Luke 8: What Kind of Soil is in Your Heart?

Luke 8:15 "As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience."

What kind of soil is in your heart? Perhaps it seems like an odd question, but in the context of the parable that Jesus gives us in Luke 8, the question makes perfect sense. In other words, the question for today is this: how have you received the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

In Luke 8, Jesus is continuing to teach his disciples. He tells them of a story of a sower who went out to sow his seed, and his seed fell upon four different places: the path, the rocks, the thorns, and the good soil. The seed along the path got stomped on and destroyed and never had the chance to grow. The seed that landed on the rocks grew up, but quickly was destroyed because it did not have good roots. The seed that landed on the thorns grew up but was quickly choked by the thorns that grew up with it. However, the seed that fell on good soil grew and bore fruit.

But what does this all mean? Well, if only Jesus told us. First, Jesus explains to us that the seed is the Word of God, that is, the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is the truth that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). This great truth falls on different soils that resemble different conditions of our heart. The point of the parable is this: we must read the parable in order to see which soil our hearts are, and act accordingly.

The first soil (the path) is the condition of a hard-hearted heart. This heart does not let the Word of God permeate it whatsoever, and therefore the devil snatches the seed away before it can grow. This is the heart that is entirely resistant to God and does not let him in whatsoever.

The second soil (the rock) is the condition of the heart that is overcome by trial. This soil accepts the Word of God at first, allowing it to grow, but it quickly is overcome by the floods of this world. Because this soil has no root but only foliage, it quickly is overcome. This soil is the person who boasts of loving Jesus but truly has no root. This is the heart that boasts that "Jesus is my best friend" but has no actual root that it is founded upon. When the storms of life come, these hearts reject God and go their own way.

The third soil (the thorns) is the condition of the heart that is overcome by the pleasures of this world. This seed, like the seed that falls upon the rock, grows up for a short time but is quickly eaten up by the thorns. This is the heart that boasts of loving Jesus, and may even have good roots, but ultimately finds itself desiring the things of this world more than the things of Christ. Thus, even though the plant has good roots, it gets destroyed because it cannot give up the things of this world.

The forth soil (the good soil) is the condition of the heart where the Gospel fully permeates the heart, allowing the seed to grow roots and bear fruit. This soil allows the seed to grow strong and not be overcome by floods nor thorns. This soil is the good soil that responds correctly to the seed that has been planted in it.

So, which kind of soil is in your heart? Are you hard-hearted, not letting God's Word in at all? Are you like the rocks or the thorns, who started out well but were soon destroyed by the bad things (the floods) or the good things (the thorns) of this world? Or are you the good soil that stands firm in contrast to everything else and bears fruit? Brother and sister, you must known what soil you are. For this is of great importance, because only one type of soil inherits the kingdom in heaven, and only one soil will spend eternity with God in heaven. The other three soils will have to pay for their actions in eternal hell. Nevertheless, no matter what soil you are, you can still call upon the name of the Lord and be saved (Romans 10:13). If you are one of the first three types of soils, I encourage you to do so today. Furthermore, if you are the last soil, "bear fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15).