we will. If our profession in Jesus is genuine, the spiritual plants of our lives will overcome the weeds of sin, not the other way around.
IV. THE RECEPTIVE HEARER
This person is represented by the good soil, the soil that had been carefully prepared. Here the seed can penetrate and grow to produce healthy plants and abundant produce. The other soils were good too, but they had not been properly prepared.
This soil corresponds to the person whose heart has been prepared by God's Spirit. The Spirit of God has convicted them of their sin and their need to turn to Christ. The preparation is the key, for the hearts of the previous hearers had not been properly prepared. This person has a true experience with Jesus Christ. Their resulting actions and words prove that.
CONCLUSION
I recall an Andy Griffith episode where Andy was trying to organize the town band to play in a band concert. One of the members, Luther, had a hearing problem. He would begin playing before Andy told them to. He would play the wrong song, and he would play off key. All because he could not hear. He could not determine whether he was playing in tune or even the same song the others were playing. The entire band was ruined by one person who could not hear.
How is your hearing today where God's voice is concerned? Have you responded to God's call to salvation? Are you a superficial and worldly hearer who allows sin to crowd out God's voice? Are you a receptive hearer? What kind of soil will God's seed find when it falls in your life?
