I had the parable of the sower explained to me as......we are like the soil and the seed was God's word. Is this accurate? My "heart" interpretation does not agree. Thanks in advance.

Our pastor quoted something remarkable at our church service. These are my notes. I hope this helps you.

Based on Matthew 13:1-23

Matthew 13:1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

Matthew 13:2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

Matthew 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

Matthew 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Matthew 13:5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

Matthew 13:6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

Matthew 13:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

Matthew 13:8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Matthew 13:9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

Matthew 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Matthew 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Matthew 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Matthew 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

Matthew 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Matthew 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Matthew 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

Matthew 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

Matthew 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

Matthew 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Matthew 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

Matthew 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Our heart is like the soil in which the seed is sown. This scripture shows for types of heart. Then JESUS gives the meaning of the parable. Interestingly this is something that stood out:

Hard Hearts: Matt. 13:4, 19

Matthew 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Matthew 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.


Shallow hearts Matt. 13:5, 20 & 21

Matthew 13:5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

Matthew 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

Matthew 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Crowded hearts Matt 13:7, 22

Matthew 13:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

Matthew 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.


Fruitful hearts Matt. 13: 8, 23

Matthew 13:8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Matthew 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

The sad part is that we are warned of this throughout scripture, and yet we continue to ignore it. This is how so many will miss out on the Fruitful harvest that the LORD wants us to bring in.

How does this compare with Good Fruit of the Spirit?


Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.


Ephesians 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.


What kind of soil is your heart?

Are you receiving HIS WORD as SEED and then sharing it with others?

What kind of fruit are you producing?

I can see how the soil can be the people, but I like to understand the seed that grows within me in the parable as being me.

That is because I view the forces that would rob the seed as external to me, from the shallow soil and the searing sun, to the rocky soil or the raven that steal the seed. While Jesus is the sower in the parable.

Without the seed there would be just soil and I want to be more than just soil. So let the seed be me. That's how I see the parable.

The seed is the Word of God, and the soil is our hearts.


James 1:18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

James 1:21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.



In His Love,
Suzanne

I tend to agree with you HB, I guess one can make a case for being the soil as Adam was, but I am like you, what is soil without a seed? If God is responsible for the creation of the soil (humanity in this case), and then plants a seed (His Word) in the soil, then why does it not grow? A bad mechanism for the seed to flourish? The implication, to me, is that there is something wrong with me if I don't produce Spiritual fruit.

I can see our flesh being like a seed hull and our hearts being the seed. We must get the hull out of the way for the seed to germinate.

Why do they preach like humanity is bad. I am at a loss.

Makes me a touch mad.

thanks for the responses,

Ed

There is something wrong, it's called a hard heart and a stiff neck.


In His Love,
Suzanne

End3, our fruit is our TESTIMONY. A TESTIMONY is telling what the LORD has done in your life. All Christians, can TESTIFY what the LORD has done. That TESTIMONY then will be heard by others, and it will produce good fruit. Just because you don't see the fruit, doesn't mean it isn't there. The LORD works through you, and HE reaches others, because of what HE is doing in your life. It is like the WORD. We read it, and want to share it with everyone. Because the within the WORD (seed) is LIFE.

Here is a verse that explains who we are without the LORD and who we become, because of HIM.

Psalms 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

It is whether or not the word remains in your heart, and you believe it! Thus you produce fruit.


You know, "you will know them by their fruit.


It is a heart issue confirmed in the verse below:

Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.


Thus, if we believe what we hear, keep His Word, and abide in Him whose Name is The Word, we are truly understanding "love".

1 John 2:5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. (Unlike the one who has the Word snatched away out of his heart.)

1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.


Matthew 13:23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."


Matthew 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.


In His Love,
Suzanne

"The distinguishing mark of a Christian is his confidence in the love of Christ, and the yielding of his affections to Christ in return." - Spurgeon, C. H.

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.


That is our TESTIMONY in a nutshell.

We just need to make sure that our "love" is based upon what God defines as love, and not our own ideas. This is where we have erred.


God IS love, BUT love is not necessarily God.


