“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Matthew 13:9

How we get discouraged as we try to reach out to the unsaved and get little response. We must remind ourselves that that was the case even with Jesus. The crowds flocked to him because he gave out healing and miracles, but very few wanted to follow him.

Jesus spoke of a sower going out to sow seed, and he describes the soil that the seed would fall onto. There are four types of “soil:”

. Soil that’s off by the wayside
. Soil that is among stones
. Soil among thorns
. Good soil

The soil off by the wayside is the heart that doesn’t understand. It’s not speaking of the intellect, it’s speaking of those who have no spiritual insight, so Satan can quickly snatch the seed away.

The soil that’s on stony ground is the heart that receives the Word but the root doesn’t go down deeply. As soon as trouble comes, he can’t maintain it and falls away.

The soil that rests among thorns represents the heart of one who hears the Word and receives it, but his attention is quickly taken away by his interests, the cares of his world, and the lust for riches and things. These choke out the Word.

The good soil represents the heart who hears and receives the Word of God, and because his heart is good soil fed and watered by the Word, he goes on to follow the Lord, producing much fruit.

Not everyone will be receptive to the Word of God, that was true when Jesus preached it himself, and it will be true with us as well, and we are not to become discouraged because of it. We are to go on reaching out, knowing that the Lord will touch the hearts of those who “have ears to hear.”

See:

The Frank Jenner Story