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The Person who Plants on the Good Soil

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Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." [Mark 4:20]

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Israel, where Jesus had lived while living in the world, had very little good land. So the people who farmed had to live in the foothills in order to have good land.

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Even in the foothills, there was a shortest of good land. There were paths that farmers had plowed, natural paths, bush that grew blackberries, and gravel that had many stones.

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The Israelites have an unique way on how to sow.

It makes rough land become good land to plow a field to sow seeds.

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The method is that the farmers scatter seeds as far as possible to give them a better chance.

Then the seeds are scattered here and there.

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And then, farmers plow for seeds to be entered deep into the ground.

Sometimes they bring sheep and goats in to step on the ground to make the roots go down deeper.

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The seeds which were scattered begin to grow here and there.

Some seeds which fell along the path, got eaten by birds.

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While other seeds fall on rocky places, where it does not have much soil.

It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.

However, when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

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Other seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants,

so that they did not bear grain. Those seeds also died.

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Lastly, there were seeds that fell on good soil which grew up well.

Since there was a moderate amount of water and sunlight,

it beared much fruit.

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Jesus told people this story. Later, when the disciples were alone with Jesus, they asked him:

"Please explain to us what does this mean?"

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Jesus said to the disciples, "The seed is God's Word. And the land is your heart which accepts God's Word. Everyone listened to God's Word, but according to their own hearts the fruits that were borne showed how much they truly accepted His Word."

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Some people do not accept God's Word like the seeds which fell along the path. Just as the birds came and ate the seeds so does Satan come and make them not listen to God's Word.

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There are some people who have hearts like stones who understand the first time, but later they turn against God's Word because of worry.

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Other people who have hearts like bushes listen to God's Word, accept it gladly, and seem to have good faith at the start. Yet, as soon as some time passes by, their faith still hasn't grown so they quit because they get tempted back into their old life styles.

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However, there are some people who have hearts like the good soil who listen to God's Word, accept it, and do as it says. Later, they produce a crop; thirty, sixty, or even one hundred times what was sown.

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Jesus hopes that we have hearts like the good soil. If you listen to God's Word truly and practice as it says, then you will produce thirty, sixty, or even one hundred times over. I hope that you will try to have hearts like the good soil and pray to God to bear much fruit in your good "soiled" heart!