The Lord Jesus taught multitudes by parables, but with those parables, He revealed things that had been hidden from the people, mysteries if you will. And those who had “ears to hear”, the very secrets of creation were revealed. One particular parable Jesus taught was about “sowing”, and I’d like to use it today.

It is found in Mark 4:1-20,
1 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
14 The sower soweth the word.
15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Obviously, the disciples heard the same words that the multitude did. Only a few, along with the disciples questioned Jesus as to what He meant. That means the vast majority weren’t even curious as to what it all meant. And Jesus had said, Those who have ears to hear, let him hear. Now “hearing” and “understanding” are two altogether different things. I could go to China and hear someone speak at a conference, but not knowing Chinese, I wouldn’t have a clue as to what was talked about. And the Word of God is somewhat like that. Many hear, but don’t understand. God himself chooses who is to hear and understand, and who doesn’t. By that I mean, He doesn’t reveal His mysteries to those who don’t love Him and seek after Him.

Many have told me, “I read the Bible, but didn’t get anything out of it.” Well, I can tell you from firsthand experience, that is a true statement. For YEARS I studied the Bible, hoping to gain some understanding, but until the LORD opened my understanding of it, it meant no more to me than sitting down and reading Reader’s Digest. Nothing was changing in my life whatsoever. Now, I went to church every week, thinking I was doing God some great favor by gracing Him with my presence for a couple hours each week. But in 1993, when I was dying of cancer, I finally got earnest about seeking God with my whole heart. Once that happened, the LORD opened my understanding, and suddenly the Bible came alive to me. I read parables, and they were clear in their meaning to me and how they applied to my life. He taught me how to be healed, how to be saved, how to be filled with His Holy Spirit. But I had to do the seeking.

Jesus had said to His disciples, “Know ye not this parable? And how then will ye know all parables?” Every word of God is precious and necessary to your wellbeing, but if it is a mystery, if it is hidden to you, then it’s just “words”, and not “life” to you. Without God’s Word being revealed to you, you’re going to go through life wandering from trouble to trouble, and probably at some point blaming God for your troubles. But actually, ANYONE can know and understand God’s Word, for He is not hiding it from anyone of us, but we, specifically YOU must decide to seek the LORD with all your heart. You see, not many seek God with their whole heart. Most are pretty casual about seeking God, and only on Sunday at that. There were only a FEW, along with the disciples that asked Jesus for the meaning of His parable, and yet there was a multitude that heard it. That tells me there are FEW that walk in the things of God, even though all COULD, if they really wanted to.

Salvation is available to “whosoever will”. Healing is available to “whosoever will”. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is available to “whosoever will”. The qualifier then is “whosoever will”. Where am I going with this? Are YOU a “whosoever will”? Are YOU one of the FEW that wants the presence of God in their life so much, that they’re willing to set everything else aside to seek Him with their whole heart? That isn’t up to God, it’s up to YOU!

Here is an interesting scripture in Luke 13:23-24,
23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

That is a very sobering answer: only those FEW who are seeking the LORD with their whole heart will be saved. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve gone to church, or how much you’ve put in the offering plate, when you’ve breathed your last, the only thing that matters is if you sought the LORD with all your heart. When you do that, He will open your understanding to reveal to you that NOTHING this world has to offer is of any eternal value. Only what you seek from Him is which you will keep forever. That new home or new car or all the money you made will return to dust. But that relationship with Christ Jesus will bring you joy, literally FOREVER.

The Sower, (God), sows the word into your heart. Don’t let the devil steal it from you. Don’t let persecution cause you to turn loose of it. Don’t let what the world has to offer, trade you out of it. Let God’s Word take root in your life, and bring forth fruit unto salvation and everlasting life. All you will ever need in this life, and forever, is in God’s Word. Seek it with all your heart for as long as you live, for that is a treasure beyond value. Wall Street invests, and we all know that. But JESUS SAVES! And not only that, He will open His Word to you so that you don’t miss out on any “benefits” that He has prepared for you!