Other seed fell among thorns,
which grew up and choked the plants.
—Mark 4:7
Jesus told a story about a farmer scattering seed in his field. Same seed. Different soil. Different results.
He said the seed is the word, and the soils are people’s responses to the word. The first two in his story produce zilch. The fourth produces a bumper crop.
It’s the third group that haunts me. They hear the word; it takes root and begins to grow—but produces no fruit. Why? Because the ground is thorn-infested, and the thorns choke the plants.
What are the thorns? Jesus doesn’t leave us in the dark. The thorns, he said, are “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things.”
Think that one through. Worry, wealth, and obsession with other things are crop killers.
Jesus’ advice? “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Listen up!