These two verses are part of a larger paragraph (Mark 4:13-20) where Jesus is telling the parable about the seed in the soil. In this parable, the farmer sows "the word". We might understand this as God's teachings in the form of beautiful loam that is packed with nutrients from God's own "miracle-grow" formula. The seed that is planted in this soil has the best chance at growing in abundance. In this parable, the seeds are people. When the seed is broadcast for planting, some fall onto the path next to the soil. They don't make it into the soil, so are immediately picked up and taken away by Satan's crows. Others are impatient and don't stick around, so they have no root and fall away as soon as they're tested by the scorching heat that comes with persecution for the faith. The weeds represent the worries of this life and spending so much energy fretting about money, wealth, and wanting what we don't have. This chokes the life out of us. But those sown on the good soil, "hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop-- thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." To know the abundant life God desires for you, it's vital to create the disciplines that keep you in the word. This is why we are disciplined readers.
Readings: Leviticus 7:28-9:6; Mark 3:31-4:25; Psalm 37:12-29; Proverbs 10:5
Happy Birthday to my son, Garrett, who is 18 today!
