1. Review the assignment from July 17th. Be sure to read the part in blue.
2. Go through the parable and write out the verses from each Gospel for both the story and the explanation of the "soil with thorns."
3. Note the differences and similarities.
4. What are the basic categories of things that might be "thorns" in our heart?
5. Out of these basic categories can you list some specific examples of thorns from your own life? (You will not be required to share these but it is important that all Bible Study be applied to our personal life. This is the only way we will grow through the Word.)
6. What are some ways to get rid of thorns in our lives?
What are some ways that we might be able to create an "early detection system" in our hearts to catch possible thorny symptoms before they get too big?
Discoveries
Parable:
Matt. 13:7- Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
Mark 4:7- Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.
Luke 8:7- Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.
Common points: seed fell among thorns, thorns grew up and choked the plants.
Differences: they did not bear grain
This is the goal of the choking: that we bear no fruit
Explanation:
Matt. 13:7- The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Mark 4:18- Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Luke 8:14- The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
Common points: hears, worries of life, choked
Differences: deceitfulness of wealth, desires for other things- riches and pleasures, making it unfruitful- they do not mature
Basic categories of thorns:
1. worries of life
2. deceitfulness of wealth
3. desires for other things- riches and pleasures
Early warning signs of thorniness in our hearts:
1. We worry more than we pray
2. We make money our goal instead of God
3. We seek pleasures (we are referring to normal God-ordained pleasures not sinful pleasures) more than God. Even good things can choke us if they become out of balance.
Some practical things we can do when worry gets the upper hand:
1. Read the Bible outloud
2. Call a friend for prayer
3. Play praise music and sing along
4. Begin to give thanks
Phil. 4:6-7- "Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." Message Translation
1. Re-read the assignment from July 11th and note the answer section in blue.
2. Go through each gospel and write out the verses that deal with the second soil- the rocky soil.
3. What parts are the same?
What parts are different?
What can we learn from each one individually?
What can we learn from taking them as a whole?
4. What are some other thoughts and questions that come to your mind?
The parable: Differences in bold
Mark 4:5-6- Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Matthew 13:5-6- Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
(Note: Matthew and Mark are identical in both the parable and the explanation parts)
Luke 8:6- Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.
Jesus' explanation:
Mark 4:16-17- Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Matthew 13:20-21- The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Luke 8:13- Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
Common thoughts: hear the Word, received with joy, have no root
-The root structure of a tree has to be the same size as the tree that we see above ground in order for it to be stable enough to grow. Shallow roots will cause the tree to collapse as growth occurs. Plants need to have deep roots also. Rocks are one of the things that can hinder the downward growth of roots. Plants must have water to survive. Surface water is not enough. Only "water saturated-deep down" soil will offer a steady source of moisture.
-What are situations that might reveal "rocks" in our hearts?
From our texts we find 3 things: trouble, persecution and times of testing.
-When these type of situations occur, the way we respond will reveal if there are "rocks" in our heart that need to be removed.
-Any shallowness that we discover in our hearts should be a red flag warning that we have some "rocks" that need to be removed.
-The first thing to look at when troubles come is not the trouble itself, but how I am responding to it. A proper response will be part of the key to overcoming the trouble.
A point of clarification: There are rocks that we face in our hearts. These are what this parable is referring to. That is why our focus is on our own hearts.
However, there are also rocks (mountains) that will be outside of our heart, in our path. These are a different type and the Bible refers to them both. These external rocks would be in the categories of trouble, persecution and times of testing. Our first strategy in seeing a mountain removed by faith remains the same. We have to search our own hearts.
We also spoke of new Christians who can very easily fall away quickly because of "rocks." We have a responsibility to help them through these trials. When we see a new believer full of joy and we have any thought of "Well, we'll see how long this lasts!," we have a HUGE ROCK in our heart that needs to be dealt with. They need our help.
Solutions:
Pick rock. Every year farmers go through their fields and "pick rock" from acres of land that had been thoroughly prepared the year before. New rocks work their way to the surface every year. They must be removed to ensure a good crop. Likewise, "new" rocks will appear in our hearts as God allows them to be brought to the surface. He only allows this when it is time for us to have them removed.
God's promises if we seek Him for a pure heart:
Ezekiel 19-20- I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
Ezekiel 36:25-27- I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 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. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Did you find the 3 different accounts of the Parable of the Sower in the Gospels?
We are going to compare and contrast the different accounts to gain more insight. We want to look at BOTH the parable itself and the explanation given by Jesus in each passage.
3 passages are:
Matthew 13:1-23
Mark 4:1-20
Luke 8:4-15
1. Read them all
2. Which account do you think was written 1st?
3. There are four soil types listed. We will discuss them one at a time. This week we will be looking at the soil on the path. List the similarities and the differences between the passages and why these may be important.
4. Explain what is meant by this soil type and how we can apply it to our lives today.
Answers:
2. Scholars disagree on which of these 3 gospels were written first. There is no disagreement with the fact that they are very similar. This is called the "synoptic problem." You will sound very intellignet if you use that phrase. 😉("syn" refers to things that are similar- synonyms. "optic" refers to sight- looking.) They look very similar. The Gospel of John is a totally different type of book. Personally, I go for the belief that Mark was the first one written. Part of my reasoning is the fact that we find 91% of the book of Mark repeated in the gospel of Matthew. We also find 53% of the book of Mark repeated in the gospel of Luke. Matthew and Luke usually "add to" the things that Mark had written.
3. As we look at the soil types and Jesus' explanation we discovered that the easiest way to compare and contrast these passages is to write them out. I have put the differences in bold type.
The parable:
Mark 3:3-4- Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Matthew 13:3-4- Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Luke 8:5- “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.
The explanation:
Mark 3:14-15- The farmer sows the word.15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
Matthew 3:19- When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
Luke 8:12- Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
The other area we spoke about was the fact that both the crowds and the disciples heard the parable. However, the explanation was given only to the disciples. Why? Because they asked. They wanted to know the truth. It is the same with us. We have to want to learn; to be willing to dig for the truth. When we do, we will discover nuggets of truth that will change our lives.
One thing that we are exploring is the fact that all of us can have portions of our hearts that become hard from time to time. We can encounter a "mixture" of soil types in our hearts for many different reasons. We need to learn to recognize "symptoms of hardness" early on so we can be set free.
Hosea 10:12- Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness on you.
