Elder Lee Kong Sing

“The Parable of the Sower and the Local Church”
Matthew 13:1-23

If one were to name a quality that characterises Calvary Pandan, what would that be? I think few will dispute that it is none other than the faithful preaching and teaching of God’s Word. This quality has become rarer and rarer in any church today. We must give God all praise and glory for this quality in Calvary Pandan, for we know that if we do not have God’s Word faithfully taught to us, God’s people will perish. (Pro 29:18). We must continue to pray that God’s Word will continue to be found here at Calvary Pandan and that she remains a haven and oasis for the wandering and thirsty soul in the midst of the vast desert land of apostasy.

However, does the blessing of a strong pulpit ministry guarantee the faithfulness of the church? Does the faithfulness of the preachers, teachers and leaders ensure that Calvary Pandan will be preserved in the years to come? We tend to think that so long as our leaders are good, we will be safe. But is this true? Unfortunately, this is not true. The faithfulness of a church is not only dependent on its leaders but also on the members. OT history is a testament to this fact. God sent faithful prophets generation after generation but Israel continued down the path of apostasy and sin until God finally removed Israel as His witness. We must not think that Calvary Pandan will never fall or that the faithfulness of a church rests only on the responsibility of her leaders. Instead, we must recognise that faithfulness is the responsibility of every individual and this is dependent on how each responds to God’s Word.

In Matthew 13:1- 2, Jesus taught the Parable of the Sower to a great multitude which gathered together unto Him. The hearers of this parable consisted of both believers and unbelievers. I would like to apply this parable as a survey of the spiritual condition of the local church which consists of believers and unbelievers. This parable contains illustrations of the hearts of church members that are simple yet very accurate and complete. God’s purpose is to slot people into “pigeon holes” with judgment based upon God’s infallible and inerrant truth. God alone is the present Judge and will be the future Judge as well. Christ has given us a powerful means to search and examine our own hearts in order to discover our true state, and, if found wanting, to repent and make a change for God’s glory. The parable is both a warning as well as an encouragement to help us find out which “pigeon” we are.

The central theme of the parable is about how man receives and responds to God’s Word, whether in obedience or otherwise.

There are four types of ground described in the parable. The ground is a metaphor for the hearts of man and the seed is the Word of God. It is good to note that the word “heareth” appears repeatedly in all four types of ground, highlighting to the reader that the focus of this parable is on the hearing or receiving of God’s Word. It is how the hearer responds to God’s Word that is the subject of our meditation.

a. Way Side -- The first type of ground is described as “he which received seed by the way side” (Matt 13:19c). Christ described such a person as one who hears the word of the kingdom, which is the Word of God, but “understandeth it not”. Clarke renders this phrase as “regardeth it not” or “does not lay his heart to it”. I believe that the KJV translators chose the word “understand” for good reason and this is because it accurately describes how such hearers respond to the Word of God. The way they respond seems to be as if they do not understand what they have just heard. There is no reaction or any reaction that matches the message. It is as if the Word has fallen on deaf ears or that it might as well not have been spoken to begin with. It is not because the words spoken are hard to understand because this same word is understood by the other types of ground. It is also not mentioned that such hearers show any visible signs of rejecting or resisting the Word. It is stated that they “heareth the word of the kingdom”, but simply, “understandeth it not”.

One may ask - how is this possible? How does one hear words spoken that are not difficult to understand, and yet he is not be able to understand, behaving as if it was never spoken? Do such hearers really exist? Unfortunately, they do. It is in fact a very accurate description. This is a description of the hearer who sits on the pew hearing God’s Word, Sunday after Sunday, month after month, year after year, maybe even decade after decade, with no resistance, no complaint, but also no reaction. His life remains unchanged. What has been taught over the pulpit has no impact or effect whatsoever. Even when the message so clearly points to a specific sin found in such an individual, there is no reaction. At the end of the service, he quietly packs his things, leaves the church and returns to his life as per normal. He returns next Sunday and repeats the routine. It is as if he “understandeth it not”.

There are two types of hearers described as the Way Side ground; the unbeliever and the believer.

