There are lots of people around today with such superficial hearts. Many of them come to church. Just put on a big show. Promise them something for nothing. They jump on the Jesus bandwagon for the things that are promised. Their enthusiasm even sometimes temporarily eclipses that of the stalwart saints around them! But then the pressure gets on and they're gone.

Introduction

The human heart is a marvel to consider. Though it is only about the size of a closed human fist, the work it does is nothing short of incredible.

The human heart beats an average of 75 times a minute, forty million times a year, or two and a half billion times in a life of 70 years. At each beat, the average adult heart discharges about four ounces of blood. This amounts to three thousand gallons a day or 650,000 gallons a year - enough to fill more than 81 tanker trucks of 8,000 gallons each.

The heart does enough work in one hour to lift a 150 pound man to the top of a three story building. It expends enough energy in 12 hours to lift a 65 ton tank car one foot off the ground, or enough power in 70 years to lift the largest battleship afloat completely out of the water. The human heart is, indeed, a remarkable part of our created physical bodies.

The Bible speaks often about another "heart" that every human being has. What issues from it is even more important than the energy released by the physical heart. Proverbs 4:23 says of it: "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life."

This reference to your heart does not refer to the pump in your chest that does all the work I just mentioned. Rather, it refers to the center of a person's inner life where all of the moral and spiritual issues are considered and dealt with.

When a person has a physical heart that isn't working properly, we say he has a "heart condition." In the same way it is possible to have a spiritual "heart condition" or trouble with that inner place that makes moral and spiritual decisions.

Occasionally it is good to go to a doctor and have a physical exam which includes heart monitoring tests to see if the physical ticker is doing what it is supposed to. In a similar way, occasionally it is good to get a monitor reading on your spiritual heart to see how things are going there.

Our text today does just that in the familiar form of a parable that Jesus told to a multitude of people along with His disciples. It doesn’t mention the heart but I think you will agree that what it is relating to are the various conditions of the spiritual heart. It is a parable from the land, cast amid the sights and smells of the spring planting in Palestine. Please turn with me to Matthew 13 in your Bibles.

Let's begin, then, with verse 1.

(Read v. 1-3a)

He spoke many things in parables, just as He did the lessons before us. Verses 3-9 contain the parable we will be looking at.

I. The Parable.

(Read v. 3-9)

A common spring sight to all the people in that day was a man out sowing seed in his field. The sower would drape a bag of seed over his shoulder and, as he walked up and down the furrows, he would fling handfuls on both sides of himself. As he did this, the seed would land on different kinds of soil.

A. Some seed landed on the soil beside the road.

The soil there was packed. Palestine was covered with fields. No fences or walls surrounded them, so the only boundaries were narrow foot paths between them. Travelers from all over used these paths as they passed through the fields to keep from trampling the crops. The pathway soil was never turned over by the plow. Continually pounded by this human traffic and baked hard by the hot summer sun, it got to be like pavement.

Any seed the farmer threw beyond the furrows and onto this hard surface could not penetrate. It would lie there exposed until noticed by the birds that settled in behind the sower to eat what they could pick up. What the birds did not eat, Luke says, in his account of this parable, was trampled by more travelers. The point of the parable is that the seed that landed here never even germinated.

B. Some of the seed landed on shallow soil.

Jesus describes it here as "rocky places where they did not have much soil."

This doesn't refer to soil with loose rocks in it. Any farmer would have removed all of the loose stones he could. In Israel, a strata of limestone rock bed runs through much of the land. In some places it is deep and never reached. In other places it juts up so close to the surface that it is only inches beneath the top soil.

As seed fell on these shallow places and began to germinate, the descending roots would soon reach the rock and have nowhere to go. With roots unable to probe deeper, the young plants would divert their energy into producing leaves, making those plants, at least for a time, even more spectacular than the surrounding crop. But when the sun came out they were quick to die, because their roots did not go deep enough to continue getting moisture. This part of the crop would shrivel to nothing long before it produced any crop.

C. Some of the seed also landed on weedy soil.

This soil looked good. It was deep, rich, tilled, and fertile. At sowing time it looked clean and ready. The seed that landed here began to germinate, but something else was in the soil. Weeds that had been tilled under during the plowing season were lying there just beneath the surface, either as roots or seeds. Weeds that are indigenous to an area always have an advantage over cultivated crops - ask any gardener. Such native plants are adapted to the climate and soil, so they grow much faster than the planted crops. Soon, outstripping the crops, they send out their leaves and roots and begin to shade out and choke the crops. In the end, the planted crops die out.

