Part 1—Soils That Cannot Be Saved

We live in a time when many are concerned about the environment. There are those who take up causes that they believe in and invest all their resources in. Some desire to save the whales, save the rainforests, and overall save the planet. As one of many who live in rural communities, with farming playing a major role in the economic structure of society, I want to turn our attention to what Jesus says about the soil of the heart.


In chapter 4 of Mark’s gospel, Jesus is speaking to a great multitude of people. As He taught them He told them this parable.

“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 some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced; some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Jesus then says to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mark 4:3-9 NKJV)

One of the wonderful things about this parable is that Jesus explains it to us so that we have no misunderstanding.

Mark 4:14 says, “The sower sows the word.” The sower broadcasts or scatters seed liberally. The sower does this with the anticipation of reaping the fruit from his labors. He isn’t merely out to feed the wild birds or throw his seed away. Jesus tells us that the seed is the Word. The sower doesn’t come with anything in his bag but the Word of God. Why? There is nothing but the Word of God that will produce what he desires. But though the sower and the seed are important in this parable; they are not the focal point.

Jesus points the hearer and reader’s attention to the condition of the soils. A soil that isn’t prepared for the seed will not produce the desired fruit. Let us now look as Jesus gives the explanation of the parable of the soils in Mark 4:15-20.

“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. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Here are some basic observations that Jesus is giving us. The soils represent those people who sit under or hear the Word of God. These people may in fact sit regularly under the teaching of God’s Word, but the majority of them are lost and remain under the wrath of God. It is only the last soil that shows evidence of the work of God in them. Paul writes in Romans 1:18-19, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.”

Let us clearly understand the importance of being where the Word is clearly and accurately taught. If we do not learn what the passage means by what the preacher has said, one of two things is happening:

1. He is not truly teaching the passage (which is often the case) or
2. You are one of the first three soils.

Do not be deceived. There are many who sit in congregations week after week that believe that they are born again but remain under the wrath of God as they suppress the truth in unrighteousness. For those who sit under the Word of God and yet there is no fruit displayed in their lives, hear the words of Christ, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15b). Will you run to Him? Will you beg Him for forgiveness? Will you deny yourself? Will you leave your life behind in order to follow Him?