Read: Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23
But the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. (v. 22 NIV).
Most of the parable of the sower is straightforward and easier to understand than many of Jesus’s parables. The seed that fell along the path (v. 19) cannot stand for a believer; it is snatched away before it can even take root. The seed that fell on good soil and bore good fruit (v. 23) is clearly a believer. But what about the two seeds in between?
Some preachers have tried to turn them into believers—immature and unfruitful no doubt, but still believers. But this seems unlikely. One kind of seed has no significant root and lasts only a short time due to trouble or persecution (v. 21). The second may last a little longer, but thorns eventually choke it out. Worry and seduction by material possessions are the culprits this time (v. 22).
The key to grasping Jesus’s point is to understand a farmer’s priorities. Without a crop to harvest, no farmer cares how many stems, leaves, or flowers appear. Bearing fruit is all that matters. True believers in Jesus will always bear some kind of fruit—evidence of a changed life for the better somewhere. Some churches love to keep track of how many conversions or baptisms they have every year, but how many record the number of people who die in the Lord? That’s really the only statistic that ultimately matters. We must stay faithful to the end.
As you pray, ask God to help you finish well, with other people seeing him in your entire life.
Craig L. Blomberg is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Denver Seminary. He has written or edited more than 30 books, including a recently revised and expanded commentary on Matthew. He teaches regularly in churches, including his home church of Centennial Covenant in Littleton, CO. He and his wife Fran have two daughters and three grandchildren.
