Yielding Plentiful Fruit

Matthew 13:18-23

Jesus often used settings and images familiar to his listeners in an effort to apply his teachings directly to their lives.

The parable of the sower and the seed (see Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23) depicts everyday farm life in first-century Palestine. When Jesus explained the parable to the disciples, he said that the soil represented the varying degrees of openness we all have to the gospel message.

In the parable, the first group hears the word but doesn’t understand or fully accept it (see Matthew 13:19). The second group understands but cannot stand up to the challenges of persecution or suffering (see 13:20-21). The third group hears and accepts the word but gets distracted by the world (see 13:22). The final group—the believers—hears the word, understands it, and responds to it (see 13:23).

When we first come to faith in Jesus, we begin as “infants in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1) who—over time—may achieve maturity. This progression from infancy to maturity does not…

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