Line by Line Study: The Parable of the Soil
Luke 8: 5-8 NIV
The Parable of the Soil
5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
Luke 8: 5-8 NIV
This specific parable taught by Jesus is most commonly referred to as The Parable of the Farmer, or Sower, but how God has revealed this story to me, it relates more with me as The Parable of the Soil (as referred to by David Guzik in commentaries).
Hiking Eldon Mountain in Flagstaff, AZ last week, I was listening to a podcast by Revelation Wellness' Elisa Keeton and was reminded of this simple, but impactful, parable. There is so much to glean from this story as my husband and I are looking for answers, direction, and confirmation of our path forward.
Jesus describes four terrains seeds are dropped onto the floor. Even this simple sentence causes me to pause and think about the words He chose to use.
"As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path"
The farmer scattered the seeds. The definition for scattered can be taken one of two ways; "occurring or found at intervals or various locations rather than all together" or "distracted or disorganized". Scatterbrained is what comes to my mind. How often are we distracted with our own lives, our own wants and desires, other people's problems, the news, or our responsibilities that we find ourselves never fully committing to a task or completing it halfway so we can just move on? Studying the Bible can become a task we need to complete, instead of intentional time with God. Raising our kids can become a schedule of events, rather than purposeful discipleship. Fostering a healthy and godly marriage dissolves because we haphazardly assume we can move it to the bottom of our to-do list. Scattering seed in life, should be done with intention and purpose, it should be calculated and planned.
The second word in this phrase that is noticeable is "fell". The seed fell. The farmer didn't place it on purpose, therefore some grew and flourish and some failed to grow and thrive. Reminiscent of how discipleship becomes in our homes, churches, small groups, work, and community. Missed opportunities to reveal the word to someone because we don't understand scripture or use it incorrectly can cause the LORD's word to fall on deaf ears. Posting scripture on social media hoping it helps someone out there in cyberspace is not discipleship, it is scatterbrained hope. Wearing scripture on our t-shirts, hats, and homes doesn't cause someone's heart to be gripped by the Spirit. Those scriptures serve as reminders for believers to live out the WORD. Our stories and conversations with unbelievers must be done with purpose, they must be planned, and cultivated. Writing down our testimonies, taking the time to reveal the details of how the Spirit gripped our hearts, where we were and what dis-ease we were going through will change hearts and lead more to follow Christ. Slapping Bible quotes around us and hoping someone reads it, takes it in, and follows Christ is haphazard and ineffective in building His kingdom.
This year, I am finally reading through the Bible chronologically with a group of women. I was raised in the church. I went to Catholic school for a good part of my early years. In high school, I attended mass twice a week, went to weekly Bible study and then volunteered at the soup kitchen every Thursday. The Holy Spirit was in me....but the WORD wasn't, not all of it and not in a way I could use it to disciple others. My eyes, ears, and heart have been blasted open like a dam that broke after years of neglect. I crave knowing more because it is showing me God's character and His hope for us. I can better see how to deal with situations that arise. I am learning to wait for His voice and am better able to discern if it is His desire or mine. If the decision or action is puffing me up or glorifying Him. All that time thinking I knew God, wow. I now know that even though I had faith, I didn't know God. I didn't understand, or honestly maybe even trust, His ways. His ways don't always make sense to me, but if you zoom out....wow! The wonder of God is real.
Don't neglect studying the WORD.
Don't take it out of context to use for your own self-posturing or gain.
Don't let it fall to the ground.
The soil must be prepared for the seed. In research, the customs of the day were to throw the seed down and plow it into the ground. The farmer wouldn't know the quality of the soil until the seeds took root and grew, or didn't grow. To take something with so much potential, the seed, and throw it in to be plowed, broken, and buried seems like such a harsh and rash method of growing something that would later bless you and your family. Now, we are fortunate to have tools and kits that can test our soil, to see if it has the right qualities to produce a specific harvest.
Fertile soil provides essential nutrients to plants. Important physical characteristics of soil structure and aggregation allow water and air to infiltrate, and roots to explore
Lee Stivers - Former Extension Educator, Horticulture Pennsylvania State University
I can look back at my life and see so many times where I have thrown seed onto bad soil, literally and figuratively. My actual garden is in shambles, it really never produced a healthy plant. My husband and I saved the space in the backyard for a garden, added the drip line, a couple bags of soil, and planted. The result was dismal and sort of embarrassing. I didn't take time to dig up the old dirt or the stones that would inhibit rooting. I didn't buy the inexpensive kit to test my soil before planting, which would have saved me a lot of time, money, and disappointment. I just wanted the harvest. I didn't want the process. I didn't want to labor and get dirt under my nails.
Ironically, we did grow one item that seriously overtook the patio space! Watermelon. I like watermelon...I don't like 30 watermelons at the same time. The result came from a similar problem of my heart as when I threw seeds and hoped for the best. I didn't research how many seeds to plant to get a specific amount suitable for our family size, or neighborhood for that matter. I didn't monitor for pest infestations or if the roots would pull up our new patio pavers. I just wanted to grow something and see it produce. It did, a lot.
I didn't have a gardener or farmer mentality. I didn't take the time to learn, to understand, to see differences in soil, terrain, climate, or seed quality. I only focused on ....me. It was all about me, myself and I. Getting to say I have a garden and that I have an abundance of produce to feed my family. I gardened to puff myself up so other's would be impressed by me.
As Christians, if we aren't careful and diligent, we can become like the unexpected harvest of the watermelon; unruly, overgrown, riddled with pests, and then unrooted in the Truth.
Understanding the cycle of harvesting can give us a better, more accurate view of where our gardening of the earth, and more importantly, our soul.
Cultivate the land with nutrients specially designed for the seed you plant.
Choose the right time of the year for that seed to be planted.
Plant the seed with the right depth and spacing.
Water appropriately.
Monitor the plant growth.
Adjust for sunlight and amount of water.
Add nutrients to support growth.
Monitor for pests and weeds that can overtake the plant.
Prune away rogue branches.
Allow the plants to go through pollination, if appropriate for that type of seed.
Harvest.
Decomposition: Remove the now old plant if necessary.
Retill the soil and prepare for the next round.
It's not as easy as going to the local nursery, picking out some seeds and throwing them into your garden with fingers crossed and a prayer.
Even when you have a bountiful harvest, that too comes to an end. You will enter into season of growth and season of preparation and seasons of waiting. Some seeds sprout quickly under any circumstance and some take months to see any activity. We must be Farmers with patience, humility, and diligence in the work.
So, if you are looking for answers, direction, and confirmation of your path forward, do it with intention and purpose, be calculated and plan for the wait time and the pruning process.
