The Parable of the Sower
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 13:3-9 (Also, Luke 8:4-8/ Mark 4:1-8)
According to Jesus, the seed is the word of God. In Jesus’ explanation, He identified four categories of audiences. The seed that fell on the roadside refers to those who hear God’s word, but do not understand. So the devil comes to take the word away from their hearts such that they do not believe and be saved.
The seeds that fell on rocky ground are those who hear the word of God and gladly receive it. However, they have no root, meaning they are not well established in the faith. So tribulation or persecution causes them to apostatize.
The seed that fell among thorns are those who hear the word of God and receive it; but they do not bear fruit because the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches prevent them.
The seeds that fell on good ground refers to those who hear the word of God, believe it, and apply it in their lives into leading a holy life.
Reference: Parable of the Sower – Luke 8:1-15/ Matthew 13:1-23/ Mark 4:1-20
What hinders Christians from bearing fruit?
The Parable of the Sower gives us a clue to what hinders some Christians from bearing fruit. The seed that fell among thorns are those who hear the word of God and believe it to become Christians, but after having believed and having been saved, they do not continue to bear fruit; that is, they do not continue to live by God’s word to do good works such as honesty, decency, love, etc. Why? Combining the account of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we can identify these four factors responsible for their unfruitfulness:
- The cares of this world, Matt 13:22, Mark 4:19, Luke 8:14
- The deceitfulness of riches, Matt 13:22, Mark 4:19
- The lusts of other things, Mark 4:19
- The pleasures of this life, Luke 8:14
The cares of this world
The term cares of this world refers to the things in this world that Christians become obsessed and preoccupied with. The cares of this world is about a wide range of things; it encompasses one’s career, educational pursuit, ambitions, responsibilities, duties, and other material things. In a world in which success is measured in money and other material things, Christians are tempted to become preoccupied with their career, business, education, ambitions, and other material things.
A 21st Century Christian cares to have a house, a car, clothes, comfort, etc.; yes, these things are necessary. However, it becomes wrong for Christians to worry, become obsessed, and pursue these material things. The pursuit of material things interrupts their devotion to God, making them unfruitful in the sight of God. The Bible says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).” This Scripture assures Christians that God will take care of the things they care for if they care to do His will and His will is that we should bear fruits such as patience, truthfulness, etc.
The deceitfulness of riches
The deceitfulness of riches refers to what people’s hearts are deceived to do in the quest for riches and what their hearts are deceived to do after having got riches. The deceitfulness of riches encompasses the shady means people use to become rich such as corruption, prostitution, theft, bribery, murder, etc. The deceitfulness of riches also encompasses the pride, arrogance, extravagance, the excess, etc. that characterize the life of the rich. It is worth mentioning that many Christians who are seeking to become rich have lost their values and are stealing, cheating, etc. And some of those who are already rich are entangled in one sinful pleasure after another. The deceitfulness of riches is one such hindrance that has stopped a great number of Christians from bearing good fruit such as honesty, fairness, generosity, etc.
The lusts of other things
The lusts of other things: The word used for lust here is the Greek word epithumia, which means a longing or a desire (especially for what is forbidden). The phrase other things in the context of Mark 4:19 could refer to secular entertainment, fame, riches, pleasures, sexual pleasures, etc. because, for the most part, these are the things our carnal nature craves for. Therefore, the term lusts for other things refers to strong desires for narcotic drugs, alcohol, porn, illicit sex, money, hooliganism, etc. It is sad to say that some of our Christian brothers are languishing in these lusts and these carnal lusts have become hindrances to their fruit-bearing. The lusts of other things will inevitably render a Christian unfruitful if he gets entangled in it.
The pleasures of this life
The pleasures of this life makes reference to all the sinful things or activities that give excitement to our flesh. There is a wide range of what could be referred to as the pleasures of this life; this includes pornography, drug abuse, alcoholism, promiscuity, hooliganism, thuggery, secular music, etc. These carnal pleasures are, no doubt, thorns that will choke a Christian from bearing fruit and even ruin his relationship with God.
These factors – cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, lusts of other things, and the pleasures of this life would rather lead their Christian victims to bear bad fruits such as envy, hatred, greed, covetousness, lasciviousness, etc. but not the sort of fruit God wants them to bear.
NB: These are other hindrances to fruit-bearing that I have identified while growing up as a Christian.
Persecution from the ungodly
Whiles growing up as a Christian, I learned about fruit-bearing. I was a virgin before I got married, even at age 30, because I followed the Bible’s teachings on chastity, and as a result, I bore the fruit of chastity. However, I faced persecution for being chaste especially at my workplace where I found myself in the midst of promiscuous unbelievers and backsliding Christians who made it sound like it is odd to be chaste.
They mocked me often, especially when I refuse to participate in their profane discussions. But their mockery did not make me feel ashamed nor deter me from bearing the fruit of chastity; I continued, paying no attention to them.
I believe I am not the only Christian who has gone through this experience. Since ungodly people are so plenty in number, it often happens that true Christians find themselves in the midst of ungodly people. And such a situation results in conflict in that the good fruit that the true Christians bear offends the ungodly and the ungodly respond with hatred, mockery, stigmatization, and all kinds of persecutions to hinder the true Christians from bearing fruit.
Evil communication
Do you think the playmate of pigs would ever be clean? Impossible. I have seen too many good boys turn bad. How? They were influenced by evil communication. Evil communication refers to being in a relationship with ungodly people – bad friends, bad husband, bad wife, secret societies, etc. Many Christians who were bearing the fruit of soberness, gentleness, love, discipline, etc. become alcoholic, corrupt, promiscuous, rude, undisciplined, etc. because of the influence of bad friends, bad spouses, bad parents, secret cults, etc. Evil communication poses a powerful hindrance to fruit-bearing.
Conclusion
Are you conversant with the saying that many are called but few are chosen (Matt 22:14)? The one who does the job of choosing a few out of the many does not do it with the intent of wanting many people to perish. No! What makes the elect distinct from the rest is that they fulfill the purpose of their calling by bearing fruit to the glory of God. Hundreds of thousands of Christians out there are languishing in the deceitfulness of riches, the cares of this world, the lusts of other things, and the pleasures of this life. These hindrances, aside from rendering them unfruitful, ruins their relationship with God and makes them unworthy of being part of the elect who shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.