BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED (LK 8:4-15)
Motivational writer Dennis Kimbro says that some people are like wheels - they don’t work unless they are pushed. Some people are like trailers - they have to be pulled. Some people are like kites - always up in the air, and if you don’t keep a string on them, they’ll fly away. Some people are like canoes - they have to be paddled. Some people are like blisters - they don’t show up until the work is done. Some people are like balloons - always puffed up and so full of themselves. Some people are like flat tires - they have to be jacked up and changed. Some people are like lights - always switching off and on.
Jesus said that people are more like soil. Someone suggested that the parable of the sower should be renamed the parable of the soil because the focus is on the soil or the hearer, and not on the sower. The two constant factors are the sower and the seed. The variable is the soil, or how we hear. The four kinds of soil yield but three types of results: people who are futile ground and peddle empty promise, people who peddle false hope and have unfulfilled potential, and people who are fruitful soil and are prime prospects.
PEOPLE WHO ARE FUTILE GROUND AND PEDDLE EMPTY PROMISES
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. (Lk 8:4-5)
11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. (Lk 8:11-12)
Three pastors got together for coffee one day and found all their churches had (a similar problem, that of) bat infestation troubles. “I got so mad,” said one (the first pastor), “I took a shot gun (chased after them) and fired at them. (Unfortunately) It made holes in the ceiling, but did nothing to the bats.”
“(I did it another way) I tried trapping them alive,” said the second, “Then I drove 50 miles before releasing them, but they beat me back to the church.”
“I haven’t had any more problems,” said the third.
“What did you do?” asked the others, amazed.
“(That’s easy.) I simply baptized and confirmed them,” he replied. “I haven’t seen them since.”
The seeds that fell on the ground represent people who are futile ground and peddle empty promises. A lot of people gathered and crowded around Jesus, felt good about Him and felt good about themselves, and even followed Him from town to town. The crowd was impressed with Jesus, but he was not impressed by their attendance, their attention, and their adulation because they were coming for all the wrong reasons.
This parable is also recorded in Matthew 13 and Mark 4 but Luke’s gospel uniquely emphasized that they were trampled upon before the birds feed on them. Busy pedestrians, durable footwear, and heavy traffic spell their doom. Their chance of survival is not minimal, but none. The seed is crushed in no time. Fertilizer, water, and tender loving care won’t help the seed that was ended on ground or pavement. They become food for the wild in no time. If birds do not swoop down and gobble them up, deer, mice, and dogs would complete for scraps and complete the job.
A lot of people come to church for information but not intake. They are in-house but not in fellowship. They are interested, but not inspired. They do not comprehend the word of God, have no conviction in their heart, and are not converted in their soul. Before they reach the point of belief, confession, and salvation, the devil takes away the word from their heart. The devil does not tempt unbelievers more than believers, but the devil easily overpowers those with low aim, little interest, or lame excuses.
The seeds on concrete floor have no sign of life, no chance to survive, and no hope for cultivation. Even a small crack in the ground won’t help the seed’s growth. Vegetation, moss, and wildflowers would be too happy to fill the space.
The devil does not want unbelievers to belong to Christ, to believe in Christ or to be like Christ. He wants them to have one foot in the door and the other out, to listen with one ear and come out the other, and to be present in body but absent in spirit.
PEOPLE WHO TRIGGER FALSE HOPES BUT HAVE UNFULFILLED POTENTIAL
6 Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. (Lk 8:6)
13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. (Lk 8:13)
Once, my wife was so excited when she bought a giant abalone in a Chinese supermarket for the bargain price of $2.99. It was wrapped in red plastic except for a see-through oval-shaped front that had the abalone sticking out teasingly.
On the way home she thought out loud about using the abalone for soup. Her nephew who was in the car with us asked, “Are you sure it is for soup?” He recalled drinking a blend of abalone, seafood and chicken soup his grandmother served him during Chinese New Year that was spoilt when she added flour-made fish maw (hua jiao), closing his story with this comment: “The soup was like glue.”
Doris hurriedly turned to instructions on the plastic wrapper packet that read “Slice and serve cold,” and - the last words and the manufacturer suggestion on the wrapper - “Please do not boil.”
The seeds that fell on the rock and the seeds that fell among thorns represent people who inspire false hope but have unfulfilled potential. These people are shallow, soft, and spineless - they cannot stand the heat, pressure, and opposition.
The seeds that fell on rock or, better still, rocky places, according to Matthew 13:5 and Mark 4:5, have no water or root. Not only do the seeds have no water, they do not even have moisture. This is the only time the Greek word “moisture” is used in the Scriptures. Without water, a plant would die.
The seeds on rocky soil represent people who fall away in time of testing. They have inspiration but no internalization. They have emotional exuberance and support but no personal belief or decision. These people, the Chinese say, are “hot for 3 minutes,” and when tests arise, their emotions fan out, their feelings waver about, and their passion dies down. When they are high, they are way up; when they are low they bottom out. Their highs were no match for their lows. The word “testing” (v 13) is an inadequate translation; it is the word “temptation” in Greek. Matthew 13:21 and Mark 4:17 use sterner words in place of “temptation” – Matthew has the word “tribulation” or “trouble” and Mark has “affliction” or “persecution.” Tribulation is outside pressure, but affliction is inflicted pain.