The unbeliever referred to here is found in the church. He attends worship services regularly, however, God’s Word means little or nothing to him. Yet he comes Sunday after Sunday. Perhaps it is the belief that his presence in church will guarantee his salvation, or perhaps it is a force of habit, or maybe he comes so as to please man, or even simply because he enjoys the “atmosphere”. Whatever it is, he continues to think he belongs to the fold of God when he does not. He sits on the pew and hears God’s Word but he neither sees real meaning in it nor sees any application to himself. It is always applicable to someone else. Never at any time does this person see himself as a sinner requiring repentance let alone needing the Saviour. He sees himself as a good person. He continues to come to church motivated by some self-concocted purpose that has nothing to do with God’s Word.

This is tragic because the Words of salvation are frequently heard over the pulpit, yet it is like water off a duck’s back whereby God’s Word just flows off with no effect. He is so near and yet so far from the kingdom of God.

The other type of hearer described as the Way Side ground is actually a believer who in the past truly received salvation grace in Christ humbly and willingly, but today no longer care for God’s holy Word and to grow in grace and in His knowledge. Such hearers are selective of what they will or will not receive. God’s Word that is agreeable to them is received with little resistance, but if it is in conflict with their understanding or their willingness to accept, it is rejected. Most commonly heard rebuttals would include: “Where does God’s Word say I cannot do this?” and “That is your interpretation but my understanding of God’s Word is different”. Such hearers have elevated themselves above God’s Word. Instead of humbly hearing what God’s Word has to say, pride has clouded their eyes. If they possessed humble and obedient hearts, the plain and simple meaning of God’s Word would have penetrated easily; instead, what ensue are endless debates. These hearers finally reject God’s Word and fail to live a holy life.

Another type of believer which falls within the description of the Way Side ground is one who have descended or backslided so far in their walk that God’s Word preached has become tasteless, meaningless and ineffective. Such believers are harbouring sin and refuse to repent. It may be only one sin; they may even think it is a “small” sin, perhaps, a sin of pride, maybe a refusal to humbly admit wrong. But no sin is small. Every sin committed and not repented of will consume us little by little until we become as the Way Side ground where God’s Word becomes increasingly drier and less and less relevant. Instead of the joy of salvation, the life of such a believer consists of misery and vexation of spirit because the Holy Spirit continues to convict him of his sin, not leaving him in peace.

In the parable, Christ did not stop there. He went on to teach: “then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart” (Matt 13:19b). Christ reveals to us something about the spiritual realm that we cannot see. The Word that is preached is not left alone, instead, Satan actively seeks to catch it away, to steal it so that it has no chance to take its effect in the hearts of man. Whether it is the heart of the unbeliever or believer, Satan is actively working to remove it from us.

Christ says that the Word has been sown into the heart. For Satan to steal it, he must target the heart, in other words, he must entice the affections of the hearers. Satan is very cunning and has many methods to do this, and one of the ways is to entice the hearer so as to prevent him from keeping the Sabbath Day holy. Immediately after worship service, the hearer leaves and immerses himself into the pursuits and pleasures of the world and within a very short time, any memory or impression of God’s Word spoken over the pulpit will be lost. The heart is quickly distracted from giving proper attention to God’s Word.

For the unbeliever who attends church, it may be that the gospel was preached and for a brief moment the Word of God stirred his heart. But, before it can take root, he becomes distracted by worldly activities after Worship Service, and perhaps it was the one final chance for him to believe but he squanders it, and he will ultimately end up in hell to lament for all eternity over that final lost opportunity. For the backslidden believer, perhaps on that Sunday God pointed out to him over the pulpit in no uncertain terms that he is the very man who needs to repent. If only he had held on to that Word in faith, believing that truly God was speaking to him, and repented, and he would finally be set free from the ravages of his sin. Instead, his mind drifted away to that sumptuous lunch that awaited him, and then the opportunity to be restored to God was lost yet again. That worldly activity had become more valuable to him than gaining peace in his soul and becoming right with God.

