Seed Sown Upon Stony Ground - Matthew 13:5

Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus, “went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up, and in chapter thirteen and verse five of his book, Matthew wrote how Jesus said some seed, “fell upon stony places” where we read:

Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth:

and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

The verse reads, “Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth:” Matthew began with the word, “some” which means “moreover and others” “fell” or “descended and lighted” “upon stony places” which means “on grounds full of rocks”, “where they had not much earth” or “in what place the seeds did not have a lot of ground, land or soil”. Matthew wrote how Jesus said “other seeds” “fell” upon rocky ground that did not have a lot of soil.

The verse continues, “and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:” Matthew continued with the words, “and forthwith” which means “and straightway or immediately” “they sprung up” or “the seeds germinated and started out of the ground”, “because” which means “since and on account that” “they had no deepness” or “the seeds did not have profundity and depth” “of earth” which refers to “of ground or soil”. Matthew shared how the seeds that “fell” on “rocky ground” germinated quickly since there was not a lot of soil there.

When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see Jesus refer to “seeds” sown upon “rocky ground”. Since there was not a lot of soil on top of the rocks, the seeds “sprung up” quickly, and portended to have great growth. Jesus expounds more on the meaning of this in a few verses, but suffice it for now to understand that there are “flash in the pan” experiences some people have with God. Rather than developing a depth of relationship with God through His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit, some people “believe” and quickly fade away. God wants every person to grow in their “faith and trust” in Him, and although it may begin as a little seed, the importance of the “depth” of soil makes all the difference as to whether a person continues to believe.

Next time Matthew shares how Jesus told the people, “when the sun was up, they were scorched”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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