“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:18-23)

Why do some not endure in Christianity? Two of the saddest who don’t are described as being like “stony ground” and as being among the “thorns.” Jesus explained that people who give up on account of problems or persecution are like seeds in “stony ground.” Likewise, the person among thorns is the one who initially seems interested in the gospel, but soon gets distracted by the affairs of life: the pursuit of wealth, the day to day grind, and the need to survive.

In a modern, western society, the greatest threat to faithfulness is the comfort and ease of life and the many distractions that our world can offer us. Our ground is very thorny. In other parts of the world, the problem tends to be persecution: the “stony ground.” Both things are equally destructive, and equally distracting. People will fall away in either case. But the problem is really not the external distraction, but the individual’s heart and the choices that he or she makes. Jesus pointed out an important reality in his parable: some people respond well to the things that life gives them, and others don’t. Some people in the church, when they face tragedy, pull away and leave. Others, grow stronger and more committed. Some people, when they gain wealth fall away, while others become more committed and use their wealth to benefit others.

How we respond to life is up to us. Jesus planted the same seed in each. Will we be good soil for God’s kingdom or not?

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