“And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them...He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” (Matt. xiii. 7, 22)
"And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." (Mark 4: 19)
In the parable of the sowing of the seed (in the three Synoptic Gospels), the "seed" was symbol of the "word of God." The broadcast "sowing" of the seed was symbol of the spreading of the word of God via preaching (orally or in writing). The four kinds of ground (soil type) were symbols of four kinds of hearts that people have who have the word of God communicated to them.
The first, the "wayside ground" hearer, is one who hears the word but doesn't understand nor accept it as truth, and is therefore never saved. That is like seed falling upon a hardened path. The seed never finds a secure place in good soil.
The second, the "shallow ground" hearer, is one who initially believes with joy and excitement the word, but when things get tough for being a believer (persecution and loss), he falls away and no longer believes, and is a "leaves only" or fruitless believer, a hypocrite.
The third, the "thorny ground" hearer, hears (receives) the word of God or the Gospel and also becomes a professing believer like the shallow ground hearer. Both have some growth of the seed in their hearts and lives. The problem with the shallow ground is that it is stony and has not much depth of soil, hence there is no room for a root system (foundation). The thorny ground however does not have this problem. The problem with that kind of soil is that it is overgrown with weeds, with briars and thorns, and so the seed becomes "choked." In the scriptures, this kind of soil was called "fallow ground." It was unplowed and uncultivated land, full of briars and thorns, and other weeds, and hence we read "break up your fallow ground and sow not among thorns." (Jer. 4: 3)
The fourth, the "good ground" hearer has neither of these problems, and produces fruit, lasting vegetation. The good soil is fertile soil, soil that has been ploughed, and the weeds removed thereby. It is the symbol of a "good and honest heart." The heart (soil) of the other three were not good nor honest. Therefore, none of them were ever truly saved.
Do we see these four types of people in the crowds who heard the Lord communicate the word of God (or broadcast the seed)? Who heard the apostles and first evangelists? Do we not see them in the visible church? Yes, yes, and yes. But, how can we say that wayside ground hearers become members of the church, seeing that they represent people who never believed the word? We see that fulfilled in the case of those churches who baptize infants into the membership of the church (many of whom never come to believe the word).
Every person who has heard or read (received in one way or another) the word of God and the good news of it and has not believed it, but rejected it, is a wayside hearer of the word, whose heart is not "good and honest." They are known as atheists, agnostics, irreligious, secularists, infidels, etc.
Every person who has heard the saving word of God and believed it with delight but who later rejected it when persecution and loss came to those who believed is a stony ground hearer. They are called "apostates" and known in scripture as "hypocrites." They are "false (pseudo) brothers" (Gal. 2: 4).
Every person who has heard the word of God and become a professed follower of the Lord but who greatly neglects his duties to the Lord, becomes worldly, slothful in religion, is a thorny ground hearer. Practicing the Christian faith is not uppermost with this kind of professing Christian. Other pursuits are deemed more important to this kind of Christian than spending time in prayer, meditation, reading and studying God's word, assembling with other believers, sharing the word of God with others, helping the poor, etc.
The thorny ground hearer is also a hypocrite (see Matt. 23) and "false brother" (Gal. 2: 4), a "wicked and slothful servant." (Matt. 25: 26) We also see this kind of professing Christian filling the pews of many churches. Demas was one of these kinds of believers. Of him Paul wrote: "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present evil age." (II Tim. 4: 10)
Let us focus on the problems with the thorny ground believer. In the texts at the heading, we see that the seed is "choked" or suffocated, that it is overcome by the thorns, briars, and weeds. Rather than the growth from the good seed choking out the weeds, it is the other way around. It would be wonderful if we could sow seed in unplowed weedy ground and it would do well, that it would choke out the thorns!
The good ground hearer has not only rich soil, and deep, but has been plowed and stones and weeds removed. Many bible teachers have seen how the plowing of the heart and its preparations for seed correspond to that conviction of sin that is produced by the law of God upon the conscience. This is what is lacking however in the thorny ground hearer/believer. Both the thorny ground and shallow ground hearers are what we might called "half-hearted" believers. Or, perhaps as "double minded."
What Crowds Out The Word?
