| July 2024 Devotional: Groundskeeping by Dr. Joshua Light Teaching Elder, Vanguard Presbyterian Church “That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 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, but with the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.’” (Matthew 13:1-9, ESV) There is no question that our King Jesus was sought after for His teaching. It is estimated that several thousands were in attendance whenever He would instruct in the masses. Those of us who seek vacation (myself included), can’t help but at least chuckle a little and think, ‘All He wanted to do was to go to the sea. Let the man alone for a bit.’ So many wanted to see him that the Word above says that basically, they gave Him no room at the shore, so He has to get into a boat. Talk about invading personal space, right? 🙂 Then, Jesus begins to speak in not plain language. At all. Imagine the minds and hearts of all of those thousands of people when He starts in on that. ‘What? Is He ill? What manner of thing is He going on about?’ His disciples pick up on this very think in verse 10: “Then the disciples came and said to him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?” In other words, ‘Jesus, what was that?’ Then Jesus tells them why: “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. 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. 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. 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.” ‘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.’” But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 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.’” (Matt 13:10-17, ESV) Certainly, one of the points that we can take from this passage is the very obvious and never lighthearted point that we are privileged to belong to our Lord. We did not choose Him but He has chosen us, as John 15:16 teaches, so that we would bear fruit. We bear fruit by putting the faith to practice in thought, word, and deed. The point that I want to focus on with this devotional is what he says later in verses 18-23, which is the last section that deals with the parable of the sower: “Hear then the parable of the sower: 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. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 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. 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. 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.” (Matthew 13:18-23, ESV) Here is the point of it all which further explains the blessing of being able to hear, as Jesus said back in verse nine. There are four types of soils that I do believe summarize every soil that the Word of God will fall on: Snatchable, (v. 19), Rootless (v. 21), Thorny (v. 22), and Yielding (v. 23). Folks, we are living in a third soil generation. Individuals are so easily distracted with the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches that anything of the Word of God, although heard as the verse says, is choked and proves unfruitful. May the Living God allow us to see the thorns in our soil and by His grace, may they be removed, that we may be fruitful. Dr. Joshua LightTeaching Elder, Vanguard Presbyterian Church |
| Joshua’s Book: Number Two |
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Groundskeeping
