The Seed Sown among Thorns

This week in religion class we learned about the parable of the sower – or as Brother Griffin put it, the parable of the soil. It his opinion, the soil was the main focus of Christ’s teaching, and I agree.

Before I share this interpretation of the story, I want to say that this is one lens through which we can view the parable. There could be (and probably are) more meanings that Christ was trying to teach.

The seed could be considered to be the word of God. It was sown, or spread, in four different types of soil. The soil represents the condition of our heart. The first one fell on the hard beaten path, and was eaten by birds before it could take root. Another fell among stones and grew quickly, but then was scorched by the sun and died. The third seed feel among thorns, and grew up, but was choked out by the thorns that surround it. Christ interprets this to mean, “He that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” Matthew 13:22.

To me this teaches the principle that the seed may fall upon good soil. That is, our heart can be sincere and we can desire to be good. But even if our heart is good, we can be distracted and let thorns grow up in our soil – and if those thorns become too strong, they can deprive the good seed of nutrients. In other words, if we let distractions and the cares of this world consume our attention, we may neglect to obey God’s commandments and to serve the people around us. It isn’t that we don’t want to be good, we just get distracted from what is right.

I feel that most of the people I know (including myself) fall into the category of the seed sown among thorns at one time or another. It seems that there are always thorns springing up that seem to demand my attention more urgently than scripture study and personal prayer – social events, work, money, and worries about the future. But I have faith that if I take time to nourish my testimony and if I prioritize service to my friends and the people around me, those other things will fall into place. More importantly, my heart will become fit to live with God again. I'm not there yet, but that is my goal.