Eternal God: send us your Holy Spirit so that we may receive your preached Word and believe it. Glorify your Word in our hearts and comfort us by it to eternal life — for the sake of Jesus, your Son. Amen.

Introduction

I’ve been dreading this moment for the past 12 months: a city slicker preaching about farming!

But here we are. Mark chapter 4, often called the “Parable of the Seed,” but probably better named the “Parable of the Four Soils.”

Luckily this parable is not really about farming. It’s actually about the Word of God, which is likened to seed being scattered on soil.

Through this parable Jesus teaches a hard, yet important, lesson. He speaks about something I know is on many of our hearts. Jesus answers our questions: “Why is our church half empty?” “Why have so many fallen away from the faith?” “Why don’t my kids or grand-kids come to worship?” “If Jesus is the real Messiah, why don’t more people repent and believe this good news?” “Why does Jesus’ mission seem like a big fat failure?”

Four soils

The hearers of Mark’s gospel had these or similar questions. And the “Parable of the Four Soils” seeks to answer them by teaching about four different types of soil.

Mark is a brilliant writer, and he’s weaved this parable through his entire gospel. All of the characters from Mark’s gospel can be categorised as one of these four types of soil. This parable acts as a summary of his entire gospel!

We might say the characters in Mark’s gospel are “soiled” — in both senses of the word! Most of the characters in Mark’s gospel are flawed, like the soils on which the seed falls.

Let’s have a look at these four types of soil, these four types of people, and why the good news of Jesus seems to fail.

1. Hardened soil (Satan)

Firstly we hear that some seed falls on hardened soil (on a path/road actually). Now I’m no farmer, but even I know that sowing seed on a hard road is probably not a good idea! Nonetheless the sower generously throws the seed on the road. But birds come and eat it up.

Jesus interprets this for his disciples:

¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path. … As soon as they hear [the Word], Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. (Mark 4:14–15)

In Jewish writing Satan was often depicted as a bird. So, like a bird that picks off seed on a path, Satan comes and steals away the Word from hardened hearts.

The teachers of the law are like this hardened soil. Satan has locked up their hearts so tight that they can’t even entertain the thought that Jesus is their promised Messiah.

Recap: Who are the hardened soil? The teachers of the law. Why does the seed fail on hardened soil? Satan comes and steals the Word away.

2. Rocky soil (World)

Next Jesus says seed is sown on rocky, shallow soil. These people initially receive the Word of God with joy, yet they have no root. When the world brings persecution or trials they are sun scorched and quickly fall away.

Surprisingly it’s the disciples who are like this rocky soil. These last few weeks we’ve heard how the disciples have been quick to follow Jesus e.g. last week we saw Levi immediately walk away from his tax collecting table (Mark 2:13–14). But as we read on (especially from chapter 6 onwards) we’ll hear how the disciples are quick to fall away: first the crowds, then eventually even the twelve. Peter ends up denying Jesus three times in Mark chapter 14. Mark is playing with words here: Peter, which means “rock,” is the rocky soil; whenever we hear the name “Peter” in this gospel, we’re to think of the rocky soil that is shallow.

Recap: Who is the rocky soil? The crowds and the disciples. Why does the seed fail in rocky soil? The Word has not taken root in the disciples, so when the world persecutes them, they fall away.

3. Weed infested soil (Flesh)

Next seed is sown in weed infested soil, among the thorns. But the weeds/thorns choke the plants as they come up. These weeds/thorns are the worries of this life, the worries of the flesh: wealth, materialism, reputation, selfish desires.

Herod and Pilate are like this weed infested soil.  We hear in chapter 6 that Herod doesn’t want to lose face with his party guests, so agrees to have John beheaded. Herod is more concerned with his reputation than with the good news of Jesus, which John proclaimed.  Likewise in chapter 16, Pilate ends up satisfying the crowd: he doesn’t want to risk the political consequences of standing up to the people, so hands over Jesus to be crucified.

Recap: Who are the weed infested soil? Herod and Pilate. Why does the seed fail in amongst the thorns? The desires of the flesh choke out the Word.

4. Good soil

Lastly we have the good soil. Seed that falls on this soil bears fruit and produces a harvest.

Whereas the other soil fails in three ways, this good soil succeeds in three ways: in good soil the Word takes deep root and can stand against Satan, the Word preserves in the face of worldly persecution, and avoids the trappings of the selfish flesh. The devil, world, and flesh are overcome.

