by Kris Groda<\/p>\n
Although Jesus called it “the parable of the sower,” we view the parable in light of the explanation that Jesus provided (Matthew 13:18-23). The thrust seems to be about the different types of ground, which represent the differences in people; nevertheless, the seed-sower scattered seed on good soil and by the wayside. Many folks prejudge those who would seem to be “wayside” types and decide that they aren’t good candidates or prospects for teaching the Gospel.<\/p>\n
As hard as the church may try, some converts will fall away, not because of what we do or fail to do, but because they fail to understand the Word of the kingdom, “then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart<\/em>” (Matthew 13:19). This person received the seed (the Word) in the sense that they were willing to hear. But there is no indication this “wayside” individual ever converted. Some just don’t “get it,” and what’s worse, usually it’s a willful ignorance.<\/p>\n Then there are those who hear “the word and immediately receive it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, immediately he stumbles<\/em>” (Matthew 13:20-21). The Bible study went great; this person “got it.” They could see the difference between the simple truth of God’s Word versus the plethora of man-made dogmas. This person made the good confession and put the Lord on in baptism. It was a great day, and it seemed they were going to do great things in the kingdom of God. They eagerly shared what they learned with their family, and suddenly, we no longer see that “stony ground” person. They weren’t mean about it; they just quietly dropped out and stopped returning phone calls.<\/p>\n The church tries so hard to compete with those who turn new Christians away from the truth. Sometimes we wish we could, like Paul, call for the hand of the Lord to strike all the Elymases in the world with blindness, just to show how serious God is about causing people to turn from the truth (Acts 13:7-11).<\/p>\n Then some received seed among the thorns. This person hears the Word, but “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word, and he becomes unfruitful<\/em>” (Matthew 13:22). Becoming unfruitful doesn’t necessarily mean that they stop attending the worship services. We can become enthralled with and overcome by interest in secular things. Sometimes, family gets the best of us when we cater to their lax views of faithfulness. Yet, we remember the lesson Jesus gave about having and maintaining a proper, ordered love (Luke 14:26). God comes first!<\/p>\n “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the Word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty<\/em>” (Matthew 13:23). The admonition is to be the “good-ground” type. However, it seems that if we are going to “understand” the Word, we must also be aware that we can become discouraged and disappointed by those who fall away. A Christian who wins souls (Proverbs 11:30) must be prepared emotionally for those who fall away. They’ll break your heart every time and never realize the time that is invested in money, talents, works that edify, prayers, and lack of sleep-all on their behalf. At the end of the day, we still have to make a choice: Will we continue to win souls or grow discouraged and quit?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Kris Groda Although Jesus called it “the parable of the sower,” we view the parable in light of the explanation that Jesus provided (Matthew 13:18-23). The thrust seems to be about the different types of ground, which represent the differences in people; nevertheless, the seed-sower scattered seed on good soil and by the wayside.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[689,451],"class_list":["post-89522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-parables","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":91194,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-i-incorrectly-teach-the-parable-of-the-yeast\/","url_meta":{"origin":89522,"position":0},"title":"Did I incorrectly teach the parable of the yeast?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good day, brother Jeffrey. I led a study during our Mid-Week Service about the Parable of the Yeast. I made a disclaimer in my lesson that even though the majority of the usage of the word \"yeast\" in the Bible carries a negative connotation but the way Jesus used\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66879,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-kind-of-soil-are-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":89522,"position":1},"title":"What Kind of Soil Are You?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Mark 4 presents what we call the parable of the sower. What has recently struck me is how the entire chapter stays with the same essential point concerning the power of God's word. Here are a few thoughts: The parable's point is not whether we are sowing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2210,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-expect-to-go-to-heaven\/","url_meta":{"origin":89522,"position":2},"title":"Do You Expect to Go to Heaven?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 6, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Should God save you? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Paul was able to say, \u201cYes, I did the Lord\u2019s will.\u201d - II Tim. 4:6-8 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Can you say that about your own life? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0How did you become a Christian? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Converted from a denomination or from out of the world? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Raised in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63273,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/sowing-in-tears-reaping-in-joy\/","url_meta":{"origin":89522,"position":3},"title":"Sowing in Tears, Reaping in Joy","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 126 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Psalm 126 is one of a series of psalms devoted to the return of the Israelites from captivity. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The sadness of the captivity made the joy of return to freedom so much greater. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is the end of this psalm which captures\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69679,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/quick-to-forget\/","url_meta":{"origin":89522,"position":4},"title":"Quick to Forget","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores How many times have you heard a thing, yet forget what you heard in a matter of minutes? The older we get, the more we are \"quick to hear, fast to forget.\" Or, as we've all heard it, it's in one ear and out the other. But\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":83380,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-should-we-do-about-someone-who-refuses-to-attend-services\/","url_meta":{"origin":89522,"position":5},"title":"What should we do about someone who refuses to attend services?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Greetings Brother Hamilton. I trust your family has been in good health. I have this concern. I have a member who is new to the faith. She was baptized roughly 3 years ago. She started well and then became less punctual. Now, she has stopped worshiping altogether. Efforts have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89522\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}