So let's go ahead, go into our text, we'll read it, and get into it.
Matthew 13, starting in verse 1, says,
And then down to verse 18,
Matthew 13, starting in verse 1,
Before we get into it, let's pray.
Amen.
He also is providing us a promise.
Jesus provides a promise that there will always be people who will not respond to his message.
There are those who will simply not accept it.
But at the same time, there are those who will, and he promises that they will produce an abundant harvest.
No amount of weed-infested soil or untenable ground will be able to stop that.
This is what we can expect from the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew further expounds on these ideas, and he presents Jesus' teaching on the parable of the sower.
But before we get to the parable itself, Matthew sets the scene for us.
At the very beginning of our text, Matthew mentions that same day.
So it's all happening on the same day, and for good reason, because quite a lot has happened up to this point.
Before the event of our text, Jesus has performed a number of miracles, ranging from healing to casting out a demon.
He has also engaged with scribes and Pharisees, and on a couple of occasions called them an evil,
or on one occasion called them an evil and adulterous generation because they asked for a sign.
This work and this routine of Jesus' healing, performing miraculous signs, and teaching was more than just some attractional method.
It was to prove his divinity and his authority.
Matthew has recorded the day full of events to further validate Jesus' message and prove that he is the Christ.
Matthew is saying that as difficult as they may be, Jesus' words have authority.
Just before the events of our passage, and literally right before it, in Matthew 12, 46-50,
Jesus' mother and brothers were seeking him, but instead of rushing out of the house to see them,
he took the opportunity to talk about the nature of the kingdom of heaven.
In that text it says,
Notice in that text both the exclusive nature of the response in addition to the visual imagery of separation.
Those who do the will of Father being inside the house, while even Jesus' own family are on the outside.
Matthew is helping to prime his readers for this type of exclusive language that is about to follow.
So, let's pick up where the narrative starts in our text.
Matthew records for us that,
Our passage begins with Jesus leaving the house to go and sit beside the sea on his own.
In all cases, Jesus knew what was about to happen next,
but Matthew does not tell us why exactly he does this in the text.
From a practical standpoint, Jesus may have been seeking some time alone.
He often does this to pray, to prepare for the next task, before making a decision, to grieve, and even just to rest.
As is often the case, though, the crowds find him and gather all around.
In order to alleviate some of the chaos of the amount of people,
and perhaps allow the crowd to hear better,
he gets into a boat while the crowd stands on the beach.
Although it is not mentioned, we see that later in the text,
the disciples are able to ask him a question privately,
so it would seem that they were able to join him in the boat as well.
Here is yet another distinction being made,
this time between the crowd and his disciples.
Lastly, one other thing to notice.
After getting to the boat, Jesus does something significant.
He sits down.
If you are an astute Bible reader,
you may have noticed that this was something he does a lot before he begins to teach.
He does this in rabbinic fashion, as was common for teachers of the day,
as an authoritative stance.
If the signs were not enough,
even the way that he sits expresses his teaching authority.
The words that are about to come forth are profitable,
so we would do well to listen.
So let's do that.
Let's begin starting in verse 3,
and see what he begins to teach the people.
Verse 3 says,
And he told them many things in parables,
saying,
A sower went out to sow.
This image would be quite familiar to the listeners,
and they would have easily pictured a farmer
utilizing what is known as broadcast sowing.
This is taking seed by hand
and then scattering it over the surface of the field.
In this context,
the most common seed would probably have been some kind of wheat or barley,
and that was very common in that region.
Jesus then goes on to talk about where these seeds fall.
And that will be where we take most of our time,
and how we will unpack the rest of our text.
We're going to talk about,
firstly, the soils.
That will be our first point,
is the soils.
And then secondly,
we'll have the interpretation.
We'll talk about the situations that are presented to us as they come,
and then we'll discuss their meaning afterwards.
So, point number one,
we have the soils.
Starting in verse 4,
Jesus says,
So, our first soil that we're going to talk about is the path.
The first soil will be the path.
This is found in verse 4.
See, these types of paths would have been all over the area.
With much of the land being used for farming,
these paths were used to cut between plots of land during travel,
either from one farm to another,
or just simply going through the country.
They were well used,
and the dirt on it would be well packed down,
and pretty hard.
The seeds fell on the ground,
and do not find soil to be in good condition.
