“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

- Matthew 13:18-23

The sower generously, indiscriminately tosses seeds all over the place. He throws seeds on the path, on rocky ground, among weeds and on fertile soil. He scatters seeds everywhere and some of the seeds grow into strong plants that produced an abundant crop. What happens to the seeds sown in your heart?

The parable says a lot about the sower, and the four types of places seeds land, and the abundant harvest produced by a small portion of the seeds on a small portion of the land. We can mine the depths of God’s holy word and never fully comprehend the message because, well, it is God’s holy word and our minds are nothing compared to His. This is one of the reasons I love reading and re-reading and praying over and meditating on God’s holy word. No matter how many times I may have studied a passage, He continues to reveal new insights.

Jesus teaches a lot using parables, and Scripture records a few occasions when Jesus explains them. All of His teaching is important. All of His parables are important. But when I see Him explain a parable, I stop and pay extra attention because He takes the time to explain it, suggesting the meaning is so important, so fundamental to our lives that He does not want us to miss it. So it is with the Parable of the Sower, and as Jesus explains the parable, He describes some of the tactics Satan uses to keep us away from God.

While we often go through our days focusing exclusively on the tangible realm around us, Scripture screams at us to consider the spiritual realm surrounding us and dwelling within us, and to grasp its many powerful implications. Luke begins his gospel with two angelic encounters and a multitude of angels announcing the Messiah’s birth, followed by Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness (see Luke 1:11-25, 2:8-14 and 4:1-13). As He begins His ministry in Capernaum, Jesus casts unclean spirits out of man worshipping in the synagogue, and later that day Jesus heals lots of folks and “Demons also came out of many, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God!’” (Luke 4:41). Demons know who Jesus is and they cower at His authority. Scripture forces us to acknowledge the spiritual realm, to consider that it influences people, and to believe that Jesus is in control.  

Jesus’s ministry of word, deed and sign reveals the existence of spiritual battles. As He teaches and heals, He also casts out demons. Throughout His ministry the three are connected. During a sermon, Peter describes Jesus’s ministry discussing, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). Jesus also directed His disciples to teach, heal and cast out demons – He sent them out saying, “proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons” (Matthew 10:7-8). Jesus directed His disciples to deal with demons the same way He did, and Paul describes our struggle against “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Whether we realize it or not, the spiritual realm influences us and spiritual battles are taking place.

With this in mind, consider how Jesus describes some of Satan’s tactics. Seeds resting on a path fail to penetrate the surface and become bird food rather than crops. Similarly, when we hear God’s holy word but fail to understand, the word fails to penetrate our hearts, and Satan snatches God’s holy word away from us. Have you ever sat in church listening to someone read and explain God’s holy word, and the words enter your ears and suddenly you’re thinking, “What sounds good for lunch? We could go to the café, but the line will be long, and the last time we were there …” And suddenly thoughts unrelated to God’s word flood your mind and you lose track entirely and when you start listening again you have no idea what the speaker is saying? Or perhaps you sit in your reading spot and open the Bible longing to connect with God through His living word, and as soon as you read a few words you suddenly feel sleepy, unable to focus. These are but two of the ways Satan robs us of God’s seeds. Sometimes our hearts are the path; at other times, we respond like rocky soil.  

Suffering, grief, pain and trouble are part of the human condition. We will each experience trouble. The question is, how will we respond? God promises He is with us in our trouble (see Psalm 91), but do we believe that He truly is? When our faith is tested, will it survive? Jesus’s words force us to ask, “How deep are my roots?” I know I have heard God’s holy word, I believe, I have felt His joy, peace, comfort and assurance, I have seen His miraculous touch in people around me, but will my faith survive the troubles I will encounter?

I grew up in north central Oklahoma where a brisk wind often flows across the plain. There aren’t many trees in that part of the world, but the ones that are there are strong. Facing the daily onslaught strengthens their trunks and branches and forces their roots to grow deep. I think of old blackjack oaks as symbols of perseverance, made strong by standing firm through wind, storms and drought encountered along the way.

When trouble arises, you might hear whispers suggesting that God has abandoned you, that He was never really with you in the first place, that you are beyond His ability to help, that His holy words are lies, or other evil thoughts. When you hear whispers like that, please know where they are coming from and pray to God to make them go away and trust in His holy word and address directly the source of the whispers and demand that he leave you alone in Jesus’s holy name because you have been cleansed in the blood of Jesus. Know that His promises are true, He is with you, He has all power and authority, He hears your prayers, and He loves you. Like the mighty oak, grow in faith through your trouble.

Thorns are all around us. They are everywhere. We invite them into our homes each time we turn on the television and see ads telling us that the only thing separating us from the perfect life we imagine is the particular product they are selling. We continuously invite thorns into our lives each time we check our social media feed and see images of the perfect lives depicted in posts and the associated marketing campaigns. We are surrounded by thorns, so each seed sown in us is sown among thorns. Jesus says, “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.” Will we protect our seeds or will we allow them to be choked out? Will we succumb to the “lure of wealth” or grow in faith through it?

Jesus explains that the various places where seeds fall are each influenced by Satan. Spiritual forces are at work within us and around us. With this in mind, Paul urges us to put on the full armor of God, to stand firm on the Truth of God, to embrace His righteousness, maintain faith and pray all the time (see Ephesians 6:10-20). Just as God allows the wind to blow, knowing it will strengthen the mighty oak, He allows trouble so that we might grow stronger in faith and gain experiences allowing us to shed His light in new ways and to people who might otherwise never take us seriously.

Your heart is fertile soil. He has planted His seed in you with a purpose. Embrace His holy seed, allow it to grow, foster its growth, feed it with His holy word and prayer and transparent relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ. God loves you. He is with you. May God send His angels to guard and protect you while you cherish and nurture His holy seed growing within you.