“…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!” Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” – Mark 4: 8-9

When Jesus begins telling His parables in Mark 4, He uses the words “listen,” “hear,” and “ear” a total of 16 times.

In fact, when the first parable is recounted, the parable of the sower, Jesus begins it by exclaiming “Listen!”

And He ends it by saying, “…anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

When we read closely, we see that the parable of the sower is the foundational parable of Jesus’ message to us.

He even says it Himself in verse 13:

If you can’t understand this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?

In essence, the parable of the sower is all about listening and receiving the word of God.

The seed represents the word of God and the ground represents our hearts.

And Jesus basically spoon feeds us the secret sauce to becoming fertile ground: Listening.

He says the closer we listen, the more understanding we will be given.

So as we bear witness to the word of God, the onus is on us individually to till our soil through actively listening and seeking. 

We have to chop out the thorns of worry and desire for earthly treasures.

We have to dig out the rock underneath the top layer so that the roots of the word will grow deep, and we won’t be thrown off by life’s many problems.

Jesus wants us to be hungry for the word.

He wants us to seek, read, listen, study, and pray with all our hearts; daily, privately, and sincerely. 

Because when God gives us understanding and we are obedient to do His will, our crop will produce thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted in us!

Be blessed,

Alexia

Prayer: God, thank you for your powerful word. It’s a gift that keeps on giving! As I continue to seek after you Lord, I pray that you will dig deep down into the soil of my heart, turning it over and over, fertilizing it with your Holy Spirit. God, help me to listen and receive your word in my entire being. Cut through the weeds of my worry and the thorns of my worldly desire for riches and wealth. Help me to produce a crop ten thousand times as much as was planted in me. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.