It's too hard to penetrate,
and so they remain on the surface.
This allows birds to come and eat.
And in addition to that,
Luke, in his account,
mentions that not only did the birds eat,
but the seeds were also trampled underfoot
by some of those travelers.
In other words,
the seed has no chance to take any root.
So that is the path.
Our second point under soils
is the rocky ground.
This is found in verses 5 through 6.
Now, when you think of rocky ground,
you might, as I did at first,
think of soil that has just a bunch of rocks in it.
And this was not the type of rocky ground
that Jesus was referring to.
Rather, in that region,
it was common that the bedrock was quite high
and allowed for little depth of soil.
This stone, probably limestone,
would lead to shallow ground,
where plants would have difficulty
finding any actual depth,
and the roots, therefore,
would have a difficult time accessing nutrients.
What looked initially like a promising and healthy plant
that were growing at a remarkable rate
would be dead and withered away
not long after the sun scorched it,
resulting in a dead plant.
This brings us to our third type of soil.
We had the path, the rocky ground,
and now we have the thorns.
This is found in verse 7, the thorns.
This seed falls into an area
where there are competing plants to worry about.
It is less that the thorns grow around it
and literally cut and choke the plant,
and more likely that they would have been
competing thorns around it
and simply blocks too much sunlight,
used too much water,
or literally entangled its roots
with the roots of the good plant.
The soil might have been healthy.
It might have even been the best soil of them so far.
But the thorn plants grew along it
so that the good plant ended up
producing nothing worthwhile.
The case in all three of the previous soils
and the commonality between them
is that they had no yield or fruit.
Notice the progression of the three.
The first had no chance to begin at all.
The second started but withered away,
and the last grew some
but ended up producing nothing.
A good harvest cannot be gained
in any of these cases,
and all three are going to fail
to produce anything worthwhile.
Jesus mentions one other thing,
and we'll see that in verse 8.
He says,
Other seeds fell on good soil
and produced grain,
some a hundredfold,
some sixty,
some thirty.
That brings us to our last
and final type of soil,
and that is the good soil.
The good soil.
Unlike the other types,
in this circumstance,
the seeds fall on the ground
in good soil and produce a crop.
There are nutrients,
water, sunlight,
and no competition.
The plants not only grew,
but produced a significant crop
with varying levels
of a hundred, sixty, and thirty fold.
This is the main difference
between that soil
and the previous three.
These produce a grain.
Jesus then ends the telling
of the parable
with the phrase in verse 9,
He who has ears,
let him hear.
Stealing a bit from verse 10,
the narrative continues,
because the disciples
seemed to know
that Jesus was talking
about more than just
the forming practices
of the day.
They ended up coming to him
and asked him,
Why do you speak to them
in parables?
This is a good question,
as Matthew records
that following this parable
and the explanation
that Jesus gives,
then places three more parables
before the crowd.
In verse 24, 31, and 33.
And then ends in verse 34,
or Matthew ends in verse 34,
saying,
All these things Jesus said
to the crowds in parables.
Indeed, he said nothing to them
without a parable.
The disciples are curious
why Jesus would use this method
when it was clear
the crowd would not be able
to hear and understand.
The answer seems initially
pretty unfair.
Jesus tells them in verse 11,
To you, that is the disciples,
it has been given to know
the secrets of the kingdom
of heaven,
but to them it has not been given.
TJ talked in depth
about the purpose of parables
last week,
so I will not go
in that depth today.
But to answer the disciples' question,
remember,
parables are the method
that Jesus often employed
to share the mysteries
of the kingdom.
To some,
the knowledge of the kingdom
was given,
and to others,
it was not.
Both divine sovereignty
and human responsibility
are on display
simultaneously here.
So, from a narrative perspective,
picture the distinction
that Matthew is displaying for us.
You not only have the crowd
separated from Jesus
physically by the shore
and by the boat,
but the disciples,
close enough to ask Jesus
these questions,
showing the distinction
in knowledge.
Many of the people
on the shore
will not understand,
and all the while,
he is revealing to the disciples
the true meaning.
It is a visual portrayal
of the parable itself
in action,
and begins to provide
our explanation
on the polarizing response
that he is beginning
to receive.
We will see exactly
how this parable
explains the distinction more
as we continue
to our second point,
and that is
the interpretation.
So, we had the first point
talking about the different
types of soil.
