Spiritual Growth
“13 Later that day, Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeshore to teach the people. 2 Soon, there were so many people surrounding him that he had to teach sitting in a boat while the large crowd stood on the shore. 3 He taught them many things by using stories, parables that would illustrate spiritual truths,[a] saying:
“Consider this: There was a farmer who went out to sow seeds. 4 As he cast his seeds, some fell along the beaten path and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell onto gravel that had no topsoil. The seeds quickly shot up, 6 but when the days grew hot, the sprouts were scorched and withered because they had insufficient roots. 7 Other seeds fell among the thorns and weeds, so when the seeds sprouted, so did the weeds, crowding out the good plants. 8 But other seeds fell on good, rich soil that kept producing a good harvest. Some yielded thirty, some sixty, and some even one hundred times as much as he planted! 9 If you’re able to understand this, then you need to respond.””
“18 “Now you are ready to listen to the revelation of the parable of the sower and his seeds:
19 “The seed that fell on the beaten path represents the heart of the one who hears the message of the kingdom realm[a] but doesn’t understand it. The Adversary then comes and snatches away what was sown into his heart.
20 “The seed sown on gravel represents the person who gladly hears the kingdom message,[b] but his experience remains shallow.[c] 21 Shortly after he hears it, troubles and persecutions come because of the kingdom message he received. Then he quickly falls away,[d] for the truth didn’t sink deeply into his heart.
22 “The seed sown among weeds represents the person who receives the message, but all of life’s busy distractions, his divided heart, and his ambition for wealth[e] result in suffocating the kingdom message and prevent him from bearing spiritual fruit.[f]
23 “As for the seed that fell upon good, rich soil, it represents the hearts of people who hear and fully embrace the message of heaven’s kingdom realm. Their lives bear good fruit—some yield a harvest of thirty, sixty, even one hundred times as much as was sown.””
Spiritual growth is something that every follower of Jesus can be a part of. It is an invitation and an opportunity. The parable in Matthew 13 gives us insight on this topic. Jesus often used parables so that others could better understand what He was trying to say. He used examples that people of that time could understand. In the case above, he talks about sowing seeds; something farmers could relate to. He’s trying to teach us about what is necessary for something to grow.
What do you think Jesus was trying to teach these people? Note something: the crowds were so large that Jesus had to get on a boat so that everyone could see Him. Jesus knew that the majority of the people in the crowd had to grow their own food to live. He was teaching them in a way they could understand, but even then, it was a difficult parable!
Jesus had to explain the message to them in Matthew 13:18-23. He uses the example of growth in comparing it to our relationship with God.
In verse 19, Jesus says if the seed is thrown on the path or if you listen to the message and the evil one, there is no lasting spiritual growth that takes places because the evil one snatches it away.
In verse 20, Jesus says the next seed is thrown onto the rocky ground. In this instance, Jesus says it’s like a person who hears the Word of God and is excited, but since they didn’t root themselves in the Word of God, they fall away. The plant only lasted a short time and withered away in the rocks with no soil to take the root.
This would be like a person who hears God’s Word and says that’s great, but then eventually, they turn away from it.
In verse 22, it talks about seeds that were thrown among the thorns. The plant would grown but eventually, the thorns would steal nutrients away from the plant that is supposed to produce fruit, and the plane would die. In this instance, the person let the difficulty of life and distractions around them overtake any spiritual growth that would have taken place.
They might have grown a little, but eventually, they stop, and no new growth takes place.
In verse 23, initially talks about the person that is spiritually growing. If you genuinely take God’s message to heart, desire to grow in your relationship with Him, and back-up that desire with action, then you will grow! If you want any seed to grow, however, you need to make sure you plant it in the right place. This is also true in our spiritual life. One way spiritual growth happens is by creating a healthy environment around you. Like planting seeds in good soil.
Spending time with other Christian can help you grow spiritually and deepen your relationship with God. Some times you will need to remove toxic people from your life so they don’t choke out your faith.
When you pray and spend time in God’s word, you will grow closer to him.