Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. As he sowed, this occurred: Some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it sprang up right away, since it didn’t have deep soil. When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it didn’t have a root, it withered. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce a crop. Still others fell on good ground and produced a crop that increased 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.
– Mark 4:3-8
Today, I am thankful that God is the sower, and sows His Word on every soil.
Seed is valuable. It contains the ability to produce new life. Because most farmers want to produce a top-notch harvest, they will concentrate sowing the seed in good soil, so that it has the best chance to grow healthy and strong crops.
In this parable, recorded in Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8, the seed is sowed in many different types of soil. Some falls on the hard road, easily picked up by birds. Other seed falls on rocky ground, where some of the shoots don’t have much roots to grow and the sun damages the plants. Some seed falls among thorns that choke out the growth. And finally, the seed lands in good soil and the harvest multiplies.
Why would the sower even waste his time sowing in unproductive ground?
God is the sower, and we as His children are called to follow in His footsteps and sow His Word over hearts. Some hearts are hard, some are rocky, some are full of thorns, and some are tender and ready to receive. God deeply loves each heart, each person, and sends His Word out regardless of the soil.
God isn’t wasteful, and His love isn’t pointless. He sows so that everyone has the opportunity to respond to His grace. His death on the cross was for every person. His message of hope and salvation is for all the world. And so He sends His Word to each soil, so everyone can know Him.
Soil can change, ground plowed up, rocks removed and thorns cut down. The seed still remains. God’s love endures.
God cares about each heart, and so should we. Our job isn’t to judge the soil, it is to spread the seed.