Now, we will get
into the interpretation.
Before we do,
let's see how Jesus
interprets the parable.
Starting in verse 18,
he says,
this evil one comes
and snatches away
what has been sown
in his heart.
This is what was sown
along the path.
As for what was sown
on rocky ground,
this is the one
who hears the word
and immediately receives it
with joy,
yet has no root
in himself,
but endures for a while,
and when tribulation
or persecution arises
on account of the word,
immediately he falls away.
As for what was sown
among thorns,
this is the one
who hears the word,
but the cares of the world
and the deceitfulness
of riches choke the word
and it proves unfruitful.
Before we get
into the interpretation,
I said we would,
but before we get
into that,
first,
notice that Jesus
tells us the seed
is the word of the kingdom.
Mark makes it
even more clear
by telling us
that the seed
that the sower sows
is the word,
and Luke simply says
the seed is the word of God.
This word is the message
about Jesus Christ.
He himself says
in John 5,
you search the scriptures
because you think
that in them
you have eternal life,
and it is they
that bear witness
about me.
So,
the seed is the word
that takes root
in the soil.
The soil are examples
of different types
of hearts.
When talking about
the soil on the path,
Jesus says the evil one
comes and snatches away
what has been sown
in his heart.
The heart seems
to be the place
that the sower
sows the seed.
The sower
is the one
who is spreading
the word of the kingdom
to different types
of people.
In this case,
the primary sower
in our passage
is Jesus himself.
He is the ultimate sower,
and as the word
made flesh,
are the ultimate seed.
Any believer
who sows Christ's word
is doing so
in the sower role
on the Lord's behalf.
There is a sense
that this is a timeless
ongoing action
of sowing and growing
when he uses the phrase
when anyone hears the word.
It implies a sower
and then someone
to hear that.
And this word
of the kingdom
is referring to the time
when Jesus is reigning
as king on the throne,
but his kingdom
not fully realized.
In this parable,
Jesus has revealed
for us
some of the expectation
we should have
about the age
of the church.
So,
with all that in mind,
now let's look at
Jesus' explanation
about the different soils.
And while doing so,
take a moment
to see how we might
apply this teaching
to our lives.
So,
under interpretation,
we have the first type,
and that is the path.
It's going to be very similar
to the previous soils
because they follow
one to one.
So,
the first one
will be the path,
and that's found
in verse 19.
These are those
who hear the word
and do not understand.
There's nothing wrong
with the message.
The seed was not defective
or something like that,
but rather,
the issue is the hardness
of the person's heart.
They are not interested
in anything regarding
the gospel message
or of who God is.
They are the person
who thinks the message
to be foolish,
all the while,
they are the fool
who says in his heart,
there is no God.
The person is prideful,
self-righteous,
and under the impression
that they do not need God.
There's also a quickness
in the word snatch
that Jesus uses
when he says,
the evil one comes
and snatches away
what has been sown
in his heart.
The evil one takes
no chances
and ensures
that there is
zero opportunity
for a root
to even begin
to take root.
This person will surround
him or herself
with teachers
to suit their own passions
and assure themselves
that everything is okay,
that they are an amazing person
and no need for approval
from some God.
They have all they need
right here and now,
be it fame,
money, power,
comfort, praise,
or even a type
of self-righteousness.
Different though
from the thorns,
these vices serve less
as a distraction
and more the main focus.
There's no second thought
about the message at all.
The word is given to them
and it immediately
just bounces off.
The gospel absolutely
has the power to save them,
but their heart is too hard
to acknowledge
their own need
for a savior.
There is a sense
that this person
is unconcerned
because there's nothing
in their minds
to be concerned about.
The question for us is,
do you give up
on this type of person?
I know that I am tempted
to do so,
but the reality is
we are not responsible
for the response
of this person.
We are simply called
to provide a faithful
presentation of the message.
God can soften any heart
regardless of how packed
down and hard
the soil might be.
Our work is to pray
for the Lord
to change their heart
so that they might be able
to hear and understand.
Ezekiel 36, 26 says,
and I will give you
a new heart
and a new spirit
I will put within you
and I will remove
the heart of stone
from your flesh
and give you
a heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit
within you
and cause you
to walk in my statutes
and be careful
to obey my rules.
It is God
who does this work.
Our next type of soil
that we are going
to interpret is,
as you guessed,
the rocky ground.
