Transcript

Matthew 13:22-26 · NOBA @ Noon

Canon Justin Murff: The Gospel of Matthew chapter thirteen verses twenty two through twenty six. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, and in one case a hundredfold. In another sixty, and in another thirty. He put another parable before them saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore again, then the weeds also appeared. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus continues explaining the parable of the sower in today's scripture verse. Having described the seed choked by thorns, he now reveals its meaning, as for what was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. Unlike the path or the rocky ground, the thorny ground represents genuine reception that gets strangled out over time. The seeds sprout, the plants. Grow, but something else grows too, and that competition proves fatal. The word isn't immediately rejected, no, instead it's gradually suffocated over time. The cares of the world translates a word meaning anxieties or distractions. These aren't necessarily evil things in and of themselves, they're the legitimate concerns of everyday normal life. Family responsibilities, work demands, health issues, financial pressures, one by one on their own, they may seem manageable. But compounded together, they can crowd out the words life-giving presence and simply overwhelm us. The deceitfulness of riches adds yet another truth. Wealth promises what it cannot deliver. It suggests security and happiness and significance, but these are ultimately lies. Those who believe them find their spiritual life slowly strangled. The result? Unfruitful. The plant doesn't die immediately like the rocky ground growth, it survives but produces nothing. This is a Christianity of mere existence, technically alive but failing to fulfill its purpose. Jesus then describes the good soil. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and And understands it. It indeed bears fruit and yields, and in one case one hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. The good soil hears and understands. Understanding here means more than just the intellectual comprehension, it applies a practical application as well. The word is taken in, it's processed, and then it's integrated into all areas of life. Following the explanation, Jesus tells this other parable. The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, the enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. He introduces now a different agricultural problem, not soil conditions, but sabotage, an enemy deliberately planting weeds alongside good seed. The kingdom of heaven, Jesus teaches, will include a mixture of genuine and counterfeit until the harvest. Both parables addressed visible realities. Some believers were being choked out by worldly concerns. Others, who appeared to be wheat, would eventually be revealed as weeds. So how do these images speak to us today? First, the thorny ground warns us against slow strangulation. We may not consciously reject the word, but we can unconsciously crowd it out of our hearts and minds. Second, we need to actively cultivate good soil conditions and This requires intentional weeding. What anxieties are competing with the word in your life today? What are those little weeds of sin that might be just popping up every once in a while? When we see them, are we taking them by the root and pulling them out or are we letting them grow and giving them an opportunity to take root? Today, let's examine the soil around us. Where are we planted? What thorns are growing alongside the field that we've planted? Name them specifically. Perhaps it's time for some spiritual weeding and seeding today.