Those healed by Jesus are like the good soil. Last week we heard about the paralysed man who was healed, and next week we’ll hear about a man cleansed from impure spirits. These “unworthy” people who are healed by Jesus have the Word planted deep in their lives and bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

Through this parable Jesus explains why his mission seemingly fails, why the Word of God fails. Doing the math, there’s only a one in four chance of seed bearing any fruit! Not good odds…

So why does Jesus tell us this rather depressing parable?

Warning: soil test

I think Jesus tells us this parable for two reasons. Firstly, as a warning.

As we read the Gospel of Mark, the set of characters we most likely associate with are the disciples. Yet we’ve seen the disciples are like the rocky soil: they desert Jesus at the first sign of trouble and persecution.

This means we shouldn’t be too fast to point the finger and say, “Look, we’re the good soil, and all these people out there are hardened or rocky or weed infested.”

Jesus is warning us against these dangers. The reality is that we are these soiled characters. So let’s do a soil test!

Sometimes we can be like the hardened soil on the path and the teachers of the law. Nothing sinks in; we don’t get it; we’re unwilling for our hardened hearts to be softened. Jesus tells us that we continually need our hard hearts softened by the jack-hammer of God’s law and then put back together by his grace.

Sometimes we are in danger of being like the shallow, rocky soil and the disciples. Any hint of persecution or tribulation shrivels our faith away. If Gestapo-like police were writing down number plates outside, and would throw in prison anyone at church, would you still be here? Jesus tells us that as we follow him, trials are not some tedious detour; trials are the main highway for Christian disciples — it’s the norm and to be expected.

Sometimes we are in danger of being like the weed infested soil and like Herod or Pilate. In our day and age the danger of materialism lurks around every corner. “Me, me, me; more, more, more,” says the flesh. Such selfish desires can all too easily strangle our faith and commitment to God.

Comfort: God the farmer

But I think Jesus also tells us this parable for another reason. Secondly, as a comfort.

None of these three reasons why the Word fails is your fault. It’s the fault of Satan, it’s the fault of persecution from the world, it’s the fault of the desires of the flesh. Not your fault. You need not harbour guilt or shame that you have somehow failed, or that the church has failed.

Rather, Jesus tells us through this parable that the Word failing is expected and common and normal. People respond to God’s Word in different ways, and how they respond depends on who they are, what type of soil they are.

Does this mean we can just sit back and do nothing? As St Paul would say, “By no means!” It may not be our fault when things fail, but God uses us to successfully bring forth a harvest.

The parable shows us who God is and how God produces his harvest.

• God is generous. We might hold back and pre-judge the soil as being too hard or rocky or thorny, but God generously scatters the seed, His Word, everywhere. So let’s generously spread the good news to everyone!
• God takes risks. Farmers know that sowing is risky business; something will, most often than not, go wrong. But that doesn’t stop God from scattering his seed. That doesn’t stop God from sending his Son to this earth to risk his life for you and for me. If we don’t take the risk to sow the seed, there can never be a harvest. So let’s do something risky: ask a tough question, be quick to listen, seek an opportunity to share God’s Word, invite someone to keep the conversation going. Let’s take some risks for God’s Word!
• God is not finished yet. Farmers know that while this year’s harvest may not have been good, there’s always next year. Soil can be cultivated and softened, rocks filtered, and thorns weeded out. So let’s not give up, but let’s keep working with God to bring a harvest.

Jesus’ mission may look like a bit of a failure. This carpenter from Nowhere starts preaching. Some disciples immediately follow him. But increasingly his preaching causes conflict with the religious leaders. He says hard and puzzling things. The crowds and followers gradually fall away. His closest friends desert him. He ends up hanging from a Roman cross. Yet God turns this apparent failure into life and salvation. Jesus is raised from the dead. Even though his disciples fail, Jesus endures to the bitter end. And it turns out not to be the bitter end, but life and salvation.

Our church might look like a bit of a failure. The seats are half empty. Our church isn’t what it once was. Our family and friends don’t worship regularly any more. Yet God can turn this apparent failure on it’s head. But not through our work, but by God the farmer, through Jesus the Word. Jesus endures to the bitter end, but it’s not the bitter end, rather life and salvation.

So let us pray: “If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” Amen.

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