God defines love in His Word!


In His Love,
Suzanne

I agree, Suzanne. It is HIS LOVE that shines through us. A light cannot shine hiding under a barrel. We are to be HIS LIGHT in the world...that is the TESTIMONY we share. AMEN.

Freedom,

Thank you for the psalm, that was encouraging. Thank you for your interest in my walk.

Suzanne,

I am thinking you hear something in the tone of my posts that leads you to think I am a touch stubborn....stiff necked, if you will. I have been listening to the Spirit for a few years now and don't understand why the Spirit endwelling my heart does not match with our church leaders. I have loved and participated from the inside of the "organization" only to find something that is often more hurtful than loving to me and my family. There have been good times, but the hurtful times are most devistating because they hit at the very center of my Spiritual understanding. I am different in my thinking and understanding and don't feel as though I need to be aligned within this rhelm of organized religion to be with God. I am open for suggestions. Thank you as well.

Ed

Dear End3,

I will have to agree with you in the matter of "church leaders", but probably for different reasons? Don't know. But I will say this, our walk is supposed to be in line with God's Word. That is why He gave It, so that we might be set free when we listen to Him according to His Commandments and instruction. Otherwise, we are following a god of our imagination, that does not align with Who the REAL Jesus Is.


Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice and example for us. So that we could "SEE" God's Word in action.


John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Outside of His Word, we are worshipping a false god.

The Word must be the framework of our faith.

See my signature line.




In His Love,
Suzanne

Perhaps I am in the crowd that is too sure of the Voice.....I would be one who falls....

I would rather fall on account of being in disagreement with men who won't blow the shofar in church because it is an "instrument".

I would rather fall than not recognize peoples given gifts for the sake of my own ideas.

I would rather fall than take away that relationship someone has with God.

I would rather fall than not contribute to a newly planted church because it was started by our former preacher and now he has "left the true church" (of men) so we dare not contribute to his efforts.

Maybe so, I will take my chances.

If you would like to compare ideas about what God is, maybe you are right, perhaps I am not listening to Yeshua, or He is letting me flounder. If you wish to make a list, I would like to discuss it in everyday language, not spiritual-eze....i.e. die to self. etc.

thank you

Again, I will state that if we are walking by our own ideas, then we are destined to fall/fail....this is the epitome of pride.


We must be yielded to God's Word.


Oh, and by the way, I would be the last person to tell you to listen to men rather than The Word of God.


In His Love,
Suzanne

So you would agree with the aforementioned list? Generalities are easy. Are you saying I am prideful? I am an adult, you won't hurt my feelings. I would really like to talk about specifics.....maybe I am not listening to the Christian God.

Dear Ed,

I was responding to your post above. We need to use the Word of God as our Plumbline. The passages, as I pointed out are referring to the "heart". It is a heart issue, if the Word of God is not producing fruit in us/through us. We have to be believing His Word, and not our own ideas about what we want it to mean. God's Word is intended for us to grow and mature spiritually. But, we must obey it.

I think maybe you lost the point I was making. Maybe it would help if you went back and re-read what I posted in regard to the original question.


In His Love,
Suzanne

I understand, and I appreciate your patience. Yes, it makes my heart hard to men who will not acknowledge the sound of the shofar. Please do not tell me this is what Christ died for. I am not hearing that patience with these men is a path I ought to take.

thanks again

The only ground that I know is of me, the only seed I know is of me. Though I believe God has made me and Christ has blessed me with the seed that is His Word.

"Belief" and to "know" are two different words. For me to "know" also means I can show, that is why I say the ground I know is of me because I can show.

But to say I know God would mean to prove I know God and I don't have anything to prove to anyone else I "know" God, hence I am only left with to believe in God.

And this is fine because Christ said so

John 14:1
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

But, we don't get to re-define the meaning of Scripture, when God clearly stated what the seed IS. We only need to go by what HE says in regard to the seed and the Word.


Perhaps Mark 4, will help clarify a bit more:


Mark 4:

13 And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 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. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 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. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 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. 20 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."


