So Deep
How to cultivate good soil in our own lives. To not be surprised or disappointed by a lack of response. We are called to so generously even when it does not yield a harvest. Even if we can’t see it God’s word will reap but not in every life.
Mark 4:7 (NLT) 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.
This ground is rich in nutrients but contains lots of weeds. Delighting in riches. Desiring the things of this world
Mark 4:5 (NLT) 5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.
For the good soil, the participle “hearing” is in the present tense (v. 20), suggesting that it needs to continue.
Wrap up
A good crop depends entirely on the soil and that seed is spread.
Sowing is a metaphor for God’s work.
Jeremiah 31:28 (NLT) 28 In the past I deliberately uprooted and tore down this nation. I overthrew it, destroyed it, and brought disaster upon it. But in the future I will just as deliberately plant it and build it up. I, the LORD, have spoken!
The sower sows liberally even on unfruitful ground, If the pharisees were sowing they would have excluded, Lepers, Sinners and Tax collectors. They saw those people as a waste of time.
He seems like he is wasting seed. Jesus’ parable gives remarkable attention to describing the failure of the seed and the reasons for it (68 out of 97 words in the Greek).
