“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (Luke 8:15)

The quality of the soil determines the bounty of the harvest. Jesus speaks to this principle as He says, “A farmer went out to sow his seed.” (Luke 8:5) In His illustration, “The seed is the word of God.” (Luke 8:11) The Word of God in the flesh is Jesus and the Written Word of God is the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments. Jesus had reminded the Jewish leaders that the Old Testament pointed to Him. “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40) The seeds we plant is the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Good soil starts in the heart. God promised a new heart. Ezekiel recorded God’s promise. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26) With this new heart, Jesus would call it noble. This heart is seen when Paul brings the Good News of Jesus Christ to Berea. “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.” (Acts 17:11-12) We also see the crop produced.

The development of good soil comes through the hearing and retention of the seed. The more we hear and know the Word of God the better soil we become. We need to keep learning from the Scriptures. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) However, we also must learn from Jesus Christ Himself, the Living Word. Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5 ESV)

The crop begins as we live out what is produced in us. This is the character of God, as seen in the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) When we are producing fruit, we will also see the Word of God go out into the lives of more people. We will be filled with God’s power as His Word is working and going out to those around us. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) God can offer hope to a world in need of Him because they can see what God is doing with His seed in the good soil of our lives. They can also experience the fruit which comes from the seed growing in us as His good soil.

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block