The spectrum of hearers
Matthews gospel records Jesus as saying,
“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.
Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:1-9.
Jesus then gave this interpretation to the parable,
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:18-23.
What Jesus is saying here is happening today. There are those who hears the message but fails to fully understand it and quickly falls away without trying to look deeper.
There are others who receive the word out of the emotion of the moment only to fall away when the emotion dies off.
Then there are those who receive the word but have a lot of earthly baggage. They fall pray to the worries of the world. And fall away as their worries in this world take precedent over the word of God.
Then there are those who truly believe who go forth and take the gospel to those around them producing more believers.
Where are you in this spectrum of hearers of the word?
Think about it.