D. Finally, some of the seed landed on good soil.

Good soil is soft, unlike the hard, roadside dirt. It is deep, unlike the shallow, rocky ground. It is clean, unlike the weed infested, thorny land. Here, the seed bursts forth into life that brings a tremendous harvest - thirtyfold, sixtyfold, a hundredfold.

"He who has ears, let him hear," said Jesus, as He finished the parable.

Apparently all of Jesus' listeners had ears on the sides of their heads, just as you and I do, so we can be sure He had something beyond physical hearing in mind. There was something to be heard beyond what he said, a lesson that was there in the imagery of the parable. The disciples picked this up and asked Him about it in verse 10 where we find:

II. Their Inquiry.

(Read v. 10)

Mark tells us in Mark 4:10 that they asked Him this "as soon as He was alone." Apparently the multitudes did not hear the interpretation of the parable. Nor did they hear the reason He gave for speaking to them in parables. That reason was given only to His disciples and is found in the next verses .

(Read v. 11-13)

This is a puzzling passage. Why would Jesus purposely exclude some of His hearers from understanding?

Keep in mind that the reason Jesus had came to earth and His true identity had not yet been publicly revealed. The multitudes were not ready for it. At this point they were so dull of hearing that they would not have understood it even if He had told them outright.

On the other hand, His close disciples needed to understand it so they would be prepared for what the world was going to do to Him before it was over. Thus, He spoke in parables so that the disciples would understand and the others would not. Of the ones who did not understand, the prophet Isaiah spoke clearly:

(Read v. 14-15)

Notice in these verses the reason why some were allowed to understand and others were not:

"...the heart of this people has become dull..."

"...and they have closed their eyes lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and return and I should heal them."

A lot of people present in the audience that day did not want to hear what Jesus was telling them. They wanted Him to conform to their wishes and aspirations. When He did not, they shut their ears. You might recall that some in His lifetime wanted to make Him an earthly King. Others wanted to kill him prematurely. Neither of these would have served His purpose of offering up His life for the sins of the world.

Because of the hardness of the people's hearts, Jesus had given them all they were going to get a this point. That is what He meant back in verse 12 when he said, "For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."

Those who, with good and honest hearts, took what He had already given them and used it would be given more. Those who had rejected what He had given them so far would even have that taken away.

There is a powerful lesson in that for you and me. People who act on the truth of God's word will be given more. Those who do not act on it will lose even what they have been given! God will take it away from them.

There is a danger to anyone who refuses to do what he or she knows is right. Not only will it keep them from understanding more of the Word of God, it will actually rob them of the things they already know about it. God will tolerate hard-heartedness only so long, then He starts taking away the ability to understand.

There are six great "forests" in the 94,189- square-mile Petrified Forest National Park of northern Arizona. Virtually unknown until the late 1870's, these ancient "stone trees" had long ago been killed by natural processes and buried in mud and sand that contained silica-rich volcanic ash. The logs became petrified as the mineral, carried into the wood by ground water, gradually replaced the wood cells. Eventually, each tree that had once been soft by comparison became so hard that it will scratch all but the hardest steel alloy.

So it can be with the human heart, hardened over time by the process of sin, it can become so hard that it becomes impenetrable.

All of us must continue our willingness to hear and do. If your heart is hard today, but you can still hear what I am saying even faintly, you need to move before you are hardened beyond penetration of the word.

(Read v. 16-17)

The disciples had remained willing to listen so they were blessed by seeing things that no one else had yet seen.

OK. So what did this story about the sower mean?

III. The Interpretation.

Pay close attention to what we are about to see. It’s like a spiritual EKG if you are willing to listen and apply it.

(Read v. 18)

At this point I want to stop and interject something that Luke records that Matthew leaves out. Between verses 18 and 19, Luke says, "The seed is the Word of God."

What we have described in this parable is the sowing of the Word in a person's heart. The various kinds of soil correspond to the various conditions of men's hearts who hear the Word as it is sown.

Four heart conditions are pictured by Jesus in the parable. Every person who has ever lived fits into one of these four heart categories. Which one are you in?

A. We find first the unresponsive heart.

(Read v. 19)

Remember the picture of the wayside soil? Trampled down, baked in the sun, never turned over. This is the hard hearted individual. He or she is unresponsive, unconcerned, inattentive, indifferent, and sometimes even hostile. Such a one wants nothing of the gospel. The Word just bounces off. Satan is pictured in the parable, hovering over such a person like a flock of gulls at a city landfill, eager to eat up anything that lands.

The Lord is warning us that the human heart can be so pounded and beaten down with the traffic of sin that it becomes completely insensitive to the gospel. This is a heart that knows no repentance, feels no guilt or sorrow over sin.

