Episode 03: Depth
Show Notes
There is one important passage that demonstrates the most significant link between the quality of our faith and the depth of our faith...The Parable of the Sower
Mark 4:3-8
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. Still, other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
This passage is all about the possible responses that we will see to the gospel. It tells us that there are essentially 4 types of responses:
The first example is the only category that completely rejects the seed. The other 3 basically accept it with some variation:
There’s the rocky soil
The seed that falls among the thorns
And the good soil
What we can deduce is that the preference of Jesus is that we would all be a category 4. It is fairly obvious that His desire is that all of us who believe in Him produce a harvest on account of the gospel in our lives. That the seed is received in such a way that it is able to take root and reproduce something significant.
The last seed is very important in this story. It demonstrates the capability of the seed. We can see that the seed has this innate potential. And that potential is the same in each scenario.
This means that the single most influential factor in the journey of a seed is the soil and its surroundings.
Let’s just consider Category 2 and Category 3. It’s most likely to be a person who calls themselves a Christian right? Or at least one that called themselves a Christian in the past.
Category 2
Category 2 is the rocky soil. In verse 16-17 Jesus is further explaining the parable and in particular the seed that fell on the rocky soil. He says:
“The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots (there’s that analogy again!), they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.”
What’s Jesus’ definition of lasting long? He doesn’t stipulate, and maybe deliberately so.
And what is it that causes them to give up in Category 2? Having problems or being persecuted? Ok, I know that Christians in our Western world have endured some harder times than usual in the last 10-15 years but I think we would be hard-pressed to call this persecution like our brothers and sisters in other countries? We aren’t being asked to give up our faith or face death.
Category 3
Category 3 is the seed that fell among the thorns. Again Jesus explains further in Verse 18-19:
“The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.”
So this is essentially saying that distraction causes the seed to produce nothing. Or more accurately, it’s the fact that there are some that will still believe that wealth and anything else could satisfy us…despite having heard and received the gospel.
Category 4
The good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word (which mind you somewhat implies that category 2 and 3 don’t really hear or accept God’s word). Category 4 produces a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.
Is the gospel producing in you a great harvest? Is there a legacy of good being produced on account of the gospel in your life?
What this parable shows us is that our response to the gospel isn’t the decision we made all those years ago to receive Christ. Our response to the gospel is the decision we make every day to Christ, and the degree to which we allow this gospel to shape and renew us. So how are we responding today? How am I responding 30 years on when challenges and worries come my way? When opportunities for wealth and comfort are at my door? Because the one with shallow roots gives up. And the one overwhelmed with worries doesn’t produce fruit. This isn’t about whether you go to church or not. It’s all about what the gospel is being allowed to do in us.
You know I first started really thinking about this concept of depth a few years ago. I realised that my relationship with God was so conditional. I had stepped away from the role of a Pastor, which I absolutely loved, and the decision was totally led by the Holy Spirit. But despite being obedient, I felt so down! As a younger Christian, I was always told that you would have peace when you were in the will of God, but I certainly didn’t have that. Why wasn’t I excited about this new path God had me on? It was so obviously His plan?
At the same time, I kept reading the gospels thinking, how do I even think that what I am going through is that big a deal? The early church was dying for the gospel, the worst thing that had happened to me in that season was that I hadn’t gotten what I wanted. Now it’s important for every believer to hear this: I am not advocating for you or any believer to deny their feelings. I think we are far more guilty of not acknowledging our feelings in the Western world, especially Christians. Let me make this so clear - Denial has never been our friend. It is not on our side like it can sometimes deceive us into believing. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a strong correlation between denial and shallowness. But it did make me wonder what I thought the gospel was about.
Since that time, I have been in pursuit of depth in my faith. To have the kind of faith that compels me to serve in spite of my comfort, preferences and even my opinions.
See every time we are obedient to God, without condition, we get stronger and open ourselves more up to the ‘whatever’ call. Do you know what I mean by the ‘whatever’ call? I mean the stuff where God says something so ridiculous that nobody with basic logic would do it unless they got a word from God. Like Hosea, who married an adulterous woman because God told him to. A woman with no guarantee of ever being faithful to Him and God says - see that girl over there? The adultress? I want you to marry her. Because your marriage is going to be a prophetic analogy of my relationship with my people. Oh yeah, and she’s going to be terribly unfaithful to you because that’s what my people have done. But she’s the one! It’s not the advice we would give to any single Christian that we genuinely cared about!
Or John the Baptist who walks out into the wilderness…the opposite to the promised land! He had to eat terrible food and endure the elements. You know when you read about John, you might be confused into thinking that this was the fate of a banished man. But no! He has chosen this life, so that he would be pure and untainted for God, to fulfil a prophecy from more than 400 years before! That is the ‘whatever call’. It is the commitment to do literally WHATEVER God asks.
Now I realise that I am talking about some pretty radical ideas. But I’m not embellishing anything. I’m just sharing exactly what is in scripture. In plain sight for all of us to see. The kind of things we often glaze over. Is it not possible that the Category 4’s are the ones who simply take up the ‘Whatever’ call?
I’m not suggesting that we all need to run out now and get in the wild, and get one of those camel skin cloaks and loafers...like how the Jesus movies generally portray John. Because here is the thing: Nobody in a faith community should do anything that is driven by something other than love and worship. None of us were meant to listen to messages like this, and force ourselves to become something that is NOT consistent with what is in our hearts. That is not depth! Depth is being adamant that you won’t fake it. Depth is being adamant in pursuing a real change. But we do need to acknowledge that our hearts aren’t there yet, and we still have more depth required in our faith to experience a transformed life as we see in scripture.
The real priority is to allow the radical nature of the seed, to produce the radical harvest. This is not motivated by the expectations of man, including our own expectations. It’s not motivated by fear, guilt, shame, responsibility or selfish ambition. Because none of those things actually produce a truly transformed life. Even if it changes you, it didn’t change you because of the seed. It changed you because of something else you gained from it.
See when we consider all of this in light of eternity, and heaven - any harvest you produce doesn’t count unless it’s derived from the right seed. This is demonstrated in Matthew 6, where Jesus is encouraging his followers not to fast and pray as the Pharisees were known to do, with the intention of displaying how righteous they were before man. He says “Truly I tell you they have received all the reward they will ever get”. That’s it! Anything you do on earth for show, approval or personal comfort has no eternal value. They weren’t going to receive spiritual credits in heaven for what they were doing! Whatever it is that you are trying to get: praise, approval, acceptance, power...Whatever it might be, I can assure you that it will be momentary, and it will keep you hungry.
Only the harvest that is produced by the seed, counts.