What Kind of Heart I Have

02.25.13

Mark 4.13 13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? (ESV)

Jesus usually began His teaching by saying, Behold! We’d say, lookit! To behold or to lookit means to stop seeing past the forest for all the trees and see the trees. In other words, there is much to life that is beyond the details and there is much of life that is explained or found in the details – but we have to look – and we have to be prepared for what we find.

When Jesus used parables He simply made His point by using illustrations from everyday life – things that His hearers could relate to because they knew them and understood them…mostly. In the parable of the sower, there was much to the story they knew from experience or observation, because they’d seen it so much in the agrarian society in which they lived.

The parable of the sower talks about four possible outcomes for the seed sown by the sower. Jesus explained that learning from God or experiencing Him is like the sower sowing seed. Sometimes the seed sown is seed that is over-cast away from the soft soil it is intended to be sown into and the birds just get a free lunch. Simple enough except He explained that this same principle applies to the one whose life is hard against the truth and the enemy of man, Satan has easy pickings get the truth away from such a person. Are there hard people you know?

The next scenario is the seed is cast onto rocky ground where it quickly roots and springs up but has no lasting life because the roots can’t grow deep enough to sustain it. The rocks prevent the roots from growing deep. The rocks here are like hindrances. There are things in a person’s life that hinders the seed of truth from having too deep an effect because they overcome the purpose of truth and prevent it from achieving its purpose. Are there issues in life that prevent or hinder truth from having its effect?

The next scenario is seed that is cast where weeds grow around it. Similar to rocks and yet more deadly is the presence of weeds which compete with the seed for water and nutrients. There’s only so much water to go around and weeds are masters that take first and leave the seed holding the bag so to speak. That’s why weeds need to be weeded and seeds need to be needed. Weeds feed on what seeds bleed… but seeds freed provide just what we need…

And last is the seed that is cast onto fertile soil…where its intended to be cast – where the soil is the right condition for it to grow in a healthy environment and be nourished and strengthened in order to bear much fruit – you can count the seeds in a watermelon but you can’t count the watermelons in a seed.

Environment, preparation, and conditions make a huge difference when it comes to the truth. Jesus was making the point that everyone approaches the truth differently and only those whose hearts are ready are the ones who will grow and thrive in truth. A hard heart won’t receive. A shallow heart won’t last. A weedy heart is going in too many directions. But a fertile heart will flourish. Part of my understanding this parable is simply admitting truthfully what kind of heart I have, and allowing the Lord of the Harvest to do what is necessary in my life to condition my heart to receive what I need to provide success for His seed…