While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “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 ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 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, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
“‘though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.’
“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 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. Those on the rocky ground 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.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. 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. (Luke 8:4-15 NIV)
When it rains, how often does the rain water the earth? Every time, right? When it’s pouring outside, do you ever wonder, “Is it working? Is the ground really getting wet?” Never! How about when it snows? When it snows and the snow melts, how often does it water the earth? Every time! Like God’s Word. This is God’s promise, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11). Like the rain, God’s Word never returns to God empty.
Wait a minute… That sure does not seem to be the case. It often seems like God’s Word does nothing at all. Jesus preached to crowds of people. So did crowds of people believe in Jesus? No. Actually, the opposite is true. Often, crowds of people heard Jesus, and when he finished, crowds of people left Jesus. Why? They didn’t like what he said. Huh? My Word “will not return to me empty,” God promises. Doesn’t it seem like God’s Word often doesn’t do anything at all?
How often have you sat and heard God’s Word and thought, “Nah, not hitting home for me today.” So you tune out. Move on. How often have you shared God’s Word with someone, thinking it will help them. And what did that person do? Nothing. Actually, worse than nothing: They didn’t care. They shrugged it off. They had no interest. It is so frustrating to speak God’s Word and have it accomplish nothing at all. It sure seems like God’s Word often returns empty!
So Jesus told a parable to explain that. Why does it seem like God’s Word doesn’t work? Well, Jesus said, “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 ate it up.” This farmer didn’t have a big 24-row planter like farmers have today. He had a bag of seed, and he scattered it everywhere. Naturally, some seed fell on the path he was walking on. People trampled it down. Birds ate it up. It didn’t grow.
“Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.” Some seed fell in rocky soil. That seed sprouted quickly. Rocky soil warms up nicely in the sun. It’s kind of like the plants that grow in the cracks in your driveway. They grow quicker there than anywhere else, right? But do those plants end up being beautiful? No. When the sun began to scorch, those plants withered because they had no moisture. Those seeds died.
“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.” Some seed fell on what seemed like good soil. It sprouted and began to grow. But so did the weeds. Thorns always grow faster than good plants, right? In time, the thorns crowded out the good seed and choked it. Those seeds died. If you’re wondering that looks like, come and see my lawn this summer!
Finally, “still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” Some seed didn’t just begin to grow. It grew all the way up until harvest time and produced a crop that was a hundred times what was sown. That was the farmer’s goal! In the end, it was all worth it. It worked! Jesus called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Got it? Are you hearing? Thankfully, just like our parable last week, Jesus explains his story for us. He says, “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.” Jesus wants his Word scattered everywhere, like a farmer scatters his seed. Like a seed, the Word is meant to be planted and take root in people’s hearts. The Word is meant to produce a harvest for the Lord.
But like a seed, it doesn’t always seem to work. “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.” When the Word is shared, sometimes the devil snatches it away. This is sad. This is serious. Some people have no interest in God. They refuse to hear about Jesus. They think they know everything. They certainly don’t need God. They are hard like a path. They do not let their rock-hard hearts be softened. They do not believe. They are not saved. Is that you? I hope not!
“Those on rocky ground 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.” When some people first hear God’s Word, they get excited. They say, “Pastor, we’re going to be here every week!” But then a trial comes. Tests. God’s Word doesn’t magically make troubles go away. So they say, “Ah, it’s not working.” They fall away. Is that you? I hope not! Remember: We are not saved because we once had faith in Jesus, but because we remain in the faith in Jesus to the end.
“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.” In other words, this is the seed that was sown in America. Martin Luther said, “Their ruin is that they have peace and good days.” Isn’t that us? We have such peace. We have such good days. So we worry all the time. We run after more and more riches. We numb ourselves with pleasures. We “go our own way.” We don’t take the Word seriously. We get lazy. We get absorbed with life. What happens to that seed? It dies. It gets choked out by everything else and dies. Is that you? I hope not!
