Four Types of Ground [6-15-25]

June 15, 2025

Luke 8:1-21

“Four Types of Ground”

There’s a subtle part of today’s passage I don’t want to gloss over. We see it in verses one through three:

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

We see mention of the twelve who are with Jesus. They are not yet the fully cohesive group of co-workers who learn from Jesus. Right now, they are still simply traveling companions who go with him.

Yet this is not the subtlest of the subtle points I want to spend time on. That honor goes to the women. As Luke makes clear, these women are constant companions of Jesus. Almost from the beginning. They are essential to his ministry.

There’s a word Luke uses in verse three. When he says the women provided for them, the word is “diekonoun.” A related word is “diakonos.” That’s where we get the New Testament office of deacon from. It means “servant.” Luke uses the word in verse three in the perfect tense, which conveys habitual action.

While the roles these women play in providing for Jesus and his ministry are unique to each woman, that’s not the profoundest profundity in these three verses. That honor goes to the fact that women are mentioned at all…that Jesus embraces their gifts…and that Luke lifts them up without so much as a drumroll or fanfare. It’s presented as normal and natural.

But that’s the catch. It’s not normal or natural at all. Everywhere you went, over two-thousand years ago, you couldn’t help but bump into a culture 

that had garbage opinions about women and their place in society.

Here’s an excerpt from something written a few decades before Jesus’ birth. This is regarded as the standard representation of cultural attitudes:

“For women are evil, my children, and by reason of their lacking authority or power over man, they scheme treacherously how they might entice him to themselves by means of their looks. And whenever they cannot enchant by their appearance they conquer by a stratagem. Indeed, the angel of the Lord told me and instructed me that women are more easily overcome by the spirit of promiscuity than are men. They contrive in their hearts against men, then by decking themselves out they lead men’s minds astray, by a look they implant their poison, and finally in the act itself they take them captive. For a woman is not able to coerce a man overtly, but by a harlot’s manner she accomplishes her villainy. Accordingly, my children, flee from sexual promiscuity, and order your wives and your daughters not to adorn their heads and their appearance so as to deceive men’s sound minds. For every woman who schemes in these ways is destined for eternal 

punishment.”

This reflected the prevailing attitude among just about everyone, everywhere. And what does Jesus do? He breaks it to pieces. There’s no big announcement. Luke doesn’t make a big deal out of it. Jesus doesn’t virtue signal…look at this radical thing I’m doing. Save virtue signaling for liberals and their minions. None of that here. It’s simply Jesus doing what Jesus came to do. Save people. Redeem sinners. Call and equip people to do what God wants them to do rather than what culture expects them to do.

Does Jesus avoid women? Does Jesus marginalize women? Does Jesus try to shelter his male followers from women’s wily ways? No such wiliness exists. These lovely women are called and equipped by God to follow Jesus. That’s all that matters. And they produce bountiful fruit as vital ministers of the gospel.

Let’s now move on to the rest of our passage:

And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town 

after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

• Luke 8:4-21

Perhaps you noticed the sermon title. It’s not aligned with the title of these verses. The heading before verse four calls it The Parable of the Sower. That’s not even close to accurate. We know and learn doodly-squat about the sower. This really is a parable about four types of ground. Four       types of ground.

Here's the big picture point. It is born out of the truth we’ve been following throughout this series – God’s sovereign purpose is lived out through those whom He chooses to bring to faith. Here’s a common refrain pastors hear surrounding Christmas Eve and Easter morning services. How do we get these people to return? How do we hold on to these pumped up numbers? If we had greater skills we might have greater impact. Such comments don’t hold up under the truth of this short little parable. The Parable of Four Types of Ground tells us that it’s not about the skill of the sower…it’s about the heart. It’s about the soil.

Seed is scattered. Jesus walks us through the progression of how it fares. Here’s the big picture point the parable makes:

WHY WILL MOST PEOPLE PERISH IN THE WORLD TO COME?

Most people who die, die unsaved. They die without Christ. One of the dumbest takes on salvation I ever heard was from a former megachurch pastor, whose church was in Michigan, who once said that God’s grace is so powerful that even those who have rejected it will ultimately be drawn to salvation. It’s as if even those who die rejecting Christ will get one last chance to accept him as their Lord and Savior. That’s nowhere taught in this parable. Or the Bible.

Let’s break it down, scattered seed by scattered seed. One point to keep in mind. No matter the condition of the soil, seed is broadcast liberally. How things turn out depends on the condition of the soil. Are you with me on that?

