Truth in the Dirt: The Parable of the SowerSample

Recently, I was talking to a guy who grows grapes. He told me that a big part of what gives grapes (and things made from grapes) their particular flavor is the soil they're grown in. He talked about something called terroir (said ter-wha), the flavor given to a grape by the soil and environment it grows in.

The right kind of soil produces really good fruit. Which is basically what Jesus said as he closes out his explanation of the Parable of the Sower. Truth that lands in good soil produces a good harvest.

So what makes for good soil?

Jesus makes it pretty clear what makes for good soil, but it can easily get lost in the text because he changes his analogy and starts talking about light, rather than soil. Consequently, in many versions of the Bible, a new heading is placed over the text, which can make it seem like he’s changing topic. But in the original, there were no subheadings—it was all connected. In fact, right after talking about light, he goes back to farming analogies. The light and soil analogies are connected. After all, growth requires light.

He says that when light shines on something, you don’t hide it. Light reveals reality and truth. So he says, pay attention to what the light reveals.

When truth is revealed, it shines a light in our lives. But it’s up to us to pay attention and use that revelation to make the necessary changes and align our lives with that truth. If we don’t use that truth, it says we will lose even what we have been given. When you use that truth, more truth will be revealed.

When we respond to truth, it sets us free. The more we respond, the more we find freedom. In a real sense, we get to decide the amount (thirty, sixty, or one-hundred fold) of freedom truth will give us when we allow it to take root.

Sometimes the growth takes a while, but it will produce fruit. “The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)

Seeds of truth that are planted in good soil — soil where we embrace it and don’t shrink back from it— “yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11)

May we be those who don’t settle for a lie, who embrace the challenges and difficulties of God’s sanctifying work in our lives, and who aren’t swayed by our needs for lesser things. But instead, may we choose to let the light of truth shine in our lives and see an increase of thirty, sixty, and one-hundred times.

pray this reading plan has encouraged you. I'd love to hear from you at http://joelmalm.com.