This is found
in verses 20 and 21.
The rocky ground
is the person
that has much initial
emotional excitement.
Notice the term
immediately,
it is happening quickly.
And Matthew wants us
to see the speed
at which this person
accepts the message.
This response
often results
in happiness and joy
as they accept it,
as his or her feelings
are changed by the word
at a breakneck speed.
What a difference
from the previous soil, right?
Like, this is great.
But it is short-lived.
They have heard
and even received
but never fully understood.
There is no true
change of heart.
And if we follow
the parable,
it is even worse
than we think,
as the hardness
from the dirt
in the first type
of soil,
is nothing compared
to the hardness
of heart that we find
in the rocky depths
of this ground.
Their heart is as hard
as stone,
with no marks
of true remorse
for sin.
There is no repentance,
no brokenness,
and no humility.
The thing that causes
the person with rocky soil
to fall away,
as Jesus says,
is persecution
and trials.
Just as quickly
as this person accepts,
notice the other
immediately,
so immediately they accept
and immediately
they fall away,
is this persecution.
Anyone who accepts
the word, though,
we're reminded,
is promised this trouble.
Paul reminds us
in 2 Timothy 3,
Indeed,
all who desire
to live a godly life
in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted,
while evil people
and imposters
will go on
from bad to worse,
deceiving
and being deceived.
The problem is that
they have not firmly believed,
and since they have not
firmly believed,
they are not encouraged
by the sanctification
and growth
that comes after persecution.
1 Peter 5 reminds us,
After you have suffered
a little while,
the God of all grace,
who has called you
to his eternal glory
in Christ,
will himself restore,
confirm,
strengthen,
and establish you.
What causes the unbeliever
to fall away
as quickly as they came
is what actually
increases the faith
of a true believer.
This shallow acceptance
that we're talking about
is often the result
of a shallow
gospel presentation
by those that may
let a person know
about the benefits
of salvation,
but fail to talk
about the cost.
They focus on things
like being saved
from hell
or a vague idea
of the love of Jesus,
but no mention
of repenting from sin,
dying to self,
or what Christ's love
has actually accomplished.
In Matthew 16, 24,
Jesus tells us that
if anyone would come
after me,
let him deny himself
and take up his cross
and follow me.
For whoever would lose,
or whoever would save
his life,
he will lose it.
Whoever loses his life
for my sake
will find it.
This is the type of heart
that we're looking for.
John MacArthur
on this type of person
says in his commentary,
he has come to Christ
for what he thought
he would get
in the way of personal benefit,
but when confronted
with the high cost
of salvation,
he will not pay the price.
He's built his religious house
on the sand
of emotional experience,
and when the storms
of affliction
or persecution
beat on his house,
it crumbles
and washes away.
He has the foliage
of a religious experience,
but has no root
in spiritual reality,
and therefore cannot
produce spiritual fruit,
which, as Jesus goes on
to say,
is the only reliable evidence
of true conversion.
Our question for today
is,
does your life show
this evidence of fruit,
or are you simply
writing a religious experience?
If you have no concept
of dealing with your sin
or of having a true desire
to seek after God,
to know him by his word,
then you might know
something about God,
but do not know
the salvation
that this text
is referring to.
Do you perhaps know
others in this situation?
Are you being open
and honest with them
about it?
These interactions
need to be handled
with the utmost love
and care for sure,
but all these conversations
must be guided by truth.
If a life is not
evidenced by fruit
and it is hard
to find genuine faith,
the most unloving thing
that you can do
is allow them
to continue believing a lie.
Brings us to our next
type of soil
that's found in verse 22,
and that is the thorns.
So we're back with the thorns.
This person finds the world
to be more interesting
than the things of God.
Perhaps in the beginning
they grow well
and there's some promise,
but there are weeds
and thorns in the picture
that grow up with the plant.
Think of the man
with many possessions
and so turn back
from following Jesus.
But what started
as a healthy shoot
beginning to rise up
starts to weaken
and they become
more and more consumed
with other things.
Soon enough,
they find that they have
no need for the good word
when they have the world
to fulfill their needs.
All the while,
not knowing,
those needs
will never be filled
by the world
with true satisfaction.
The plant is all but
choked to death.
Their faith fails
because they're caught up
in the care of the world
and the deceitfulness
of riches.
The true difference
between the thorns
and the path
come from that initial response.
