Scripture: Mark 4:1-20 (CEB)
Jesus began to teach beside the lake again. Such a large crowd gathered that he climbed into a boat there on the lake. He sat in the boat while the whole crowd was nearby on the shore. 2 He said many things to them in parables. While teaching them, he said, 3 “Listen to this! A farmer went out to scatter seed. 4 As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path; and the birds came and ate it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. 6 When the sun came up, it scorched the plants; and they dried up because they had no roots. 7 Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked the seeds, and they produced nothing. 8 Other seed fell into good soil and bore fruit. Upon growing and increasing, the seed produced in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of one hundred to one.” 9 He said, “Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!”
Jesus explains his parable
10 When they were alone, the people around Jesus, along with the Twelve, asked him about the parables. 11 He said to them, “The secret of God’s kingdom has been given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables. 12 This is so that they can look and see but have no insight, and they can hear but not understand. Otherwise, they might turn their lives around and be forgiven.
13 “Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? 14 The farmer scatters the word. 15 This is the meaning of the seed that fell on the path: When the word is scattered and people hear it, right away Satan comes and steals the word that was planted in them. 16 Here’s the meaning of the seed that fell on rocky ground: When people hear the word, they immediately receive it joyfully. 17 Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away. 18 Others are like the seed scattered among the thorny plants. These are the ones who have heard the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the false appeal of wealth, and the desire for more things break in and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. 20 The seed scattered on good soil are those who hear the word and embrace it. They bear fruit, in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case sixty to one, and in another case one hundred to one.”
What does this passage mean to me/us?
Contributed by Emily Shockley
STORY OF THE SCATTERED SEED
How grounded is your relationship with God? Some are completely anchored in the word, and some are fully disconnected. The story of the scattered seed is in Mark 4:1-20. The story is a metaphor with the Word of God being the seeds, and how you, being the dirt, receive it. There are different ways to nurture your relationship with the word of God.
In one circumstance, a seed falls on packed dirt, so it’s not able to penetrate the ground. It gets eaten by the crows, never growing into mature plants. In the same way, the message of God’s Word may just sit on the surface for some people, never making a real impact, referred to as prodigals. When life becomes challenging, Satan easily robs the little faith they have.
In another circumstance, seeds dropped on rocky soil grow into plants, but do not form strong roots. When they develop, the sun withers them away due to no foundation. These people, referred to as nomads, embrace the message at first, but their faith withers away when hardships surface, because they have no deep roots.
The seeds grown in the weeds grow up strong, but the weeds overtake them and they die competing with them. These people, called exiles, hear and accept the word, but are unable to apply it. Your problems and desires compete with the word of God for importance. They let the problems and unholy desires of the world keep them from connecting to God’s word.
Seeds grown in good soil grow up strong and healthy and produce more plants. This is the people who hear, accept, and apply the word to daily living. This is the kind of soil God wants us to be. The people who wholeheartedly give their self up to God and commit their life to serving him, impacting everyone around them.
In the end, we all have probably fallen in more than one category, but that is alright because we are human, and God is divine. Though God wants us to strive to not only hear and accept the word, but to share it and live it with others so it spreads like wildflowers!
Prayer
Dear Lord, please help us to be open to the messages you send us every day. Help us to live your word and share it with others, and to be the best “dirt” we can be to allow your message to thrive. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen,
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