JESUS taught in pictures that would be easily understood by the people listening to Him. They were farming and fishing folk, used to see the farmer striding across the fields with a big, flat basket full of seed which he was scattering as he walked. Some would fall in the right place and some would be gobbled up by the birds following the farmer. The application of this parable is clearly spelled out for us and it is one which is so familiar to many of us that we sometimes switch off when we hear it. We have to beware of this familiarity. It is true that we don’t learn new lessons because we’re not listening. Ask for listening ears today.
When He tells us what happened to the seed, Jesus points out that some is lost at once, then He tells us of the seed that seemed to take root and only lastly about the seed that fell on good ground. We are concerned these days about the message that is not getting to the people and we are told that we aren’t communicating properly. The seed that was scattered was all the same quality. The fault was not in the seed but in the ground that was receiving the seed. Our concern should be to prepare the ground more thoroughly. Pray for your unbelieving friends and family. Talk to them openly about your own faith and try to do so without being pious. If your faith is obviously a major factor in your life it will shine through. The world needs uncomplicated, joyful Christians with a real faith in a real practical God who cares for them and for their problems.
There are enough weeds in the world to choke the growth of the faith without us adding to them by being full of complexes. Jesus says that the Christian has the secret of the
