Big Idea - Most of us have experienced the long line at immigration when we arrive in a foreign country by airplane. You cannot just walk into the country. There are entry requirements. Either you have to prove you are a citizen of that country by having the proper passport, or you have to obtain a visa that gives you permission to enter. The Kingdom of God also has its entry requirements. But, the Kingdom of God is, first of all, a spiritual Kingdom. One day, the Kingdom will come in all its fullness and glory, but until that day, we enter into the Kingdom of God not so much as a place but as a power and not as residents of a country as we are subjects of the King. What, then, are the entry requirements of such a unique Kingdom? How does one obtain a visa, or better yet, how do we become citizens of this Kingdom?
The parable of the sower and the soils is a parable about the Kingdom of God. Jesus tells us that understanding this parable is the key to unlocking all the parables. Consequently, all the parables teach us about the Kingdom. The most important characteristic of the Kingdom of Christ is that it arrives by proclamation - the sower sows the word. The word, or logos, is the only message Jesus came proclaiming. "Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15. It is clear, then, that the Kingdom comes by preaching the Word, the Gospel. If you want to enter this Kingdom, you must hear the message announcing the kingdom. In the Christian faith, we put a great deal of emphasis on preaching the Word, not so much because we love the Bible, which we do. But more than that, right now, preaching is the way the Kingdom comes. When the final version of the Kingdom arrives, it is only those who have known the kingdom through the preaching of the "word" who will find themselves citizens in that great Kingdom.
If the Kingdom comes by preaching, then hearing that message is everything! Jesus urges those listening to Him to "Listen!" And again, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." There are serious obstacles to hearing the message, and it is not enough to simply hear the words. The parables of the sower and the soil illustrate how a person can hear but not really hear. Jesus also explains clearly what it takes to really hear, to have the right kind of ears that hear and understand, and thereby enter the Kingdom. The first group who hear the message but fail to really hear are those by the footpath. They do not really hear because Satan comes and snatches away the message. You could say it falls on deaf ears because they are immediately resistant to the message. The Scribes and Priests fell into this category. So then, Satan is the first great enemy of the Gospel message who seeks to make everyone spiritually deaf. The second type of soil are those who hear and actually receive the message, but it is temporary because they have no root. When trouble and persecution arise, they fall away as quickly as they sprouted up. This is the person who picks and chooses the part of the message they like but do not really pay attention to the whole story. The rock buried just beneath the surface is their own flesh that can live only for itself, for comfort, pleasure, and ease. If the flesh is not destroyed, the message cannot grow, and they will fall away at the first sign of hardship. The third type of soil are those who hear the word, but their lives are full of thorns. They love the world and desire it more than they love Jesus and desire His kingdom. The third enemy, then, is the cares of this world and love for this life. For these three kinds of soil, they hear, but they don't understand, and they miss the kingdom.
The good news is that the message also falls on good soil. These are the ones who hear the message and receive it. But, they do not receive it like the rocky soil. Those who were the rocky soil only received it as an idea they liked and approved of. But those who are the good soil receive it as a treasure. It is for them an inheritance and Kingdom they take possession of! They receive it to the very depths of heart and soul. Robert Gundry summarizes it this way "the good hearers welcome the word immediately, so that Satan cannot snatch it away. They welcome it deeply so that persecution because of it cannot induce them to fall away. They welcome it exclusively so that other concerns do not stifle it. The understanding that results from this kind of reception goes beyond the intellectual to touch conduct, commitment, and devotion." The result is that the message produces fruit. It is multiplied many times over. This can be understood first as an increase in understanding and in receiving more instruction. But, it also implies that the word makes an eternal, life changing impact. The very life and nature of the Kingdom is in you and you become a very different kind of person.
There are a couple of important things we can do to apply these truths. The first is to understand that we cannot overcome Satan, the flesh, or the world by our own willpower or resolve. It is significant that even the twelve whom Jesus chose all fell away at Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. They all proved to be bad soil before the cross. But, it was a very different story after the resurrection and after Pentecost. They became bold witnesses for Christ and joyfully suffered and died for their faith. It is the power of the cross applied to our life through the Holy Spirit that alone can overcome Satan, the flesh, and the world. The Gospel of the Kingdom is the Gospel of the King who died on the cross to make us good soil! Second, parables are good at painting a clear picture of truth, but the picture always breaks down at some point. There is only one kind of seed, the Gospel message, but we need to hear it over and over in all its wonder and in all the breadth of its meaning. By the power of the cross, we are good soil, but we all are in danger of letting these obstacles creep in and make the word ineffective in our life. The battle against Satan, the flesh, and the world is a daily battle. We must constantly be turning to the cross, the Word, and the Holy Spirit to overcome so that the Word is powerful and effective in our lives!