I once loosely scattered grass seed in some bare patches in our backyard. A few hours later, as I looked out the kitchen window, many birds were going to town. Score one for grackles, cardinals, and robins. At least they got to enjoy it. Do I regret scattering the seed? Absolutely not.

Second, the rocky soil. Doesn’t necessarily mean it is full of rocks. Simply 

means there’s a hardened rock bed. Roots can’t get down deep enough to sustain growth.

The third kind of soil is described with an interesting Greek word. Akanthon. It’s used to describe any weed that is harmful to cultivated crops. In English, akanthon becomes acantha. It literally means “thorn.” Listen to Matthew 27:29, “And twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’” Interesting, right? In the parable, the weeds choke out the seed. But in his crucifixion, the crown of weeds leads to new life. There are amazing connections in God’s Word.

So the farmer loses seed to birds and rocks and thorns. But the other seed, falling into good soil, produces a bumper crop.

So, what does it all mean?

First of all, we have been entrusted with the Word of God. We have to be 

faithful in our sharing, interpreting, and understanding God’s Word. In the case of the birds eating the seed, we share God’s Word. We are faithful. We long for people to hear and believe. Yet before that Word can take root, Satan snatches it from a person’s heart. As we read in John 13:2, at the Last Supper, “During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him…” Judas is too weak to withstand Satan. The truth of God’s Word is snatched out of his heart.

Second, the thin layer of soil over rocky ground isn’t fertile enough for the Word of God to put down deep roots. It starts growing, but then, what happens? The cares and riches and pleasures of life threaten to choke the life out of God’s Truth. Do you remember a quote I shared last month?

“Thinking that wealth is only measured in money is a sign of poverty.”

There is nothing more stifling of spiritual growth than material things. What did Jesus say about money? “It’s easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into heaven.” We get so protective and defensive of our stuff. Do you think we can all be a little less consumed by consumerism?

Did you know they are using robot lawnmowers on the golf course across 

the street from our church? I have to admit it’s kind of cool to see their headlights at the break of dawn as they do their work. I actually went online to price one. Thank goodness I confessed it to my wife. She set me straight. That’s the last thing I need. Shoot, the only exercise I get is mowing the lawn.

Think of all the distractions keeping God’s Word from putting deep roots down in our souls. I love how Charles Spurgeon once put it:

“It is very difficult for a man to have much money running through his hands without some of it sticking. It is very sticky stuff; and when it once sticks to the hands, they are not clean in the sight of the Lord. Unless a man is able to use money without abusing it, accepting it as a talent lent to him, and not as treasure given to him, it will very soon happen that, the more money he has, the more troubles he will have”

That’s the seed sown among thorns. We have to be on guard against the wickedness of our culture. All…the…time.

Here’s the wrap-up. As Jesus says in verse fifteen, “As for that in the good 

soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” That’s what Jesus wants for you and me. Ignore all the distractions we can. Simply let God work His truth in our lives. Don’t need to rush anything. Being decent, honest, courageous people, our lives will produce blessing upon blessing.

Here's the last thing you might want to write down:

ONE NEVER KNOWS

There are more unbelievers than devoted followers of Jesus Christ in Lenawee County. There are lots of churches who are faithfully preaching and teaching the truth of God’s Word. People aren’t separated from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ because of a lack of hearing. There’s plenty of that. There’s plenty of opportunity for that. Here’s a beautifully related truth:

People must come to Jesus and ask him for understanding.

In other words, the light that illuminates the truth for some also reveals the dark shadow of unbelief in others. Can you imagine living separated from that which would save you from eternal damnation?

We all know people who present no outward signs of being devoted followers of Jesus. The fruit of the Spirit is woefully missing from their lives. They are friends. They are family. They are co-workers. They are neighbors. Many of them we love dearly. And it breaks our hearts to think that when they die, they will not fall down and worship Jesus in heaven. It seems to me Jesus isn’t giving us some formula or gimmick or process by which to convince unbelievers to believe. Some will get it. Some won’t. Seed is scattered. The harvest of those saved will be great.

Who will be receptive to the Word of God? Who will listen? Do you remember that classic line from the movie, “A Few Good Men”? You can’t handle the truth. A sower goes out, and three types of soil can’t handle the truth of the gospel. But here we are. Broken by our sin, we humble ourselves to the truth that there is forgiveness in Christ and Christ alone. We accept the truth of the Bible and all it teaches. We are excited about a future brought by God. And we find great joy waking up every morning determined to obey God’s Word.

Together, the elect of God, those whose names have been written down in 

the Lamb’s Book of Life from before the foundation of the world, say:

 SOLI DEO GLORIA…

To the Glory of God Alone