Four Soils

       “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;  yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” (Matthew 13:18-23)

We tend to like to think of the parable of the sower as being about salvation, or at least about spirituality. It is, but the truth in the parable is that it’s more. It deals with human nature. Any decision we make with the will, any emotion we feel, or thought we think is effectively an idea. Any idea is a seed sown, and there is a familiar set of responses.

First, if we don’t understand the idea, it’s snatched away by the birds. The thing is, while birds may swoop in, grab a seed and fly away (our usual way of thinking of this,) they can also be sneaky. We may never know they’ve been there. Or, they may be devious. We can be distracted. The point is that if we do not understand, the idea doesn’t stay with us.

I checked a couple websites. One said that a child may have to try a specific food as many as 20 times to learn to like it. Another said that a person may have to hear the gospel as many as 18 times before he makes a decision. Of course, that’s an average, but the point is that for at least part of the 20 tries, the new idea doesn’t even get to stay with the soil. This should give you some patience when dealing with someone who just can’t seem to understand.

In John Ortberg’s treatment of the soils, he describes the road as hard soil. What’s hard soil like? It’s been walked on. A person who is hard soil may be angry or bitter. They may have been hurt, and find it difficult to trust, or be afraid to trust. Their mamas didn’t raise any fools, so they aren’t interested. Talk. To. The. Hand.

Then there’s the rocky soil. It’s not that it’s hard, it’s that the soil is only a thin layer. This is the soil of immediate gratification. It is the response to fearmongering, hate-mongering social media. This is where we are when we don’t want to take the time to look beyond the surface. This is when we answer out of emotion, excitement, anger, pain, habit, or fear. This is where we are when we don’t take time to think, to do research, and to pray. It is also the soil in which we find ourselves when we are determined to avoid the deep and the difficult.

Another type of soil is thorny. This is the cluttered soul, one that doesn’t have the time to spend time in prayer, in God’s Word, or in Church because there is so much that needs to be done. The thorns in this soil not only pierce skin, they eat the nutrients so that the good plant starve. They soak of water so that the good plants haven’t enough. They crowd the good plants, and may prevent pollinators from reaching the flowers, so that that good plants cannot reproduce their goodness. This is the life in which there’s no time for Bible study, Church, fellowship, or prayer because of a full schedule and a fuller to do list.

Finally, there’s the good soil. This soil shelters the seed, and provides the depth, space, nutrients, and water needed for the plant, the idea, or the soul to grow and produce fruit.

Over the past few days, I’ve been thinking that I need to take the time to ask myself which type of soil I’m being more often. Then, of course, life happens. Last night, my plan was to pray about it before I fell asleep and then I fell asleep. I have books to work on, a trailer and a dog to take care of, gardening to do, groceries to pick up, and a to do list to complete. Today, someone from the park came to see me about something, and as the secretary of the residents’ association, that required that I talk to several other people, and then, and then, and then… It’s almost dinnertime and I haven’t finished tomorrow’s blog – let alone actually thinking about what I’m writing. I guess the answer to the question of which soil I am right now is – the thorny soil.

Now, I suspect that each of us has times when we face each kind of soil in our lives. We do need to take time to test the soil once in a while, especially when a seed shows up. But beyond that, I suspect we have a tendency toward one type, one that feels most natural and normal to us, a problem that keeps cropping up. 

Now, let me throw this out for consideration. What is the answer to each of these soil types – how do we move toward the good soil? In each case, tools are need. God – or we – might use a plow, a shovel, a hoe, or a rake. In every case, the goal is to break up the soil and remove what will harm the seed and its plant, whether hard dirt, rocks, or aggressive plants. The process can be aided by water (the Spirit) but even when the water is present, the ground still needs to be broken up and cleared. So, you know those things that come along and disrupt your life? Like COVID-19? Now that’s a plow.