The Sabbath day, which should be an entire day set aside for spiritual activities, is meant to help us who are God’s children, to strengthen us spiritually in preparation to face spiritual battles in the week ahead. If we spend the day focused on God, His Word will most likely set root deeply into our hearts and reap fruit. The hearer does himself a great disservice when he plunges headlong back into the attractions of the world on a Sunday. God’s Word preached over the pulpit will have little to no benefit to the hearer. It will be as if he never heard God’s Word and spent time in God’s house in vain.

b. Stony Ground -- The next type of ground is described as “he that received the seed into stony places” (Matt 13:20a). This type of ground is highly peculiar. In contrast to the previous type of ground, it certainly cannot be said that they neither understood nor regarded the Word of God. Instead, it is the opposite. They “with joy receiveth it” (Matt 13:20b). One would normally consider this a good thing, but there is a problem.

This type of ground is commonly found in churches like Calvary Pandan where God’s Word is faithfully and powerfully taught. Many from the young to the old are intrigued and fascinated by what is taught. There is frequently something new to hear, something that tickles the intellect and even excites the heart. God’s Word has come alive, so it seems. God’s Word taught is received with joy, all is well. Statements roll off the tongue like, “Wow! God’s Word is so interesting”, “I never knew this fact”, “I have learnt so much”, and even "Oh, how I love God’s Word”. These statements are not wrong in themselves. They are said by every true child of God. In fact these could be the testimonies of many soon after church camp, where a passion for God’s Word has been ignited. But not long after, it is not uncommon to see the desire to study God’s Word or to serve Christ waning before the year is out. Christ describes this accurately: “yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while” (Matt 13:21a).

To say how interesting God’s Word is and how much joy it gives us is not difficult to do. Many can say it and may even think they mean it, which is what Christ describes as “with joy receiveth it”. But the reality is that that alone does not make one truly faithful. It is insufficient. It is very possible for one to profess finding joy in God’s Word and yet not obey it. How then can we know that we mean what we say? How do we know that the joy of God’s Word we claim to possess is true?

We find the answer in what Christ described quite simply: “when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended” (Matt 13:21b). Those same hearers who just recently testified with joy of God’s Word are, “by and by”, meaning straightaway or quickly, offended when they realise that obedience of that same Word will result in suffering. This is the test! This is what Christ meant by “yet hath he not root in himself” (Matt 13:21a). The Word of God never truly reached the heart. Sadly, it was just talk, however impassioned it was. Talk is easy and is cheap. If we had known that declaring our interest and even love for God’s Word meant a price to pay, a costly and painful price, would we still make such a declaration? It is certainly a good thing that we find joy in God’s Word, but let us search our hearts and consider more wisely if our joy is rooted in true conviction.

c. Thorny Ground -- The third type of hearer is described as “he also that received seed among the thorns” (Matt 13:22a). The thorns are “the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches” (Matt 13:22b). The two are mentioned together by Christ for good reason because they are interrelated.

What is “the care of this world”? The word “care” means anxiety, a care that is excessive till it disrupts the heart and mind. “This world” refers to the material world that we see. Hence the care of this world refers to the excessive care of daily needs, of keeping body and soul together including caring for children and work and friends.

The “deceitfulness of riches” is not difficult to understand. Riches deceive by enabling people to indulge in the things and pleasures of this world so that they become oblivious to the true condition of their souls. Riches deceive them into thinking all is well, until it is too late. In the gospel of Mark, we have an additional description: “lusts of the other things” (Mark 4:19b), and “pleasures of this life” in Luke 8:14b. Few in our circles aspire to be millionaires, yet, we do not need to be millionaires to become ensnared by the lusts and the pride of this life.

Working for a living so as to provide for our daily needs and for family is a legitimate and responsible necessity in life. However, God never meant for us to do so in such excess as to become anxious and stressed out until we are unable to serve God effectively. The trouble with us is that we take up that higher ranking and paying job for all the wrong reasons. It is so that we can enjoy a little more of this world, or pride ourselves with a little bit of praise and achievement, or even paint it in the guise of providing more security for the family even though Christ has already promised us security (Matt 6:33). Husbands end up persuading wives to work so that life will be more comfortable with dual incomes. Fathers take on jobs that render them ineffective in fulfilling their responsibility as the spiritual head of the house because they are hardly home. Many become too exhausted during the work week to contemplate any thought of being more involved in church and serving in any ministry.

