Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
The fourth type of soil included in Jesus’ parable is found in Mark 4:8: “And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.” Jesus explains the meaning of this part of the parable in verse 20: “And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.” This soil represents all Christians, the ones who have responded to “the word” and trusted in Jesus alone for eternal life. The sower and the seed are the same throughout; it is the soil that is different. Why do so many “hear the word” and dismiss it? It is distressing, indeed, that such good news of salvation is rejected, just as Jesus teaches. It is also humbling for Christians to think of ourselves as “good ground.” How did we become “good ground”? The answer is that the soil needed to be prepared for planting. Our Savior God has used every possible circumstance in our lives to prepare us to receive the “seed” of the Gospel. In hindsight, we can see the influence of family and friends along with a confluence of events, all drawing us to the truth about Jesus. These times may well have included difficulties, for soil must be broken up for effective planting: “A broken and a contrite [crushed] heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17b). May we meditate often on the great grace of God in our lives in saving us, and may we marvel that He then employs us effectively in ploughing up the soil of other souls in need of everlasting salvation.