Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
Luke 8:4-9,11-15 (NIV)
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant.
11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
This week we will study just a few of the numerous Bible passages which encourage us to meditate daily on God’s Word. Today we begin with one of Jesus’ most familiar stories, the parable of the sower. This story has several meanings. For instance, it shows how extravagant God is with his love. Just as the farmer wastes seed sowing it among the rocks and thorns, so our gracious God gives good things to all people, even those with hard or prickly hearts. But today let’s focus on verses 8 and 15. First off, the good soil has astonishing yield. A yield of 3 times what was sown would have been a good crop, but this soil produced 100 times what was sown. This shows the incredible fruit God can produce, when we are willing to let God fully use us. And we do that when we “hear the word, retain it, and persevere.” God’s Word will do the work, but our daily time in the word allows God’s Word to do even more.