Faithful on Fridays Blog

Parable of the Sower: Hard Heart

One reason I return to Indiana from Arizona in spring is gardening. I’ve spent ten years striving to understand my type of soil, appropriate flowers, and enemies to my garden. Jesus told a parable using a garden metaphor that strikes at the heart and His warning was understanding; the parable of the sower opens the door to understanding all the parables (Mark 4:13), consequently the mysteries and secrets of God (Mark 4:11).

Thankfully, because of that astonishing promise, our Teacher Jesus, interpreted this story for us as an example. The seed is the Word of God (Luke 8:11), therefore anyone who speaks God’s Word is the gardener. He lists four conditions of our heart, the soil, that we can understand for ourselves first and ultimately for others.

The first heart/soil is likened to a well-traveled path that has been become hard and impenetrable. This can be you if you’re not a careful gardener. How does a heart turn hardened? When life becomes difficult, we’re not dependent on God but ourselves, we become like that hard path. God allows pain, suffering, and distress into our lives but we don’t lean into Him for comfort or clarity; we don’t understand. We forget all the times He was there for us and fall into doubt and unbelief. Jesus called His disciples hard-hearted when they didn’t understand the impact of His miracles (Mark 6:52, 8:17, 16:14); their hearts became like a trampled down footpath.  

The result of this type of soil leaves us open for Satan to snatch up the seed of truth. God’s Word cannot penetrate this hard soil and Satan, who’s been waiting on the sidelines, seizes the opportunity. Listening to encouraging words through preaching and teaching are snatched away: our heart has become hardened.

Does that describe you? Are you in a place where you don’t understand and have stopped believing God? Jesus warns that your words reveal the condition of your heart (Matt. 12:34); so be honest with yourself and with God. 

Ezekiel prophesied (36:26-27) that He’d replace Israel’s stony, hard heart with a new one that’s tender and responsive. Our solution to a hard heart is the same as Israel’s: the Holy Spirit. He’s sent by the Father to help by giving us power to change, consequently that packed-down soil is broken up and readily receives the seed. The devil cannot overcome the power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, he can’t understand it. God’s desire is for you to recognize your heart/soil today. Break up the clumps of doubt, add the fertilizing Word, and ask for the Spirit’s water to change. That’s kingdom living.

Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3 NLT