Hearts That Can Hear (Matthew 13:1-23)
August 16, 2020
Are we disciples of Christ? Do we see the secrets of the kingdom? Are our hearts enthusiastic about the study of God’s word? These are questions I would like for us to consider as we study this morning.
Today we are going to be beginning our study of parables. We have been working our way through the book of Matthew. Up to this point, Jesus has been very clear about everything he is telling people. How have they responded? He has done so much to prove that he is the Messiah, but people haven't really listened to anything he has said. We read in Chapter 11 that the disciples of John doubted Jesus. In the last chapter, we noticed that the Pharisees were seeking to destroy him, and the people were saying, "Can this be the Son of David?" People are hearing him, and they see the proof that he is who he claims to be, but they aren't willing to submit completely. What is Jesus going to do now?
Matthew 13:1--9 (ESV) --- 1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
He tells them stories. Imagine coming to hear the teachings of Jesus. You expect him to elaborate on some aspect of the law or help everyone understand the Pharisee's flawed logic. Instead, he tells you this odd parable. A sower went out to sow seed, and the seed fell on all kinds of different soils. This is a bizarre parable to the crowd because he does not explain what it means. This is like me telling you, "A man went to buy a car. Different cars are created for various reasons. Vehicles that are created with four doors can contain at least five people. Cars designed with two doors are smaller, and they can save gas or go really fast. Big cars are called trucks and SUVs, and they can carry lots of cargo. Everyone likes a good story, but these stories aren't entertaining. Jesus is telling them something they already know, and he doesn't even explain how this applies to the people! These are more like riddles than sermons.
Why does Jesus speak to them this way?
The Reason For Parables
Matthew 13:10--16 (ESV) --- 10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
Jesus' disciples want to know the same thing. They are confused as to why Jesus spoke so many parables to the people. Notice in this section that he gives a few phrases to explain what he is doing.
Secrets Of The Kingdom
He says, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given." Jesus has decided as he looks out to the crowds that people aren't listening for the right reasons. He has amassed an enormous crowd. If you have ever been up in the pulpit to give a lesson, you can see everyone's response to God's word. I can see those of you who have already fallen asleep. I assume that you have had a hard night working or some kind of medical problem, and I'm just grateful to see you here. But Jesus could see into the hearts of his listeners. He has decided to conceal the secrets of the kingdom only to be given to those who seek it. People who do not want to work for the truth will not find it. The words of Jesus are revealing the secrets of this kingdom. Everyone is wondering how Jesus could be the Messiah. They can't understand how he could fulfill the Old Testament prophesies because they miss the secret things. The Old Testament was wrapped in a mystery, but they didn't care enough to search for the truth.
Matthew 13:16--17 (ESV) --- 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Do you see that Jesus is revealing some of the truths that no one has ever understood? Isn't that worth a little effort? Jesus thinks so. As he ramps up the revelation of the truth, he conceals it in a parable.
They Don't Have It
We might wonder why Jesus doesn't make this easy for everyone. He is doing this to make it hard for people. Notice that he says, "The one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." What does this mean? Jesus is making it complicated for the people. This message will require work. This is the one thing that distinguishes a disciple from a listener. He says, "Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." They have come to hear God's word, but they are lazy and unwilling to really take in what is said. They are seeing and hearing, but they aren't really seeing and hearing. They thought showing up would be enough, but Jesus wants them to dig to find the answers. He is not just telling them fluffy, easy stuff. He gets into the complicated aspects of the kingdom, but he says it to them in a way that will require additional explanation. Who is going to work to know the truth about the kingdom? We imagine that people walked away from this event, wondering, "What was that explanation of farming all about?" But their curiosity did not go any farther. They did not value the kingdom above all. They did not want to know the truth about what God is doing in Jesus.
