Responding to the Word – Part Two. (Matthew 13: 22-24)

I.    Thorns

Let’s consider the 3rd of 4 possible reactions to the seed of the word and it is revealed in verse 22.

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

(Matthew 13: 22)

Now as I said before this is an example of the seed falling amongst the thorns and thistles, which grow up and choke out the word. Again, the question many ask is are they saved, and the answer is, I believe, the same as all the last time. It says, they received the word, but they became unfruitful which implies they had some limited fruit to begin with. But the conclusive proof to me is in Luke version of this passage in chapter 8 verse 14. 

 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

(Luke 8: 14)

The problem is not that they didn’t initially respond to the gospel, the problem is they didn’t go on to spiritual maturity. Matthew said when they hear the word the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches crowd in, alongside all kinds of other things, so there was no room for God to take root and grow in their hearts. In the second kind of soil, it was external tribulation and persecution that pushed in, but in the case of this third kind of soil it’s the internal cares and the riches and pleasures of the  world that pressed in. What doesn’t really come across in this translation is the fact that they worried about these things, so it not just a carnal seduction that is going on here, the words used also suggest they are in a sense anxious and worried about these worldly cares.

It’s the same word that’s Jesus used in Matthew chapter 6 in the Sermon in the Mount, where Jesus says don’t worry about worldly things. In the parable of the Sower these people are worrying about the cares of the world. They become anxious and concerned about all the matters of life that means they have no time for God or His Word.

Luke includes worldly pleasures in his list, Matthew leaves that out and focuses on the deceitfulness of riches as a particular thing that grabs the attention of immature believers. Rather than the word of God these people focus on material things, they focus on money, and that destroys their spiritual life. The weeds do not give God’s truth the space to grow. This group of people give more time and space to worrying about getting rich and having fun than the word. They are more concerned about the world than the Word. They are deceived by wealth, they think money is where it’s at, and to make matters worse they think that money will solve their problems, that money will make them happy and if they have money, they will be self-sufficient, self-confident, and self-assured.

In our western cultures money is often at the centre of people’s lives. These people here don’t make it to spiritual maturity they get caught up in the cares and concerns of this material world.

II.    Good Soil

There’s one more type of soul, one more type of person.

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 hundred times, some sixty, some thirtyfold.”

(Matthew 13: 23)

Finally, there is the good ground. This is fairly straightforward, its good soil, there’s no rocks just slightly below the surface, there’s no weeds, the roots can find their way into the soil and produce a firm fruitful plant. That by definition is good soil, and it is that which produces good fruit. If you if you take the word fruit and start reading bible commentaries, you’ll discover that fruit means a lot of different things in the bible, and maybe all of them apply here. 

In Galatians chapter 5 fruit is presented as representing the blessing that arise out of an expression of the gifts of the Spirit. The spirit produces love, joy peace, long-suffering and self-control. Also, in chapter 1 of the same book fruit is seen as the good works of the believer. For example, showing compassion or helping other people is good fruit.

In Romans chapter one it is the preaching the gospel and seeing other people come to Christ that is described as the fruit of the gospel.

Let me make a very practical suggestion for you, Bible experts agree that what Jesus is teaching in this passage is this, the response to the word of God is the result of what is in the heart. May I repeat this because it is very important. The response that people have to the word of God is a result of what is in their own heart. Some rejected outright and Satan gets involved, but remember the heart was hard before Satan stepped in a and swept away the seeds before they could even germinate. Some other fall away when they encounter external trials and tribulations and persecutions. The  problem for these people is the shallow superficial heart. Some never make it to spiritual maturity because they’re all caught up with the cares and concerns of the world. Is the problem pleasure, no. Is the problem money, no. The problem is the heart, the problem is always the posture of the heart of those receiving the message. The desire of the heart is crowded with too much other stuff and there’s no room for the word of God to germinate and grow.

So, there is the hard heart, there is the shallow heart, there is the crowded heart, but what we all need is a good heart. The good heart is the one that produces fruit and even then, not everybody is producing as much fruit as they should . Some 30, some 60, and some 100-fold.

All the enemies to the wisdom of God are represented here they’re all reflected in this passage. Tribulation persecution, pleasures of the flesh,  focusing on wealth and power, it’s all here.

So how are we going to be sure we nurture and maintain a good heart? How can we keep the soil fertile and produce good fruit?

Number one is to hear the word of God. if you look at this passage in every case they heard the word, some outright rejected it. Some heard it but their lives were situation in hard ground. Others heard it from the stoney ground and still other heard it from the thorny ground.  Some people don’t hear the word God at all because they come before so busy thinking about their own lives they have actually stopped listening. Our minds wander, we’re so caught up with all that fills our lives that it chokes out the word of God and we don’t really hear it. But if you’re going to have any hope of producing fruit you’ve got to hear the word of God and what it might be saying to you personally.

How are we can maintain an good heart, and keep the soil fertile to produce good fruit, one answer lies in this final verse, verse 23. “You must hear the word and secondly you must understand the word”.  I don’t know if you remember when we got to chapter 11 of Matthew’s gospel I pointed out that Jesus said, I thank you God that you don’t reveal all of this to just the wise, meaning those were cleaver in worldly ways often didn’t hear the message. Because, chapter 11 tells us, that God revealed his truth to those with a humble heart. If you really want to produce fruit you got to get rid of pride.

Yes you got to get rid of the worries of this world, you got to get over just living for this material things, you got to say I’m not going to be stopped by trials or tribulations and most importantly you got to press in hard and study and understand the word. But above and beyond that you have got to approach the word, the message with a large degree of humility.

I think bound up in this in this passage is the fact that we need to go before God with a humble spirit. To many Christians today are caught up with the world and seeking recognition, even in their Christian life and ministry. To many are seeking recognition, and not focused enough on the Word. A humble heart focused on the word of God eliminates this.

III.    Producing Fruit.

There’s one more thing he says in this passage, and that is the people rooted in the good soil, produce fruit. In John chapter 15, Jesus told us that he is the vine, and we are the branches. I would go so far as to say this whole passage is explained in John chapter 15, let me just quote what he says first.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you[b] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

(John 15: 5-8)

Here’s what you have to do. You have to hear the word of God, you have to understand what the word of God is saying, and you only get that when you have the right attitude of heart before God because then the spirit of God can and will illuminate your heart. If you pray from the depth of your heart and ask God to open your eyes, then he will reveal wonderous thing out of his law and transfer them in grace unto you. By abiding in the word which means living in obedience to it, but beyond abiding in the word he said for us to abide in Him.

I think this is the whole spiritual Christian world view can be summed up in nothing more that understanding that the Word of God and in humility allowing it to tell you what to do ,then the spirit of God will give you the power to do it. By meditating on it your mind will begin to see things God’s way and think like God thinks. But you have got to hear it before you can understand it. Hearing it is an act of our free will, but understanding it is a work of the Holy Spirit available to anyone with a humble attitude of heart.And that is what I believe it means to “abide in Christ”. In my estimation abiding in Christ is nothing more than being obedient and being dependent on the Lord.

I want to challenge every one of you who is listening today to take on board what Jesus is saying here. If your not growing spiritually, if your not growing in your Christian faith it will be because you are not doing what this passage tells you you should be doing.

Are you hard hearted, or is it the  external pressures of the world, that are holding you back.  Let us all soften our hearts and make our hearts pliable in Gods hand so that we, so that He  can produce the type of fruit that brings honour and glory to Him.