1. Cares Of This Life
2. Deceitful Riches Of This Life
3. Pleasures Of This Life
4. Lust Of Other Things
When I think of how many professing Christians are thorny ground hearers, I think first of myself, how I have been like him at certain times in my life, in times when I devoted little time and effort in the things of God, when I was too much involved in work, business, pleasures and amusements, etc. Thankfully, those times are few. Let us make some general observations on each of the four things mentioned above as being equivalent to weeds, briars, and thorns in the parable.
Cares Of This Life
To have concerns about things in life is normal. But, to allow them to become heavy burdens, anxieties and worries, so that they distract us from holy things, from doing the will of God, is to let them become thorns to choke out the seed of the word of God and become entirely fruitless. It saddens me to think of all the times in my life where fretting and worrying robbed me of communion with God and his people. It also saddens me to see people in my own family who are like the thorny ground hearer. "They profess to know God, but in works they deny him." (Titus 1: 16) They profess to believe the word of God, but they know little of it, little read and study it.
The church has many thorny ground hearers who put little effort into the religion of Jesus Christ. They rarely read the word of God. They never really study it or meditate upon it daily. They would rather be worldly amused than to muse upon the word of God. They may go to church every Sunday, but most of this class only go on special days, like Easter Sunday. They do not regularly pray, but only pray occasionally, perhaps only a few times before they go to sleep or when they have some pressing need. There is little prayer for others, for there is little to no faith in prayer.
Deceitful Riches Of This Life
The church has always had members who allowed their desire for riches to choke out whatever interest they have in God, Christ, and the word and religion of Christians. Jesus taught that it was easier for a camel to pass through a needle's eye than for a rich man to be saved and enter the kingdom of God. (Mark 10: 25: Matt. 19: 24) Solomon counseled on the deceitfulness of pursuing wealth at the expense of losing communion with God and eternal life. He said "labor not to be rich." (Prov. 23: 4) Paul also warned of the same when he said
"Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." (I Tim. 6: 17-19 nkjv)
The thorny ground Christian professor or church member who is ensnared by the evil pursuit of earthly wealth and fame is losing everything of real value. He or she has placed a higher value on earthly treasures than on heavenly. They become workaholics, but not in working for the Lord. Their inordinate time spent working to make money takes away from time spent in doing the things of God, in being a good husband and father (or good mother and wife). The life of such people is fruitless. They will not be saved but only reveal that they have not a good and honest heart. Jesus said "you cannot serve God and Mammon." (Matt. 6: 24)
Pleasures Of This Life
So many thorny ground hearers of the word, professing Christians whose hearts are more like weedy ground than like fertile cultivated land, are choked out of life, of real prosperity. David said that the person who meditates in God's law day and night is the one who prospers (Psalm 1), but this is just what the thorny ground hearer does not do. No, he esteems the "pleasures of this life," of this world, far more than the pleasures of the life and world to come. One of the signs of the last days is that the people will be "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God." (II Tim. 3: 4) Again, worldly amusement is prized far more than musing over the things of God. The "thought time" of this type of professor is rarely spent in heavenly things, or in the word of God. The thought time is rather spent in thinking about making money, how to have bodily pleasures, how to have fun and be amused and entertained. Anxious thoughts too fill up the mind rather than joyful thoughts about God and his word.
Notice how it is the riches and pleasures "of this life" that are warned against. They are set in contrast to the riches and pleasures of the life that is to come, and in the riches and pleasures that believers now enjoy as they live in communion with God, walking with him and pleasing him. Thorny ground believers are they who have their hearts and minds focused upon the world and its culture whereas the good ground believers have their hearts and minds focused upon Christ and the world to come, they being not worldly but other worldly. James warned these kinds of hearers of the word, saying "know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." (James 4: 4) The apostle John also wrote:
"15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17)
Lust Of Other Things
So many things choke out the word heard and received by the thorny hearted professors. We could talk at length about each of them.
The salvation of our souls is serious business. There is no business or enterprise more important. Winning and obtaining Christ and his salvation, and enjoying heaven's riches, must be the most important thing to us or we are lost.
What is keeping you from the word of God? What is keeping you from doing his will? Jesus said "why call you me Lord and do not the things which I say?" (Matt. 7: 21) He also advised:
"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matt. 6: 20-21)
On what is your heart, thoughts, and affections most fixated?
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