“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away…And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.” Mark 4:3-6, 15-17 (NKJV) emphasis added.We will now take a look at the second soil mentioned in Jesus’ parable. This soil, like the previous one, has the seed broadcast upon it. This soil has what looks like good soil on top, but what lies beneath is hard bedrock. But unlike the previous soil, the seed seems to penetrate because we see a plant. Not only do we get to see a plant, but Jesus says that the plant sprang up immediately. There is fast growth; it is almost as if it sprang up over night. This is exciting! We love to see growth. It is almost as if the plant is growing before our very eyes because of the speed in which it grows. It was as if the plant could hardly wait to grow, but there is a catch. When the sun was up, the plant couldn’t survive. The sun scorched the plant, and it withered away. Why did the plant wither away? It withered away because it was lacking the foundational root system it needed in order to survive. Why did it not grow down deep so it could withstand the hot rays of the sun? It had something underneath the soil that hindered it from growing deep. There was bedrock hidden beneath the soil, and made what seemed like good soil nothing but shallow ground.
Jesus makes it clear, in His explanation of the parable, that this person sits under the Word of God; but unlike the previous soil, this person immediately receives the Word of God. Not only do they receive the Word of God, but Jesus tells us that they receive it with gladness. These people are excited and seem to blossom fast. In the beginning, they are active, exuberant, and excited. But though they seemed to grow extremely fast at the beginning, it doesn’t take long before they fade away. These people are shallow; there is no depth to them. They are hard hearted, but it is hard to see at first because their enthusiasm masks it.
When does the growth seem to stop, and the person begin to wither? Jesus says that these people fade away and do not endure for long when tribulation or persecution comes. Tribulation, in this verse, refers to pressure—like that of walls closing in around you. When we think of persecution, we often think of being physically harmed; persecution often comes, however, in the form of verbal ridicule. Jesus says, that when either of these two things come (tribulation or persecution), these people immediately stumble. The word “stumble” refers to these people being offended. These people are offended when the world persecutes them because of the Word of God. These people were looking for a feeling. They may visit and even join a church. They will be excited, but their excitement will not last long. As soon as they feel the resistance of society to the Word of God, they are gone. They may float around from church to church in order to maintain some sense of feeling. These people have never wrestled with the Word of God; and they don’t want to. That’s not why they come. They are moving around looking for a place that will feed their feelings, rather than feed them the truth. The truth is often painful and cuts like a knife.
These people wanted a pain free and problem free life. Sorry! That is not the life of Christ. Jesus said in
Matthew 10:24, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.”Jesus said this on the heels of eight verses dealing with the coming persecution of His disciples. The apostle Paul writes,
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12 (NKJV).This soil cannot be saved because of the stones that lie beneath. This person is hard hearted. This person may sit under the Word of God and seem to be excited about it; but the test of whether this person is truly saved or not comes in the midst of trials and persecution. Those who have been truly saved will endure unto the end. Scripture says that Jesus is the “author” or “originator” of our faith. That same passage says that He is, as well, the “finisher” of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus doesn’t start a work that He does not bring to completion. The so-called Christian that is offended by the Word and withers away when problems, pressures, and persecution come is not saved though they may think that they are. Their trust is not in the saving work of Christ but in the feelings of the moment.
Are you saved by God? A true test of that is found in the face of trials. Do you disassociate yourself from Christ when people begin to mock or ridicule you because of the Word of God? Do you jump ship and look for another congregation when the Word cuts a little to close to home? Are you looking for a smooth sailing salvation? No one is above his/her master. The true believer can expect the same treatment from the world that Jesus received. This soil in its present condition cannot be saved; this soil will need the Master to transform it by breaking it and removing the stones that hinder true growth. Only then will this soil be saved. But if this soil remains as stony ground, it will never be saved.
No comments:
Post a Comment