Rocky Soil

"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed...fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away...And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away."

In the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4, there are four sorts of ground on which the seed falls. There is the hard road where the seed can’t take root and is eaten by birds. There is the good soil that receives the seed and produces fruit. But in between there are two other sorts of soil, the rocky ground and the thorny ground. As we think about what this parable means, the hard road and the good soil are easy to understand. Some people do not receive the gospel message at all; they are hardened against it. Some receive it truly, and it bears good fruit in their lives. When it comes to the two soils in the middle, however, we might have a bit more trouble in knowing how to apply this parable to our lives.

Before we begin to look at these two types of soil it’s important to understand one thing. This parable is not about the eternal salvation of different kinds of people. Sometimes we look at this parable and think that it’s about three kinds of people who aren’t “saved” and one kind of person who is. This is not the case. Someone who may be hard road at one point in his life may be good soil later after the Holy Spirit has worked on him. Likewise someone who is rocky or thorny soil can become good soil. What we’re looking at are real-time faithfulness or unfaithfulness in the lives of people as a response to the teaching of the Gospel.

In this post we’re going to consider the rocky and shallow soil. In this sort of soil, a plant springs up quickly, but it withers when the sun comes up because the root is shallow.

Joyful Receivers

Jesus begins by saying that these are people who hear the message and receive it with joy. Notice He doesn't say that these are people who start out as hypocrites. He doesn’t say they only pretend to receive the Word. These people really do receive the message joyfully. What this means is that when a well-known, celebrity Christian leaves the faith, we don’t have to assume that he was being a hypocrite all along. For example, if you asked Joshua Harris in 1999, “Do you have faith in Jesus? Do you love Jesus? Do you believe he died for your sins?” his answer would be, “Yes, I do I love Jesus.” And he wouldn’t be chuckling to himself about how easy it is to dupe all these silly Christians. He would say it and really believe it.

This also means that there are those who accept Christ readily and joyfully. When some troubles come they may even endure for a time, but eventually they give out. Maybe at first they are willing to undergo suffering. Maybe at first they are even excited to do so; there's a little pride in being persecuted for your beliefs. But after a while it gets old, and these sorts of believers start to pull back.

Deep Roots

It is true that Christians in America don't have the same kind or level of persecution that believers in some other parts of the world have, but we do receive ridicule and shame from our culture. Many Christian college students and public Christian leaders are terribly afraid of not being seen as smart or clever by those whom the world deems to be wise, and so these Christians become willing to sacrifice essential parts of the gospel message in order to find a place at the table with worldly wise men.

When the world comes at you for your Christian faith if you stand firm it will be because you are rooted deeply in Christ, in His Word, and in His truths. This is especially necessary to think about if you are a young person in college or heading off to college soon. If you say honestly “I don't know how I would respond to that sort of ridicule,” then now is a good time to delve into God's Word, to know what you believe, and to root yourself in Jesus. Now is the time to find your worth and your identity in Jesus and not in praise from men. Now is the time for you young people to make sure that hearing other viewpoints or being ridiculed for your beliefs isn't going to make you want to shrivel up in the sun and pull back from Christ.

Good Soil

The good soil is not rocky ground. Rocky ground has to be harrowed or tilled to loosen and remove stones. Remember, rocky soil keeps roots from growing deep. So what can you do to make sure that you are not rocky soil? When you are to hear the Word of God, prepare your heart by repentance to make sure the Word can take root. Come to church on Sunday morning disposed and ready to hear God’s Word. Be sure your heart is humble. Don’t come to church with a prideful attitude to judge what you hear. Don’t determine that you won’t be satisfied if you don’t hear something new and exciting in the sermon. You need to hear the same gospel again and again and again. Understand that suffering and trials are part of God’s good plan for your life, and that you can grow closer to Him through trials. The same sun that shrivels the plant with a shallow root causes the plant with a deep root to grow stronger. Make sure your roots are deep in Christ.