Finally, “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.” Some people hear the Word and take it to heart. That’s what it’s really all about—your heart. They don’t just hear the Word. They retain it. They grow in it. Not just for a little while. They persevere. They face trials. They face tests. Yet, they produce a crop. That’s the goal! That’s what the farmer—Jesus—wants! Is that you? I hope so!
Like many of Jesus’ parables, this parable is really a warning. Not everyone is going to believe God’s Word. In fact, many people won’t believe God’s Word. There are so many obstacles. The devil is roaming around. There are troubles and trials and tests. There are worries and riches and pleasures. It often seems like God’s Word doesn’t work. That it returns empty. But Jesus tells us, “Actually, God’s Word is working in all those moments too. God’s Word confirms people in their unbelief. God’s Word brings people’s false priorities to light. God’s Word brings people’s shallowness and self-centeredness and rejection of God to light.” It’s not returning empty.
Of course, do you know what the greatest obstacle to God’s Word is? Our hard hearts. Like rain falls on sunbaked clay and just runs off… Like rain falls on a rock and bounces away… God’s Word is always working. It’s either softening your heart, or it’s showing how hard your heart is. It’s either bringing life or it’s revealing death. Either way, it will not return to God empty!
So listen to Jesus’ words! It’s always great when Jesus gets right to the point. What was his encouragement at the end of the parable? “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Do you have ears? Hear the Word! The answer to every obstacle that Jesus described is found in the Word. The devil? “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). Jesus died on the cross to destroy the devil’s work and forgive all our sins. Trials? “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Worries? “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Wealth? “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Pleasures? “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matthew 16:26). “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear!”
Hearing the Word of God is so important! When a pastor preaches or you read the Bible, it’s not meaningless. It’s life or death. That Word is going to confirm you in your unbelief on the path to hell, or that Word is going to soften your heart with God’s grace and give you faith in Jesus for eternal life in heaven. It will not return empty! It’s working. “It will not return to me empty.”
I’ve seen both. Here at our church, at least a dozen people have started our FaithBuilders classes and then stopped. Because of grace: “When are you going to talk about what I do to be saved?” Because of creation: “I don’t believe that God created the world, and I’m going to find a church that teaches evolution.” Because of marriage: “Don’t tell us that God wants us to be married before we live together, because we’ve decided it’s perfectly fine.” Because of Communion: “I have never heard a church say that it’s actually Jesus’ body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.” It’s the most frustrating thing. It’s the saddest thing. You speak the Word, and people reject it. Jesus says that shouldn’t surprise us. It happened to him. Many people won’t believe God’s Word.
But some people will! At a former church, there was a man who started FaithBuilders class with a scowl on his face. “Pastor, I want you to know that I don’t believe any of this stuff, but my wife keeps nagging me, so I’m going to sit through this silly class for her.” I said, “Okay.” The first four weeks, he tried to point out things wrong in the Bible. But, little by little, something changed. He started asking questions about the Bible. “What does the Bible say about…?” After maybe eight weeks or so, he started correcting the other people in the class when they said something false. I said to him, “I thought you didn’t believe any of this stuff.” He said, “I didn’t. I can’t explain it. But now I believe it’s true.” The Word did it. “It will not return to me empty.”
You tell me this all the time. You say, “I heard this verse that just hit me in the right way.” You say, “That devotion was just what I needed to hear.” This is what God’s Word does! One little verse can make all the difference in the world! To hear about Jesus’ love on the cross, to be reminded of God’s control over life, to be comforted with Jesus’ forgiveness, to be pointed to the joy of heaven, to be strengthened for daily battles with Satan. “It will not return to me empty.”
So what was Jesus’ encouragement? “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” For a plant to grow, what does it need? Rain. How often? If just a week goes by in the hot sun, that plant begins to wither. For your faith to grow, what does it need? God’s Word. How often? If just a week goes by, your faith shrinks. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Just as the melting snow waters the earth, that Word will water your heart and soul. “It will not return to me empty.”
(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)
Upside-Down Savior 