He says they are fulfilling what was spoken in Isaiah. Their "hearts has grown dull." They "can barely hear." They have "closed their eyes." He says, "They could understand, they could see with their eyes, they could hear with their ears, they could be healed." But they have closed their eyes and stopped really hearing what Jesus is telling them. Isaiah has been mentioned throughout Matthew's gospel, but usually, it refers to Jesus fulfilling God's plans for redemption. This says that Israel is fulfilling Isaiah by being wicked and not knowing the Lord.
What About Us?
How many of you have been completely confused or completely bored by something I'm saying? Some of that could be my fault. I am not Jesus. But people were doing that when Jesus was talking. Their minds were elsewhere, or they were asleep. I was listening to a younger preacher one time, and he yelled at the crowd in the middle of his sermon, saying, "Why are you falling asleep? This is important!" I feel his frustration. But even the people who are awake might be closing their ears and refusing to dig deeper. We have four gatherings every week. How many do we want to attend? How interested are we in studying God's word? Are we catching them online if we can't be here in person? There should be a hunger and a thirst for understanding the difficult things.
The Parable Explained
Why don't we all hunger and thirst for understanding the secret things of the kingdom? Jesus is revealing them to us. Do we want to know them? Jesus goes on to explain what happens when someone teaches the word of God. The first parable we read explains the reason behind the parables. Listen to his explanation of this parable that he gives only to his disciples.
Matthew 13:18--23 (ESV) --- 18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
A Sower and the Seed
He uses a picture that would be familiar to everyone on that day. They might have even looked out from the banks of Galilee and watched sowers planting the seed. The one sowing the seed is the one who teaches the word of the kingdom. Jesus has illustrated this back in Chapter 9. He told his disciples that the harvest was plentiful, but the laborers are few. He was sowing the word of the kingdom, and it was producing a crop among those who were sinners and tax collectors. Now Jesus has seen a lot of different responses in different regions. Now he helps his disciples understand what is happening with this parable. One day they too will go out to sow seed, and they need to understand what always happens when the truth is revealed.
The Soils
The soils represent the listeners and their response to the kingdom message. There are four types of listeners.
Path
Some are just there because someone made them come. They aren't interested in learning the truth about God. Their hearts are wholly devoted elsewhere, and they could care less. I have seen this in family members who are "forced" to come to church. Spouses come without listening to a single word that is spoken. Parents "force" their children to go to services all their lives, but they don't understand any of it. They might be able to regurgitate the things they have heard, but they don't understand any of it. Gathering with the church becomes a stupid thing that takes up 1/7th of our lives! The spouse or the children could have a desire to understand more about the Bible. They could see the value of the word and search to find the truth for themselves, but they don't. Why not? They are like this well-beaten path. Satan comes and snatches anything of value away from them because they are unwilling to let it sink in. They don't think more deeply about the things that are said.
Rocky
Some are willing to take in the truth. They understand it, and they are eager to submit to it. But they are also shallow. They are superficial believers. They like the idea of going to heaven and not going to hell, but they don't want to put in any more work than hearing and obeying initially. There is no deep-rooted love for God. They made an emotional response to a thought-provoking lesson without considering the commitment that they are entering into. Notice what Jesus says will happen to this person in verse 21, "When tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away." Like the sun burns up a plant without deep roots, this person is burnt up by Satan's attacks. Have you seen someone like this? I have. They submit to Christ with a lot of issues going on in their lives. They don't realize that following Christ will be difficult. This is not a short term commitment. Following Christ means making tough decisions that will hurt. I have seen people last a couple of days or even disappear after they come out of the waters of baptism. Every attempt to reach them has failed. They have no deep love for God.
Thorns
The third response to the word is illustrated by thorny ground. When Jenna and I moved here, we bought a house that had been built on grown-up land. The trees had thorny vines hanging all over the place. One big oak tree is dying because of all the vines. We have cleared them off, but I can see that a large section of the tree (which was covered in vines) is now dead. Jesus is telling us that many who hear his words will believe them and develop deeper roots with love for God. They will grow to be an enduring Christian, and they seem like everyone else. But they won't produce fruit. Their lives will be spent chasing money, popularity, and pleasures of this world. Do we know anyone like that? Are we so wrapped up in thorns that our spiritual life is being choked out of us?
