Other Seed Fell On Good Ground

"A sower went out to sow... But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (1)

Of the seed that fell onto good ground, Jesus said, "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." (2) "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." (3)

The sower will not always be disappointed. The one "who hears the word and understands it" or who is of "a noble and good heart" is not someone who is without sin. The gospel is preached to the lost. Jesus said, "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." (4) The one who yields to the conviction of the Holy Spirit is the one who Jesus says "hears the word and understands it" and has "a noble and good heart". He confesses his guilt, and feels his need of the love and mercy of God. He has a sincere desire to know the truth, that he may obey it.

The good heart is the believing heart, one that has faith in the word of God. Without faith and trust in the word of God, who are we to believe? "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (5)

The good-ground hearer receives the word "not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God." (6) Only the ones who receive the Scriptures as the voice of God speaking to them are true learners. The word of God to them is a living reality. They open their understanding and heart to receive it.

1. Matthew 13:3, 8, 9.
2. Matthew 13:23.
3. Luke 8:15.
4. Mark 2:17.
5. Hebrews 11:6.
6. 1 Thessalonians 2:13.