Matthew 13:8
But some seed
fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
When Jesus interprets
the parable of the soils in Mark 4:14-20, he only refers to Satan once. He says
in verse 14 that the sower is sowing the Word, and then in verse 15 he says, “These
are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan
immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them.”
But there are two other kinds of soil where
the Word bears no fruit. There is the rocky ground in verse 16 and the thorny
ground in verse 18. Jesus doesn't mention Satan in connection with these. But
we know from other teachings in the New Testament that Satan is very much at
work in these soils to nullify the Word of God and make the hearers fruitless.
If we do listen to Jesus’ message, both in
Scripture and in the many indirect ways he manifests his will to us in our
lives, and if we appreciate what a gift this is, we must show our gratitude
with the way we live. We have to be the good soil that bears fruit a
hundredfold. That means not only growing
in our own faith and living in consonance with it, but also multiplying the gift
by sharing it with others.
We can’t be satisfied with being good and
not sinning; in order to be good Christians, we have to spread the message in
whatever ways are available to us in our state of life.
Every day we should ask ourselves: What have I done today to spread the seeds of
the Gospel?
Let us pray +
Almighty Father, may I be a seed that falls
on a rich soil so I may produce fruit.
May I find the importance of hearing Your words and participating in
activities that would glorify Your name.
Bless us, Oh Lord with that wisdom that we may bear fruit thirty and
sixty and a hundredfold. Amen +
The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
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