It all depends upon how we view God's Word through Jesus Our Lord. Do we believe what we heard about Him? Was it TRUTH? If so, then we need to believe ALL of the Word, to the point of obeying It.



In His Love,
Suzanne

Hi Suzanne. In your mind who do you hear?

Which has the higher authority.......my thoughts OR God's?


In His Love,
Suzanne

The Lord is looking long from the first century to the end of His coming millennial kingdom on the earth in this parable

The field is the earth

The wheat are those that believe

The tares are those that refuse to believe

All of the spirits of unbelievers [tares] will be gathered, bundled, and burned in the "lake of fire"

All of the spirits of believers will enter the "barn of eternity"

The farmer [the one who plants] is the Lord

The farmer gathers the tares and destroys them at the end of the season

He then stores the wheat in the barn

These things will occur just "after" His millennial kingdom on the earth

This setting is not the same as His treading of the winepress of the tribulation period which will occur just before the begining of His millennial kingdom

Humans will lose their physical lives as the result of His judgments during the tribulation period and at the battle of Armageddon

Dear Stephen,

I believe that's the second parable of the seeds in Matthew 13. (Not the one that the OP is referring to.)


Just didn't want readers to get confused.


In His Love,
Suzanne

Thank you

I understand

Either way .... the message and the results will be the same

The passages are a parallel set and I always teach the summary results to help the understanding

Suzanne,

In all sincerity, I was a little riled the other day when I made my posts. I would like to apologize for my "pointed" remarks. To my regret, this quality is still part of my person. Thank you for taking the time to reply.....and thanks to everyone else as well.

With regard to your copied post above, I could not help noticing that we had approximately 5 interpretations and three or so were a little different than the others. I wouldn't say that any of us are less saved than the others, or that at the core of our belief is not God, so why do we hear something a little different than someone else?

We are all uniquely made with something to uniquely add by Design, so should we all share the exact interpretation of Scripture?

Dear Ed,

Apology accepted. I too understand how painful it can be to be wounded by those who are supposed to be your brothers in the church. It can hurt deeply.

I'll bow out for the time being, as my only desire is for us to see Scripture and understand it for what it says. I would only be repeating myself to add anything further.

God bless.



In His Love,
Suzanne

Ah, but wouldn't that be something if I knew God's thoughts.

I tell you what, I can share with you my thoughts, then you would know them. Or you can share with me your thoughts then I would know them. That would be an active exchange, a communication.

But, hearing God and "knowing" His thoughts is a different matter all together.

I have no claim to say I know God's thoughts or hear his voice, because in my mind are my own thought, how can they be God's?

So, I am left with believing in God, yearning to love and know Him as I never could imagine, missing Him everyday, waiting that my time to be done here. Only then when all my thoughts in doubt, the self deception, the judgements, the biases, the projections, the predjudices, the lenses if you will that color my perception is no longer, that I would be purified on the last day, then I will know God's thoughts.

Until then are the inutterable groanings of the Spirit that intercede against my infirmities and intercede in my thoughts.

So, this is me in that I share with you here. What do you offer in return that is you?

Hey Ed. In my experience, you don't. The Spirit filled Christian will be led by Him where to go, what to do, and what to say etc.

If you are Spirit led, and, the people at your church aren't, or, aren't at the level you are at spiritually, then, there will be conflict, or, those who are more "flesh" won't understand what the Spirit is telling you.

You could never step foot again in an "organized" church, and, God would still save you if you are His and being led by Him. He can use you anywhere. It might be that "outside" of the "traditional" church is where you're needed more. It all depends on where He is leading you.

That's just from my experience.

Hope that was helpful.

That is why we have been given His Word, Humble Bob.
God is not a mystery with regard to how He feels about certain things.
We don't have to guess or make up what we want Him to be.
HE IS what HE IS.
We find His Character within His Word.

Isiaiah 45:19 I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right.


The parable of the sower explains it all.


It is about the receiving, believing and "keeping/obeying" of God's Word...that is the defining factor within the parable.

If you do not go to His Word you do not believe Him.


In His Love,
Suzanne