The Seed Is Good. The Question Is the Soil. Matthew 13:1-13
- Sep 28, 2025
- 5 min read
You’re Not Stuck (Matthew 13:1–23)
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea, and such large crowds gathered that He got into a boat while the people stood on the beach. And He taught them with a parable: a sower went out to sow seed, and the seed landed on four different kinds of ground—path, rocky places, thorns, and good soil.Then Jesus ends the parable with a challenge that still hits today: “Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
A prayer before we dive in
Father, thank you for your Word. Thank you for giving us Scripture so we can know you. Open our minds and hearts today, and let us be sensitive to your Spirit’s work in our lives.
Have you ever felt stuck?
Have you ever felt stuck—like your wheels are spinning but you’re not going anywhere? Maybe literally, like trying to turn around on rain-soaked grass. Or maybe it’s emotional and spiritual: the same monotonous day on repeat.
It reminds me of that Mickey Mouse Christmas special where Donald Duck’s nephews wish it could be Christmas every day. At first it feels like a dream—then even the kids get tired of Christmas.
And a lot of us know that feeling. Life might not even be “bad,” but there’s that quiet voice saying, “There has to be more.” And the hardest part is sometimes you don’t even know where to start.
I get to serve at Royal Pines, a 16-week inpatient drug rehab facility, and I watch men wrestle with that exact feeling—like life only gave them one path. And the truth is, “stuck” isn’t just a rehab word. It can happen in a church pew just as easily.
That’s why this parable matters.
Why parables? Why blindness?
After Jesus tells the parable, the disciples ask Him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”Jesus explains that the “mysteries of the kingdom” are given to the disciples, but many people see without seeing and hear without hearing, and He connects it to Isaiah’s prophecy about hearts growing dull.Then Jesus tells His disciples something heavy and beautiful: many prophets and righteous people longed to see what they’re seeing and didn’t get to see it.
Here’s the key insight Jesus is about to make clear: the problem was never the seed. The seed is good. The issue is the soil.
And here’s the other good news: you’re not stuck as one kind of soil forever.
The seed is good; the soil is the question
Jesus explains the parable soil-by-soil, and it’s like He holds up a mirror to our lives. So let’s walk through each one, and let’s be honest about where we are—and what it looks like to become healthy again.
Soil #1: The hard path (seed on top)
Jesus says the seed on the path is the person who hears “the word of the kingdom” but doesn’t understand it, and the evil one snatches away what was sown.
Now, yes—that can mean somebody who doesn’t understand the gospel at all. But it can also look like something more subtle: a person who knows the gospel as facts, but never lets it sink in as transformation.
It’s the seed sitting on top.
You can describe it. You can talk theology. You can list details. But it stays information, not formation.
And sometimes the distraction isn’t a scandalous sin—it’s the desire to gather knowledge without surrender. You can read your Bible and pray and still keep God’s Word pushed into a corner where it doesn’t touch your reactions, your decisions, or your relationships.
How do you soften hard soil?Start inviting God into the small, mundane moments:
“God, help me not to snap back at that person.”
“God, help me respond with kindness.”
“God, touch this part of my day that I usually call ‘not spiritual.’”
Because the first step is simple: let the seed sink in.
Soil #2: The rocky ground (quick joy, no root)
Jesus says the rocky ground is the person who receives the word with joy, but because there’s no root, it only lasts a while—and when trouble or persecution comes, they fall away.
Do you remember when you first decided to follow Jesus? Go back to that moment.
For me, the turning point wasn’t that I knew about Jesus—because I grew up with that knowledge. The shift happened the summer before seventh grade. We were staying near Gulf Shores, and I had hours where I didn’t know what to do, and there was a physical Bible there. And I started reading it.
And all of a sudden it wasn’t just ink on paper. It became alive. And by the fall, I’m walking into a Christian club at school, and I’m realizing: “This could be more.” And looking back, I know that was the Spirit of God whispering to me.
But here’s what happens to a lot of us: those early feelings—passion, butterflies, goosebumps, urgency—start to feel like an echo. You’re still “around” church. You might still believe the right things. But you can’t remember the last time God spoke to you, or the last time Scripture felt alive.
If that resonates, here’s the call: Quit living off yesterday’s faith and pursue the voice of God in your life today.
When you read Scripture, don’t read it just to check a box. Ask:
“God, what are you saying to me right now?”
“What do you want me to do today?”
“How do I live this out in this season?”
Because God is not done with you. You are not at the end of your discipleship journey. And sometimes the “scorching sun” isn’t a single dramatic tragedy—it’s slow spiritual drift that dries roots out over time.
Soil #3: The thorny ground (crowded out)
Jesus says the thorny soil is the person who hears the word, but the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it out, and it becomes unfruitful.This is the person who might have been devoted at one time—maybe even a spiritual trailblazer—yet now it feels like they only have enough faith to barely get by.
And if that’s you, the question is not “Do I still believe?” The question is: where do I need to break the routine?
When was the last time you:
Called someone because you felt that nudge and didn’t know why?
Stepped out of your comfort zone to serve the person in front of you?
Had a meaningful conversation where you spoke life into someone?
Loved people in a way that cost you convenience?
Sometimes the thorns aren’t “bad things.” Sometimes the thorns are comfort. Sometimes the thorns are busyness. Sometimes the thorns are success without surrender.
David didn’t fall with Bathsheba after a defeat, he fell when he got comfortable, stayed back, and let his guard down. Comfort can choke you as fast as chaos.
So if you want new fruit for today, it starts here: where do I need to become uncomfortable again?
Soil #4: The good soil (fruit that multiplies)
Jesus says the good soil is the person who hears the word, understands it, and bears fruit—some 100, some 60, some 30.
Good soil doesn’t mean easy life. Good soil means deep roots.
It’s the plant that stands in the scorching sun. It’s the plant that survives drought. It’s the plant that keeps producing even after seasons where it felt barren.
Because here’s reality: seasons change. Life shifts. Soil moves. Winds come. Droughts come.
The question isn’t whether you’ve ever been fruitful before. The question is whether you will lean into God’s presence and God’s Word so you can flourish again.
Final question: what is your life producing?
So here’s the simple gut-check to end with: what is your life producing?
Is it producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control? And be honest—sometimes you can’t even know until you’re tested, because peace doesn’t show up when everything is quiet; peace shows up when life tries to steal it.
You’re not stuck.
But you do have to nurture the soil—again and again—so the good seed can take root and produce what you were made for.
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