The reason Christ mentioned the care of this world and deceitful of riches together is that the former is the result of the latter. In order to support the pursuit of riches, lusts and pleasures of this life, one would take up an inordinate amount of work to earn more money. The result is becoming so burdened by the cares of this world that one is unable to obey God’s Word.

d. Good Ground -- The final type of ground is described as “the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit..” (Matt 13:23). In Luke’s record, Christ called this ground “an honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15). In Matthew’s gospel the word “understandeth” is recorded, in Mark we find the word “receive” and in Luke the word “keep”. “Understandeth” means to comprehend, understand, perceive. “Receive” means to embrace with assent and obedience while “keep” means to have, hold fast, hold down. Taking into consideration all three accounts give us a better understanding of how the Good Ground receives God’s Word.

This type of ground represents the best and true hearer. What sort of hearer is this? Quite simply, he is what the three previous types of ground are not, which in essence is the hearer who not only hears, but obeys God’s Word.

He is not like the hearer that understandeth not. When he receives God’s Word, he understands it, he accepts it and he does not treat it lightly. He sees it as something of great price and he intends to make it a part of his life by putting it into practice. He knows that the devil will do all he can to steal it from him. Hence, he seizes it, holds on to it, hides it in his heart and will not let go of it until he has gained all its sweetness and riches.

He is not the hearer who merely receives God’s Word with joy, he receives it with obedience as well. His joy does not rest on sentimentality or mere intellect. Instead, he is joyful because now he knows the holiness and love of His beloved God and Saviour better. He is joyful because he knows now how to better walk the paths of righteousness and to eschew evil. When he says that God’s Word brings him joy, it is with a quiet affirmation, with strength and temperance that is based on experience, that God may one day require him to stand for Him and that his obedience and service may bring tribulation and persecution unto himself. And yet, he is ready and willing to go through it, with God’s help. He is willing to suffer for Christ, because he knows that Christ suffered much more for him and that even if he has to deliver his own life, it is but a reasonable service (Rom 12:1). Joy in the Word of God is never lightly said but when it is said, it is true and tried.

Unlike those encumbered by the thorns which refer to the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, he has removed them from his life and diligently continues to keep them out. He has rejected anything that hinders his ability and that of his family to fulfil all that is required out of God’s Word. And when the call comes for him to obey or to serve Christ in any area, he is neither unduly encumbered nor prevented from answering that call. He is able to obey God in all things unhindered.

In short, the good ground is the hearer that receives God’s Word willingly and obeys it. Not some of it, not parts that are easier and more convenient to obey, but all of God’s Word especially the parts that are hardest to do so.

Christ says in Luke 11:28, “.. Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” Hearing is not enough, one must also obey. In James 1:22 we read, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” We deceive ourselves if we only hear and do not do.

When the hearer obeys God’s Word, it pleases God and God prospers his life and service. God gives fruits according to His will and purpose. God uses him to be a blessing to many.

Conclusion -- If you are the ground by the Way Side and have not come to know the Lord Jesus Christ yet, do not ignore that stirring in your heart. Do not think it is troublesome or uncomfortable to contemplate matters of the soul. The difference can mean either an eternity in the arms of Jesus or a fiery and painful eternity in hell. If you are, however, a believer, but God’s Word has become dull and tasteless because of sin, then why risk sore chastisement from God when you can enjoy blessed fellowship with Him instead by repenting of the sin and seeking God’s forgiveness? Why choose the path of affliction when you can have the path of peace and joy in the Lord?

If you claim to find joy in God’s Word, ask God to search your heart. Will you stand when persecution and tribulation come because of it? Are there some areas in your life that you are not willing to submit to the will of God because it will mean sacrifice and suffering? Let your declaration be proven with action and obedience.

If you find your life so encumbered by the cares of this world that you are unable to obey God’s Word, then ask yourself if you are truly living in the will of God to begin with. Have the attractions of this world drawn you away from giving your all to the Lord Jesus? If so, make plans now to reorder your life according to God’s will. Do not wait to discover that your life consists of mistakes and regrets and find yourself too old to make recompense.

Finally brethren, let us all aspire to be the good ground which Christ calls “an honest and good heart”. Psalm 1 describes such a person as a beautiful and prosperous tree. “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3) This is a description of the man who not only loves God’s Word but seeks to obey all of it. May we all seek to be like this man, fruitful and prosperous in the things of the Lord. Amen.