While those on the path
don't consider it long enough
to make any difference,
those in the thorns
initially show promise
for however long or short.
Even the rich young man
was willing to follow Christ
until, of course,
he learned
what the cost was.
1 John 2 reminds us,
Do not love the world
or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father
is not in him.
For all that is in the world,
the desires of the flesh
and the desires of the eyes
and pride of life
is not from the Father
but is from the world.
And the world is passing away
along with its desires
but whoever does the will of God
abides forever.
At some point
in the life of a person
who has heard the word,
they will come to a moment
where they discover
that being in the world
and of the world
cannot happen simultaneously.
The person must forsake
one of the two
and prove to be
a true or false disciple.
I want to be careful
and I'm not saying
that this action
is what saves a person
but I am saying
that one who is saved
will prove to be saved
by not being of the world.
This soil can look
a little bit different too.
It can look like
the anxious one
from Matthew 6
asking,
What shall we eat?
What shall we drink?
What shall we wear?
Throw in whatever question
of anxiety in there.
All the while
not remembering
that life is more than food
and the body
more than clothing.
Our Heavenly Father
feeds the birds of the air.
He clothes the grass
of the field
so there is no need
to be anxious about life
and ask such questions.
Our Heavenly Father
knows that we need them all.
Jesus calls us
to do one thing
in verse 33 of chapter 6.
Seek first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness
and all these things
will be added to you.
My encouragement
for this person
is not to give in
to temptation.
Even if what in front of you
might seem good
or be an important thing
to be concerned about
if it pulls you away
from Christ
it is not of the kingdom.
So in the case
of all three previous soils
the path,
the rocks,
and the thorns
the point is
I'm sure that you've seen
is that we see
no fruit.
The parable
gives us
harvest.
In all cases
the seed was not able
to take root,
grow,
or produce.
In other words,
they were not able
to hear,
understand,
and believe.
So,
what would it look like
for a seed
to take root?
Before we look
at what Jesus says,
let's first look
at John 15,
verse 5 says,
I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me
and I am him,
he it is that bears
much fruit.
For apart from me
you can do nothing.
By this my Father
is glorified,
that you bear much fruit
and so prove
to be my disciples.
In this passage
from John,
not only is there
language of bearing fruit
as being the sign
of true discipleship,
but also the exclusive
nature of the relationship.
There's only those
who abide in Christ.
And who are those
that abide in Christ?
Those whose heart
has received the word
and accepted it.
And what do those
people look like?
Matthew tells us,
starting in verse 23.
As for what was
sown on good soil,
this is the one
who hears the word
and understands it.
He indeed bears fruit
and yields,
in one case a hundredfold,
and another sixty,
and another thirty.
This is our last type
of soil under interpretation,
and it is the good soil.
The good soil.
All of the other soils
heard the word,
but the difference
in this one
is understanding.
This soil has been
prepared by the Spirit
and therefore able
to receive the word.
And this is not a work
of that person
or the soil.
John 16, 8 says,
and when he comes,
that is the Spirit,
that's what he was
talking about,
he will convict the world
concerning sin
and righteousness
and judgment.
The Spirit is the one
that does this.
It is not because
of anything more amazing
or good that someone
has done to receive
this conviction,
it is simply by grace.
There are those
who have received
the word,
these are the ones
who have received
the word of God
and understood.
They not only know
stuff about God,
the difference,
if you remember,
is not knowledge,
but commitment.
This commitment
produces joy
and that produces
action and that
leads to proclamation.
This is the sign
of a true believer
and what it means
to yield fruit.
In Galatians,
Paul tells us
exactly what this fruit
should look like.
He says,
but the fruit of the Spirit
is what?
Love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
and self-control.
This fruit leads them
to become sowers as well,
sowing the seed
of the word of God
and inviting others
to true life.
These are those
who respond,
God,
be merciful to me,
a sinner.
See,
Jesus' kingdom came
not through
a conquering king
like Israel expected,
but as a baby
born in a stable.
He came not to be saved
or serve,
but to serve,
to give his life
as a ransom for many.
Jesus Christ served
not only in his long
days of ministry,
pouring out his life
for the disciples
and the people,
but ultimately
by dying on a cross
for us.
You see,
our hardened
or rocky
or choked hearts
are the result
of sin.
We are all sinners
before God
in need of his grace.
