The Parable Of The Sower – The Good Soil (Matthew 13:23)

by Chris Simmons

Having discussed the wayside soil, the stony ground and the thorny ground, we would be remiss not to address what Jesus simply describes as “good soil.” What does the good soil represent and how do we cultivate it in our own lives?

First of all, Jesus says that the “good soil” is the heart that “hears the word and understands it.” Often times, a lack of understanding is simply a lack of desire to know the truth. In the context of Matthew chapter 13 Jesus spoke of those who are capable of seeing and hearing the truths of God’s word but do not understand because they have closed their eyes and ears (verses 13-15). If we desire for our hearts to be the good soil that God seeks, we need an insatiable appetite for hearing and understanding what God has revealed to us (cf. I Peter 2:1-3). This was one of the central purposes for Jesus teaching in parables – to separate those who hungered and thirsted for righteousness (Matthew 5:5) from those who didn’t. We are commanded to “hear and understand” (Matthew 15:10; cf. Ephesians 5:17), which we are promised we can do (Ephesians 3:3-5). Driven by an irrepressible love for the truth (II Thessalonians 2:10), the good soil seeks every opportunity available to be taught so that he can understand (Acts 8:30-31; 10:33).

Second, the good soil is known by the fruit that is produced from it rather than by how it looks. The fruit we bear (or lack thereof) truly indicates the type of heart which we have. When Paul wrote to the brethren in Colossae, he spoke of how the word of God had been proclaimed among them, how they had heard it, understood it and how the word of God had born fruit in their lives (Colossians 1:5-6). Jesus said, “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:17-20). Jesus said the amount of fruit will vary (“some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty,” verse 18) but “bring forth” we must. The fruit will vary because we all have varying talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and we encounter different opportunities to exercise those talents. The fruit will manifest itself in many different ways as outlined by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Bearing no fruit is as equally condemning as bearing bad fruit – both are fit only for judgment and condemnation.

What do we need to do to ensure our hearts continually reflect the good soil? It isn’t accomplished without a lot of hard work. When I drive past farmland that has rich, cultivated soil, ready for planting, my assumption is that someone, “by the sweat your face” (Genesis 3:19), had labored long and hard to get the soil properly prepared. Perhaps trees had to be cut down and stumps had to be dug out. Rocks had to be gathered and removed. Thorns and thistles had to be eradicated and destroyed. The field had to be suitably leveled for proper drainage and finally the soil had to be thoroughly plowed and tilled and prepared to receive the seed. Would we be foolish enough to think that it takes any less diligence and labor in order to prepare our hearts to be ready to be consistently and perpetually able to receive God’s word and allow it to bear fruit in our lives? Consider the numerous scriptures in which the apostles command and exhort us to maintain diligence in every aspect of our spiritual lives (Romans 12:11; Ephesians 4:3; II Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 4:11; Hebrews 6:11; II Peter 1:5, 10; II Peter 3:14). Diligence in keeping out the thorns which are the “worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things” (Mark 4:19). Diligence in building upon our faith and increasing our perseverance (II Peter 1:6) in the face of “affliction or persecution” (Matthew 13:21) which comes because of our obedience to God’s word. Diligence in preventing our hearts from becoming hardened by the “deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13) and allowing Satan to take God’s word from our heart. As we meditate on the truths taught in the parable of the sower, we see how vital it is to continually examine and work on the condition of our hearts so that we might represent the “good soil.” Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:23, “watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” That is certainly a full time job!

Jesus taught many things in parables. He did so in order that those who desired to learn how they might please the Lord would be able to (Ephesians 5:10). May we ever maintain our hunger for learning the truths of these divinely inspired parables.