Matthew 13:5-6 “Some
fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they
sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they
were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away” [KJV].
Some received the Word in stony places. In
some parts of Palestine
lying right beneath the ground is a layer of limestone. When seed falls upon
this ground, something dramatic happens. The limestone holds the rain and heat
from the sunlight right under the surface; therefore, the fallen seed sprouts
quickly and dramatically. But it has no root.
The application is clear: this person has
what appears to be a dramatic conversion. He makes a decision for Christ, and
he stands out as an example of a changed life and quick growth. However, the
change lasts only for a season, perhaps an extended season, but in the end it
fails. [Footnote from Preacher’s Outline &
Sermon Bible]
Why this person fails? He has not rooted
and grounded himself in the Word and in prayer. He has not learned the
doctrines of Christ. He has not come through the diligent study to show himself
approved and disciplined prayer. He does not have the spiritual strength to
withstand the trials and persecutions of life. When there’s pressure from
circumstances or things that happened to him like former friends of the world
who mocked and abused him, that would causes him to cave in or fell through.
New Living Translation quoted, “But anyone
who listens and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a
foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into
a heap of ruins” [Luke 6:49].
I read the devotion
from the Daily Bread about “Taking Root” and it had led me to study more of
this research which I had written on the first part of the Manna. I admit that
I was surprised to learn something about the limestone they had in Palestine. So the people
there knew what Jesus was talking about from the nature’s view.
Jesus talked about
the seed and soils. In a parable in Matthew 13 about what happens when the seed
of the gospel is sown on various kinds of ground, He said that seeds that land
on stones and “not much earth” grow quickly but then die in the sun (Mt.
13:5-6). He is speaking of one who has heard and received the gospel, but in
whose life the message doesn’t take root. When trouble comes, this person who
is not a “rooted” believer, he would fall away.
The word of
encouragement from Jesus saying, “The good soil represents the hearts of those
who truly accept God’s message and produce
a huge harvest—thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been
planted” [Mt.13:23]. The key word: produce
means to bring something out by work. So studying the Word of God will produce
a huge harvest inside of our souls and when we share them, it will grow so much
as we have “planted” His Word in us. And when we are “rooted” in Christ, we
would not fall away.
So let’s trust God to
be rooted in Christ and be strong in the Lord!
Dorothy
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