We are,
as Paul says in Ephesians,
dead in our trespasses
and sins.
We're following this world
and carrying out
the desires of the flesh
and the mind
and by nature
children of wrath.
This is the state
of all humanity
and this is the unproductive
soil that Jesus
is talking about.
We could not do the work
of becoming good soil
on our own.
It took God himself
through his son
to save us.
Paul continues
in verse 4 of Ephesians 2,
but God,
being rich in mercy
because of the great love
with which he loved us,
even when we were dead
in our trespasses,
made us alive together
with Christ.
It is by grace
you have been saved
through faith.
This is not your own doing,
this is a gift of God,
not a result of work
so that no one
may boast.
Christ is the only one
who can change your heart
and is more than capable
of doing so.
He can change your hard
or rocky
or thorn-infested heart
and cause the seed to grow,
for he is the one
that causes the growth.
He brings forth rain
and created the sun
to rise.
As a believer,
we become his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus
for good works
which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them.
This is good fruit,
works that will ultimately
bring glory to God.
If this is a new word for you,
I would ask that you
turn to Christ
for the salvation
of your soul.
Do not let it bounce off,
but take time
to truly consider
these words
in the cost.
This is also
an encouragement
for Jesus' disciples
and for us.
It would seem
that we may serve
in different measures,
some 100,
some 60,
and some 30,
but it would also seem
that we are called
to be sowers
in some capacity
or another.
Jesus provides
a promise
that through the sowing
that there will be
those who truly believe.
Think about that.
What an encouragement.
He is promising
that those who hear word
will accept it
and believe.
Jesus is promising
that in this age
we will encounter
those who will not
accept the message.
This is for sure.
He is promising
this distinction
and all of the difficulties
with it.
But by promising
that distinction,
he is also promising us
that seed will bear fruit.
He is promising us
that there will be
those who hear,
understand,
commit,
and also join in
proclaiming,
resulting in a great
harvest of faith
through the fruit
of their lives.
Isaiah 55,
verse 11 says,
For as the rain
and the snow
come down from heaven
and do not return,
there,
but water the earth,
making it bring forth
and sprout,
giving seed to the sower
and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be
that goes out of my mouth.
It shall not reach,
I sent it.
We are not able
to discern exactly
where all the seed
will go.
Only God knows
and changes hearts.
We are able
to be faithful
in proclaiming
to as many
as would hear it.
Jesus does not tell us
that the sower
was selective
with the seed.
Instead,
he distributed
in such a way
that the seed
would fall
on a variety
of different types
of soil.
What you might
perceive as difficult
soil or hard soil
might not be so.
Only God truly
knows a person's heart.
1 Samuel 16
reminds us,
For the Lord sees
not as man sees,
for man looks
on the outward appearance,
but the Lord
looks on the heart.
We are simply
to go as far
and wide as possible,
spreading the good seed
of the kingdom
to all soil.
For us,
we are to pray
that God would give us
the heart to do that
and for the different
types of soil
we encounter.
The Lord is able
to take that hard soil
and till it.
He can remove the stone
that is under the surface
and he can also
weed out the garden.
Our job as a sower
is to be faithful
in the proclamation
of the word,
knowing that it is the Lord
that gives the growth.
1 Corinthians 3.6 says,
I,
this is Paul talking,
planted,
Apollos watered,
but God gave the growth.
I want to end
with a quote
from Spurgeon.
He's talking about
the parable of the sower
in this.
And he says,
The preacher of the gospel
is like the sower.
He does not make his seed.
It is given him
by his divine master.
No man could create
the smallest grain
that ever grew
upon the earth,
much less
the celestial seed
of eternal life.
The minister goes
to his master in secret
and asks him
to teach him the gospel.
And thus he fills his basket
with the good seed
of the kingdom.
He then goes forth
in his master's name
and scatters
precious truth.
If he knew where
the best soil
was to be found,
perhaps he might
limit himself
to that which had been
prepared by the plow
of conviction.
But not knowing
men's hearts,
it is his business
to preach the gospel
to every creature,
to throw a handful
on the hardened heart
and another
on the mind
which has overgrown
the cares and pleasures
of the world.
He has to leave the seed
in the care of the Lord
who gave it to him,
for he is not responsible
for the harvest.
He is only accountable
for the care
and industry
with which he does
his work.
Let's pray.