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Then Jesus said to them, "If you can't understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? Mark 4:13 NLT
Scattering seed by hand, then plowing the ground to bury the seed, was a common farming technique during the time of Christ. The seed is spread over all kinds of ground, but it will only flourish in the ground that is plowed and made ready for it. Jesus mentions this practice as an apt comparison for those who spread God’s Word to the world.
When the disciples asked Jesus to explain the parable of the sower to them in private, Jesus commented that understanding this parable was foundational to understanding the rest of them. Why? Because if the seed of God’s Word fell on their hardened hearts, it wouldn’t flourish, into self-replicating fruitfulness.
There are many reasons why our hearts may be hardened to God’s Word: disappointment over God’s timing, sinfulness in our lives, a lack of understanding about God’s reasons for His actions, reluctance to allow Him to break up the soil of our hearts. But if we want to understand His Word, we must allow ourselves to be turned upside down and buried for His sake. Only when we are planted in the plowed ground will we be useful for His kingdom.
Prayer: Jesus, plant Your seeds in my heart and prepare my life to be fruitful, no matter how uncomfortable it is.
Scattering seed by hand, then plowing the ground to bury the seed, was a common farming technique during the time of Christ. The seed is spread over all kinds of ground, but it will only flourish in the ground that is plowed and made ready for it. Jesus mentions this practice as an apt comparison for those who spread God’s Word to the world.
When the disciples asked Jesus to explain the parable of the sower to them in private, Jesus commented that understanding this parable was foundational to understanding the rest of them. Why? Because if the seed of God’s Word fell on their hardened hearts, it wouldn’t flourish, into self-replicating fruitfulness.
There are many reasons why our hearts may be hardened to God’s Word: disappointment over God’s timing, sinfulness in our lives, a lack of understanding about God’s reasons for His actions, reluctance to allow Him to break up the soil of our hearts. But if we want to understand His Word, we must allow ourselves to be turned upside down and buried for His sake. Only when we are planted in the plowed ground will we be useful for His kingdom.
Prayer: Jesus, plant Your seeds in my heart and prepare my life to be fruitful, no matter how uncomfortable it is.
