NorthStar Church Blog

One thing that I can’t help but notice when reading the Parable of the Sower is that the sower sows his seed not only on good soil but also on soil that he knows will produce no fruit. Three of the four examples are unfavorable conditions: the hardened path, the rocks, and the thorns. Why would any farmer in his right mind sow in places he knew there would be no yield? If done intentionally, this would seem like a futile, even ridiculous effort. However, when you begin to unpack the spiritual implications of the act, there is extraordinary theological significance. We see that this act of God is extravagant, graceful, and instructive.

Let us first recall that the sower is the Son of Man. Though this is not stated explicitly, the inference is made by the context as well as Christ’s own words from another parable later on: “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man” (Matthew 13:37). Additionally, we know that the seed is the “word of God” (Luke 8:11). The four types of ground are categories of people distinguished by their response to the Word of God. So then, the Son of Man is spreading the Word of God to all people, without discrimination, even to those who will reject Him. Firstly, in doing so, He is extravagant. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “…He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

This “everyone” includes all categories of people, coinciding with the different types of terrain from the parable. He sows His seed without reservation to all people. Secondly, He is graceful. He not only doesn’t give us what we deserve, but He instead gives us what we don’t deserve (you may need to read that again)—this is the definition of grace. Romans 5:8: “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” The rocky terrain does not deserve the seed. Indeed, it will bear no fruit, and this He knows. And yet, the Sower freely gives it. Lastly, we see this act of the sower as instructive for us. We are to tell the world at large about Jesus, irrespective of persons. In Luke 24:47, Jesus tells the disciples, “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” We are to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all of those around us—to the responsive heart as well as the hardened, shallow, and crowded hearts.

A final thought: this parable was never about the soil. It is not called the “parable of the four soils”—as appropriate as that would be. Instead, Jesus calls it “the parable of the sower.” Yes, it teaches us about responsive and unresponsive hearts, but it also tells us just as much about the nature of the Sower. Take a moment to consider what this parable teaches you about Jesus.

God bless you today.

In 251 A.D., the first systematic persecution of Christianity took place in the Roman Empire. The emperor Decius issued an imperial edict requiring all subjects to perform a sacrifice to the Roman gods (including Decius himself) in the presence of a government official. After the rite had taken place, the individual would then receive a “libellus”—a certificate signed by the magistrate that the sacrifice had taken place (a number of these documents have survived the ages and are on display in museums around the world; see https://tinyurl.com/5n95vnes for several from the University of Michigan). Those who did not receive a libellus were stripped of their possessions and arrested and, in some cases, killed—their stories of martyrdom recorded by the Christians of the early church. An overwhelming number of Christians quickly fell away from the church. They either succumbed to idol worship and completed the sacrifice or bribed officials into purchasing a certificate saying they had. Fortunately, the persecution was short-lived. The following year, Decius died in battle, and his edict came to an end, though it would not be the last systematic persecution of the church.

Immediately after the Decian persecution, those who had recanted their faith sought readmission into the church. They were labeled “lapsed” Christians, and their readmission to the church became the subject of a great controversy. One church leader named Novatian asserted that they could be forgiven, but under no circumstances could lapsed Christians be readmitted. On the other hand, Cyprian, the famous bishop of Carthage, argued that while the sin was indeed egregious, there must be a process by which repentant lapsed Christians could be restored to communion in the Church. In 251 A.D., he wrote a famous book on the subject called On the Lapsed. Cyprian’s theology was very influential on the development of later church practice in Western civilization.

The falling away of a great number of Christians during a time of testing brings to mind the condition of the second and third soils in the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:14-15:

Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature (NIV).

For the great many caught unprepared during the Decian persecution, it was revealed that their hearts were indeed rocky soil. This predicament may seem foreign to us because we live in a time and place of religious freedom, but it is nevertheless real. Let us thank God for the times of peace we experience as Christians, but let us also live prepared, knowing that times of testing are a revelation of the soil of the human heart. Let it be said of us that we held fast with an “honest and good heart [bearing] fruit with patience” (Lk. 8:15) when tribulations arise.

Last year, we had the water line running to our house break and flood the front yard (hours before we were about to leave for vacation, I might add). It was quite a spectacle. After everything was said and done and the plumbing was repaired, there was a gigantic section on our front lawn where the grass had been destroyed. Like any responsible person in the throes of homeownership, I found myself out in the yard tilling and reseeding the lawn. Using my handheld spreader, I sowed seed generously in the affected area. Some landed in the correct spot, some flung far away, and some even landed on the driveway. As the days went by, new grass began to spring up, but not everywhere. I realized some areas hadn’t been tilled properly, and the seed simply sat atop the ground, never finding purchase in the soil.

Likewise, I used the blower to clear the driveway of the seed that had fallen by the wayside. Do you think that the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15) crossed my mind through all of this? You betcha! It was all I could think about. The Lord was giving me an object lesson to teach me something I already knew but needed to remember by way of experience.