Good Soil
The final response is the response of the disciples. The disciples have not been hardened toward the truth. They have persevered through Satan's attacks thus far. They have cut away all of the thorns that might choke out the word. They left their families and possessions to pursue Christ with all their hearts. He says that they will hear the word, understand it, and bear fruit as they apply it to their lives.
How Do We Apply This?
What about us? When we look at the crowds, do we see ourselves? No, we don't have to worry about this text. We came to church this morning, so we are obviously the good soil. Our ears are wide open to the word of the kingdom, and we see everything perfectly. I would ask you, "Has your heart grown dull?" How interested are we in understanding the deep things of the kingdom? Notice that Jesus wants people who want to learn more. He wants people who are hungry and thirsty for a deeper understanding of the truth. He starts to tell parables that make no sense to the masses because he is trying to get them to invest. He wants to see who is going to learn and grow and weed out all of those who aren't really interested.
You might notice that Jesus did not try to spice things up by telling them parables. His goal was not to entertain them. He let the hard truths come out so that they would choose. Either they would want to know more, or they would walk away. You might notice that we don't seek to entertain here. We aren't trying to spice things up or grab your attention with Superbowl parties. Either we are here to study and know God, or we are wasting our time.
Are We Like The Crowds?
How easy is it to leave here and completely forget the truths that we study? Jesus is telling us to be careful not to let Satan snatch this truth out of our minds before applying it.
Who here has accepted the truth and felt a rising doubt when troubles and tribulations come? Jesus is telling us that we need to be more deeply rooted in our love for God and Christ. The initial excitement will wear off, and life will be difficult. Don't let those hindrances keep you from putting your trust in God. Let the faithfulness of God sink down deep in your soul! We study the Bible together four times a week, but you have a Bible available to study all the time. When you run into difficult sections, reread them, and ask questions. Then read them again. I have had many of you ask me some hard questions, and I appreciate your diligence. If you need help, ask. God's faithfulness can easily be seen throughout it. Understanding his love and care for you will help you grow stronger. I can't tell you how many people I know who have turned away from God when trials come or when someone brings up an objection to their beliefs. They don't have any root in themselves. They don't have a faith of their own. We can be like that if we aren't careful.
How easy is it for us to let the cares of this world take over our lives? We focus on success, family, money, and pleasure instead of God's will. This makes us unfruitful. We have to limit our involvement with the world's things and give spiritual things a higher priority.
This crowd has become dull of hearing. If they keep going down this path, they will bring up thorns and thistles instead of fruit. They will cause people to fall away from the Lord instead of leaning on him. This text warns us not to be like the crowds.
A Lesson For Disciples
The disciples were good soil, and we want to be like them. We want to absorb all that God's word reveals fully. But also notice another lesson in this text. These disciples are going to be sowers of seed. They will spread the word of the kingdom, and these are the responses they should expect. There is nothing wrong with the sower or the seed. The problem is in the soil. Their hearts may be dull. That's when we know to move on. Maybe we will keep throwing seed in that direction, praying for God to change their hearts. But we must not get discouraged or stop spreading the seed. It will find good soil, and people will see the salvation that God is offering. Our numeric growth is a function of the amount of seed we are scattering and the quality of the soil where we spread the seed.
Conclusion
In this section of Matthew, Jesus is not focused on making people happy with his teaching. He is focused on teaching the truth and giving the secrets of the kingdom to those who are hungry for it. We need to ask ourselves, “Is that me?” If it is, more will be added to us. If not, Jesus says that what we have will be taken away. Don’t leave here hoping that God’s word will sink in through osmosis. Study to show yourself approved. Jesus reveals the treasure of wisdom and understanding that is rich food for us. Become a part of his kingdom and grow to glorify God with your life. If you are already a part of this kingdom, don’t let difficult days or the cares of this world pull you away from the Lord. Be rooted in his love and find all the goodness of God poured into your heart.