Am I retaining and persevering in the truth of God’s word that I have already heard?

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. 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. 14 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. 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.”

INSIGHT:  Here is another teaching of Christ, which dispels the false gospel of “easy believism” and shows the need for human responsibility.  Two of the first three seeds (types of people) believed, yet they don’t make it to heaven, if they remain in that condition.  According to the Mark 4 version of the parable, Jesus said, in v.3 “Listen” and in v. 9, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

I believe this parable is not set in stone, such that we have no ability to affect our seed’s outcome.  If the outcomes were set in stone, what would be the need of listening (Mk 4:3, 9) or of us being tested (v. 13)  I believe Christ is admonishing us first, to be careful our seed is not stolen away by Satan, second, to endure the times of persecution and testing, and third, to avoid allowing our spiritual life to be choked off by our flesh or the world.  We have great responsibility here!

My own seed was initially sown among the “thorns” (v. 14) and were chocked off for many years by the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the pursuit of other things.  I was a man trapped between his love for God and his love for the world.

I believed, but I was not maturing, nor producing fruit.  I had a desire and love for God in my heart, but my main daily priorities and interests were all in the world.  I read my Bible, went to church, served, and avoided obvious evils, but I was not living by faith in any real way, beyond simply believing Christ was truly the Son of God and that He died and rose again 2,000 years ago for my sins.

I was not inviting Him to guide me, nor was I depending on Him for all matters of my life.  I was not regularly hearing from Him or denying myself to carry the cross of His will for my life.  I had a strong and passionate belief in Him, but I was very much the ruler and King of my daily life, not Him.

Let’s remember what Christ said happens to the trees that take up the soil but produce no fruit.  They are pulled up and thrown into the fire (Jn 15:6, Lk 13:9).  To the praise of God, He was merciful during my time of spiritual ignorance, and once He opened my eyes, I repented and was set free from all those entanglements and given a second chance.

I believe most of us living in this age, especially in the West, are those who have received the seed among the “thorns”.  Materialism, worldliness, selfishness, politics, conspiracy theories, the worries of this life, pleasures, and the pursuit of other things are all winning against our souls! I have met many professing Christians who call the walk I now have with Jesus, either “too hard” or “too radical”. 

In v.15, Jesus gives us the three simple (but not easy) actions we must take to become a true Christian who produces a crop (fruitfulness) and enters eternal life.  We must hear the Word of God, retain it (through repetition, meditation, and practice), and we must never give up (persevering through all things to do God’s will).

Here again, from meditating on this teaching of Christ, we can see why the apostles told us that it is hard for the righteous to be saved (1 Pet 4:18), and why we must throw off everything that hinders and so easily entangles us (Heb 12:1).  We cannot run in the righteous path God requires, while entangled by thorns and weeds.

Answer honestly.  Is your seed being chocked off, by sin, or by the worries of this life, or the deceitfulness of wealth which cannot save you in the day of God’s wrath, or by the pursuit of other things (bread which will not last)?