What a great and merciful God, He that condescends to draw the eternal from the humbler and plainer figures of everyday life and observation—fields and forests, ploughmen and fishermen, beauty and creation. In wisdom, He gives parables that can at once instruct an ancient audience and yet find familiarity among modern readers so displaced in time. An old theologian, describing the accessibility of Christ’s teaching, says, “The homeliness of the illustrations, whilst it links the teaching with the daily life of His time, yet sufficiently frees them from local peculiarity to render them of universal application.” It is no surprise, therefore, that after He finished these parables, the multitude murmured, “From whence has this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto him?” (Mark 6:2). Yet, in spite of their astonishment, many took offense at Him and unwittingly demonstrated that their hearts were the footpath robbed of the seeds by the birds.

Take inventory this morning. Is the Holy Spirit using the ordinary around you to illustrate some spiritual truth that you may be missing out on? Ask Him to give you awareness. Pray for ears to hear and eyes to see that you may have an “honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).

In 1991, Michael W. Smith’s album, Go West Young Man, proved to be a hugely successful effort for the artist. It catapulted the singer into fame as the single “Place in This World” topped the U.S. Billboard charts and became a mainstream crossover sensation on secular radio. In the Christian music scene, the album took home a Dove Award for Contemporary/Pop Album of the Year. Just to highlight the far-reaching success of the album, I was not a believer at the time, and yet I recall hearing “Place in This World” and being fascinated by the chorus. Almost a decade later, when I became a Christian, I went back and listened to the album with new ears, and it has since had a special place in my heart.

One of my favorite songs off of the record, however, has to be “Seed to Sow.” Of course, with this Sunday’s message being on the parable of the sower from Luke 8, it was inevitable that I went back and listened to the song. So, I’m going to ask a lot of you here: whether you love or hate the late-eighties/early-nineties synth-pop aesthetic (which presents itself in its full glory on the album cover), give the song a listen and follow along.

Smith begins by describing the diverse types of sowing according to different people:
Some people quietly reveal in the manner of the meek
Some people shout the way they feel to a radical degree
Some people sing it to express while others hear another call
Some people speak with subtleness, some don’t rely on words at all

Finally, he returns to his ultimate conclusion: “One thing I know, everybody’s got a seed to sow.” Firstly, Smith is making a good observation. We, too, are sowers. Yes, God is the ultimate sower, and this point is usually made when interpreting Jesus’ parable in Luke 8. However, as disciples and laborers for the kingdom, we also sow seeds of the gospel in the hearts of others. Writing to the church in Corinth, Paul considers himself a sower of the word of God: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Cor. 3:6). We are obligated to share the love of Christ generously, that others may see for themselves and believe. In this manner, we sow.

Toward the end of the song, Smith makes an appeal to anyone who would doubt their usefulness as a sower: “God can use what you can give within the mystery of His ways. Don’t underestimate.” Our Lord took the five loaves and two fish of an unnamed lad and fed the multitude. When we doubt our usefulness, we echo the words of Andrew, who said, “How far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9; NIV). To quote Paul again, “…God [gives] the increase.”

Be sure of one thing today: if you have the love of Christ within, you have seed to sow. Now go forth and sow it! I pray that this song, cheesy as it is, is an encouragement to you today.

In 1526, an English priest by the name of William Tyndale published his English translation of the Bible, an act that was condemned by the institutional religion of his time. As a result, he was charged as a heretic, hunted, and burned at the stake in October of 1536. But the work had already begun; his Bibles had been smuggled into England inside bales of cloth and were being distributed throughout the country. By the time of his death, more than 50,000 copies of his New Testament had been sold in England. His dying words were said to have been, “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes!”—a prayer that was soon to be answered by God Almighty. Less than five years later, King Henry VIII broke ties with Rome and ordered English translations to be placed in churches throughout the country.

Not only did Tyndale’s translation make an enormous contribution to the emerging Protestant cause, but it also left a lasting legacy on the English language. Many idiomatic expressions have their origin in Tyndale’s translation, such as “salt of the earth,” “writing on the wall,” “a stone’s throw,” and “fight the good fight.” One phrase that is particular to this week’s devotion is “fell by the wayside” (Luke 8:5).

Tyndale’s translation of Luke 8:5 reads, “A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed some fell by the wayside and it was trodden under feet and the fowls of the air devoured it up.” Compare this to the NLT translation, which reads, “…some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it.” Notice how our understanding of the idiomatic expression lends new perspective to the text. When one “falls by the wayside,” they are said to fail to accomplish something or to give up. For example, “As life got busier, his fitness routine fell by the wayside,” or “When the going got tough, we fell by the wayside for lack of preparation.” Likewise, the seed that falls by the wayside doesn’t amount to anything—to employ the vernacular.

Next time you hear the expression “fall by the wayside,” remember two things: 1) the parable of the sower and the unfruitful conditions of this first type of terrain and 2) the enormous impact the Word of God has had on our language, mostly without our even being aware of it! Wouldn’t it be cool if even etymology could become an avenue for us to share the gospel with others who use these phrases unwittingly?