The seeds do not fall away (v 13) either when temptation comes; the translation “walk away” or “depart” or “leave” is better. The same word describes Anna, who never departed from the temple (Luke 2:37), and the devil leaving Jesus after failing to tempt Him (Luke 4:13). People who naively believe that Christianity is a bed of roses walk out the moment they discover that thorns come with roses.
Another type of seed that does not make the passing grade and is way short of its potential is the seed that fell on thorns or weeds. There is no biblical word for the word “weeds” in the New Testament.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.
(Luke 8:7)
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. (Luke 8:14)
Someone said 90% of the Christian life is survival; and three things choke a believer: anxiety, affluence, and amusement.
The seed that fell among the thorns are choked by the worries of this life, the world, or its age. This type of people worries about not having enough or having less. There is an old saying that: “Worry is an old man with bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead.” The fear is scarier than the reality in their lives.
Another type of people is choked by riches, or according to Matthew 13:22 and Mark 4:19 - the deceitfulness of riches or wealth. The word deceit can also mean delusion. Banking on riches is as reliable as chasing a mirage, like skating on thin ice, and like standing on one leg.
The next thing that chokes a believer is pleasure, or the word hedone, from which the word “hedonism” is coined - or the pursuit of pleasure as the only chief good in life. Mark 4:19 uses another phrase, “the lust of other things.” This type of people fall prey to the Playboy lifestyle, the Hollywood-style night life, and the Las Vegas way of life.
Worries, riches, and pleasures do not mature a person. The Greek word for “mature” is unique to Luke not found elsewhere in the Bible. It comes from two words in Greek: “carry” and “end.” Mature means carrying things to its completion and not stopping halfway. Sadly, worries, riches, and pleasures do not slow a person’s growth; they stop, stunt, stifle, strangle and suffocate it.
Weeds grow where they are not wanted and they choke plants. Choke is more than just strangling; it means drowning and killing. The same word was used for the pigs that were drowned when they rushed down the banks (Luke 8:33). Weeds are an annoyance to a houseowner, an eyesore to the eyes, and even an irritant to the nose. They deprive plants of sunlight, water, nutrients, space and harvest. The only option is to pull them, mow them, burn them, spray them, or kill them. Leaving them alone decreases your property value, endangers those playing nearby, and causes fire hazard. The longer you wait, the deeper they grow and the harder to pull.
PEOPLE WHO ARE FRUITFUL SOIL AND PRIME PROSPECTS
8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”(Lk 8:8)
15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.(Lk 8:15)
A woman bought a parrot to keep her company but returned it the next day. "This bird doesn’t talk," she told the owner. "Does he have a mirror in his cage?" he asked. "Parrots love mirrors. They see their reflection and start a conversation." The woman bought a mirror and left.
The next day she returned; the bird still wasn’t talking. "How about a ladder? Parrots love ladders. A happy parrot is a talkative parrot." The woman bought a ladder and left.
But the next day, she was back. "Does your parrot have a swing? No? Well, that’s the problem. Once he starts swinging, he’ll talk up a storm." The woman reluctantly bought a swing and left.
When she walked into the store the next day, her countenance had changed. "The parrot died," she said. The pet store owner was shocked. "I’m so sorry. Tell me, did he ever say a word?" he asked. "Yes, right before he died," the woman replied. "In a weak voice, he asked me, ’Don’t they sell any food at that pet store?’" (Leadership, Fall 1996)
The last type of soil is people who are fruitful soil and primed for growth. They are the wonder soil, the miracle growth, and a gardener’s pride. There is a shortage of hearers, but not preachers, of the word. It’s been noted that every Sunday 400,000 preachers mount the pulpit.
The word “hear” occurs nine times in the parable (vv 8, 8 10 12 13 14 15 18 21). Genuine hearing leads to retention. The word “retain” means keep or hold fast or unswervingly (Heb 10:23). It has nothing to do with how much a person knows, but how deep it grows.
A growing Christian listens to the word of God with a fitting attitude, a responsive mind, and a hearing ear. Unfortunately, many people are dull of hearing. They think they are being lectured, they have heard it before, and they know what the next point is. The parable, ironically, tells us the responsibility for growth is on the hearer, not the sower. As communication experts say, “The hearer is responsible for 51% of the message.” The hearer is responsible to bear fruit, not grow branches, leaves, or flowers. Bearing fruit means changing behavior and transformed lives.
Fruit is hard to bear but waiting is worthwhile. Trees take a few years to bear fruit, but its supply is for twenty to fifty good years.
Conclusion: The devil loves believers who are clueless, high maintenance, and on life support. Are you “honest to goodness soil?” How receptive are you to the word of God? Are you rooted and grounded in God’s word Do you receive it in good faith, retain it in good measure, and reproduce it in good time? What are the things that disrupt proper intake, interrupt normal growth, and corrupt good behavior in your life? It’s been said, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Why don’t you start today?
Victor Yap
http://epreaching.blogspot.com/
www.riversidecma.org(For sermon series)
www.preachchrist.com (For Chinese sermons)