An unbeliever in that condition refuses to listen to the gospel. A believer in that condition refuses to listen to the repeated admonitions and warnings of his brethren.

I have heard that man is paving areas of our globe that once held trees at a rate of over a million acres a year. That’s a lot, and it is a great concern to some people. I don’t think however, that it nearly matches the rate of Satan’s paving crews, working across the globe, paving the hearts of men and women. Don't let it happen to you.

B. Then there is the superficial heart.

(Read v. 20-21)

This kind of heart is enthusiastic, but shallow. There is an acceptance of the seed of the Word and new life begins as the seed germinates. The plant comes springing up, promising fruit for the future. But then tough times hit. It begins to cost something for such a person to remain as a Christian. Since he has no deep roots, he falls away.

There are lots of people around today with such superficial hearts. Many of them come to church. Just put on a big show. Promise them something for nothing. They jump on the Jesus bandwagon for the things that are promised. Their enthusiasm even sometimes temporarily eclipses that of the stalwart saints around them! But then the pressure gets on and they're gone.

Can you spot a person like that ahead of time? Probably not, since at first they look as good or better than the good soil. The numbers of so-called "conversions" I see in churches doesn't impress me nearly as much as the number of people who stick after the first of second year of their Christian life.

C. Thirdly, there is the worldly heart.

(Read v. 22)

The person described here also receives the Word just like the others, but never really turns loose of the world. He wants Christ (perhaps he's too afraid of hell to turn his back on God), but he wants some other things even more.

I read about a woman who, on her 80th birthday, decided to prepare her will. She was Jewish, so she went to her rabbi to make two final requests. First, she insisted on cremation, and second, she told the rabbi, "I want my ashes scattered over Bloomingdale's."

"Why Bloomingdale's?" was his question.

"Then I'll be sure that my daughters visit me twice a week," she replied.

You can tell what is important to a person by how and where they spend their time and money.

A husband and wife were attending a county fair where, for five dollars a person, a man was giving a ride on an old biplane. The couple wanted to go, but they didn't want to part with $10. So, they proceeded to dicker with the man. They offered him $5. "After all," they reasoned," we both have to squeeze into that tiny cockpit that was built for only one person." The pilot thought about that and made a counter offer. "Pay me the full price of $10 and I'll take you up. If you don't say one word during the flight, I'll give you your money back." The couple agreed and got into the plane. The pilot then proceeded to perform every trick he knew, looping and whirling and flying upside down to get them to speak. Finally, when the plane was landed, the pilot said to the husband, "Congratulations! Here's your ten dollars; you didn't say a single word." To which the man replied, "Nope. I almost did when my wife fell out, though."

Some people put the importance of money before what is really important, like their relationships and like, here in this parable, the Word of God.

Such a one is consumed with the cares of this world. Sooner or later it becomes evident. The chief pursuit is career, a house, a car, a hobby, a wardrobe, or what have you. Prestige, looks, riches, are first in such a life.

The deceitfulness of riches - it chokes out the Word. It also chokes out our love for others.

I read about an old, rich man with a cranky, miserable attitude who visited a preacher. He said he couldn't understand why people didn't like him. They weren't together very long before the minister got a wonderful idea on how to illustrate to the man what was wrong. He took him by the hand and he led him over to his window and he said, "Now look out the window and tell me what you see."

The man stood there and said, "Well I see some men and some women and I see a few children."

The preacher took him by the hand and led him across the room to a mirror and said, "Now look there and tell me what you see."

The man frowned and said, "Well obviously I see myself."

"Interesting", the minister replied. "In the window there is glass, in the mirror there is glass. But the glass of the mirror is covered with a little bit of silver. And no sooner is the silver added than you cease to see others, and only yourself."

Our troubles often start when just a little silver is added to the glass of our lives. So it is with the worldly heart.

D. Finally, among the kinds of hearts represented by these four kinds of soil, there is the receptive heart.

(Read v. 23)

This fourth soil makes the work of the sower worth it all. Many of you in this room are this kind of soil. You evidence it by the fruit you bear. You evidence it by your attitude toward God's Word. You evidence it by your willingness to listen to correction. It is a joy to be around you.

When the word is presented, you receive it with gladness. You can't seem to get enough. The Word plunges its roots down deeply into your life. Persecution, disappointment, and the like hit you, but you endure. Indeed, because of that, you produce even more fruit. Riches may present themselves as an alternative, worry may raise its ugly head, but you stubbornly keep your eyes on what is important in eternity. In time, you produce much fruit.

Conclusion

Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.

All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

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