18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower is straight forward. There are four different responses when the Word of God is communicated. It is true what Isaiah 55:1 tell us, “My word …which goes forth … will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Yet here in this parable before us, Jesus tells us that sometimes the Word of God is thwarted, “empty,” it seems. How can this be? The answer lies in understanding the purpose of God’s Word.

The Word of God has a dual purpose: 1) to produce fruit (as is clear in this parable), and 2) to reveal the condition of people’s hearts. In this last sense, the Word does not return to God empty. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb 4:12). Jesus, in this parable, said the Word will reveal hearts, four kinds.

Keep in mind that parables are designed to hide truth from those resisting Christ and to reveal it to His disciples. Therefore, this parable is part Jesus’ discipleship training of His followers. So what is the message to them? It is this, they need to have a sober, balanced understanding of how people will respond to the message when they preach it. They can expect there will be some who will reject it out of hand! There will also be some who become believers, but their faith dies out because it is superficial or choked by temptations of life. But, and this is good news for disciples, some will receive the Word, and go on to become fruitful disciples of Christ. And that prospect is what keeps a disciple sharing his faith. As someone once said, “It makes sense to spread the Word widely, sooner or later it will fall on good soil!”

Lord, help me not to be picky about where I sow Your Word and help me find those whose hearts are open to the good news, that I might share it with them.