Where is the Rich Soil?

~~~ Jeremiah 3: 14-17 ~~~ Psalm response Jer. 31 ~~~ Matthew 13: 18 23 ~~~

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Hear the parable of the sower.

The gospel today is one of the very familiar parables

about the seeds and what happens to them.

Jesus is giving his commentary on a previous teaching.

I like analogies they clarify things and make them relevant.

An analogy helps you to connect a story to your own life.

The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom
without understanding it,
and the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.

If you sow your seeds on the path they will surely be trampled

by the footsteps of others. There is not any way to protect the seeds.

If you are on the path you are probably in transit...

you are moving along the path.

To create a path there must be previous usage of the same area.

Sometimes a path can be created by those ahead of you.

It is easy to take the existing path for granted.

How many times in our busy lives do we just hear the Word

without taking the time to understand?

Simply hearing the Word is not sufficient to sustain your soul.

The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.

If you leave the path you encounter the rocky ground.

The stones which you find here may have been intentionally

pushed aside in order to clear the path.

The seed which falls on this rocky ground is unstable.

You are more apt to lose your balance when walking on rocky ground.

The rocks roll and move around under your feet.

Things do not adhere to rocks they just slip off.

The seeds sown here among the rocks almost make it to the ground,

 but many do not.

These seeds lay on the surface not having any way to anchor themselves.

They cannot even send out roots, for if they do they will be met

with a harsh hard surface.

Our hearts can become like these rocks...hard and cold.

The Word of the Lord cannot penetrate into a heart as hard as stone.

When the Word cannot sends its roots into the heart

it is easily blown away by the winds of trials and tribulations.

These seeds seem to serve no long term purpose;

 so they are not cared for and are eventually swept away.

Receiving the Word with joy without letting it send

its roots deep within will also not sustain the soul.

The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.

For years we had wild blackberries in the front flower bed.

These tenacious little vines are covered with tiny thorns.

They literally made it impossible to pull them up, so they flourished.

The birds came and fed on these wild blackberries.

They were not bothered by the thorns.

As these vines flourished they choked out the other flowers.

The thorns attach to the surrounding plant life binding them bound to the ground.

They strangle all vegetation near them.

It took many years before we were able to rid this bed of these blackberries.

When the Word falls among the thorns it is so difficult to get

past them that it is just easier to give up.

The thorns of worldly anxiety scares you into abandoning the rest of the garden.

You do not want to be pierced by the thorns so you practice avoidance of the Word. This avoidance fosters fear making the easy way out appear more attractive.

It is possible to remove the thorns with patience and perseverance.

Once the thorns are removed there is a much higher probability that

the rest of the garden will bear fruit.

But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirty fold."

The seed sown on rich soil.

How does one get the rich soil?

Do you just have the local dirt guy dump a truck load in your front yard?

How do you get rich soil in your heart?

In order to have rich soil it takes time, dedication, hard work.

Rich soil is tilled up and aerated. Rich soil has some nutrients mixed into the soil.

Rich soil drains well. The presence of a few earthworms

is another indication of rich soil. Rich soil does not just happen.

Rich soil is not on the beaten path...

Rich soil is not burdened with rocks...

Rich soil is not choked with thorns...

Rich soil is the ideal environment to yield positive results in your garden.

The better prepared the soil the more it will bear in the end.

So what do you want?

Are you safe on the path?

Can you just kick the rocks aside?

Can you avoid the thorns?

Will you risk being tangled in the thorns?

Are you willing to create the rich soil needed?

 Your heart yields the most when the Word falls on well prepared soil.

There you will find the 'rich soil'.