Mark 4:1-9
The parable of the sower is one we all know, and I’ll bet every time you read it, you think of the gospel. Am I right? Of course I am. And you should, this parable is very much about the gospel, but I think that there is something very beneficial in expanding our view on the “word” that is sown.
The word of God is, like I said, very much the gospel, but it also goes out in other ways. God whispers to you, “Go help that person.” or “Are you really loving your wife like I love the church?” Each time God speaks to us he is sowing his word, whether it be through scripture and the spirit, prayer, or other people. We can use the parable of sower to help us guard ourselves so that we can effectively respond to the word of God when he speaks to us. Not only in his saving call of repentance and belief, but also in his sanctifying call to live like Christ.
The first soil that Jesus mentions is the Path. This path is not a good place to be. The ground is so hard that he seed can not even penetrate it, let alone bear any fruit. The seed just sits there and the birds come by and snatch it away. The soil in this parable is referring to our hearts. Have you allowed your heart to become so hard and insensitive that you don’t even hear the word of God when he speaks to you? Is simply snatched away by the birds? In verse 15 of Chapter 4 Jesus shows us what’s really going on. He tells us that the bird is really Satan, and he snatches it away.
In our society, we play down the spiritual world. It’s seldom mentioned in church, and, at least for me, when I do hear it I don’t take it as seriously as I should. But it is constantly pointed to in scripture that we find ourselves in the middle a battle that is entirely spiritual. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to demolish strongholds.” Not only is our spiritual battle very real, our enemy is very real. Peter says of Satan in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Listen to Peter’s warning. If we are walking on the perilous path Satan has us. We are blind and deaf to the words of God. 2 Timothy says we are “taken captive to do his [Satan] will. To add to the power of Peter’s warning lets look at what Jesus tells him in Luke 22:31-32, before he denies knowing Christ.
Jesus says, “Simon, Simon behold Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again strengthen you brothers.” Peter knew what it meant to have the seed snatched away, and he is warning us so that we won’t find ourselves in the same situation. Satan wants to destroy you! And if you find yourself on the Perilous Path, he is succeeding. He is snatching up the word of God before you even hear it. But even if we find ourselves there, we are not without hope. Christ is the one who intercedes for us. He is our savior and just like he kept Peter, he will keep us, but we must get off the path. How do we do this? James 4:7 is our answer. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.” We must turn to God and submit to him to get off the path. He is our salvation. He is our hope. He is our savior. Submit to God, and resist the Devil.
-Mitchell
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