Who hath ears to hear, let him hear...
Matthew 13
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.........
23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Heareth... understandeth... beareth fruit... bringeth forth...
All these verbs are in the simple present tense.
========
Some observations:
1. Behold, a sower went forth to sow...
a. The ministry of the word of the kingdom is a central activity in the kingdom of God:
- through Christ's own example, and His commands to the apostles.
- through the apostles' example, and their commands to the NT churches.
- (you know some the Scriptural passages...)
b. Some reasons for this vital activity:
- the means ordained for the calling out God's children (i.e. regenerated elect) into the church.
- the means ordained for the feeding of Christ's lambs and sheep.
- the means ordained ground them in the gospel of their salvation.
- (you know some the Scriptural passages...)
2. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear...
a. The children of God upon whom the word is sown attend to the hearing with different attitudes... exemplified by the four types of grounds.
- Note that the four types of ground are all found in the one same field, sown with the same seed.
b. The harsh reality of the carelessness of God's children with regard to their reception of the ministry of the word:
- wayside, stony, and thorny soils... fruitless. These are equally preached to, with the same message. This happens to God's children, at various times, concerning various matters.
- good ground... those designated by this manifest fruitfulness, to a vastly varying degree of fruitfulness.
c. Fruitlessness and barrenness of God's children is a harsh reality the parable is dealing with. So beware of the 'reformed' fable that God's children cannot be fruitless and the unfruitful ones cannot possibly be God's children.
- Scriptures contradict and refute such fiction...
- 2Pe 1:8 "For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- 1Ti 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
- Tit 3:14 "And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful."
- 2Co 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
- Lk 13:7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
d. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear... hear in such a way as to bring forth fruit in their life.
- be hearers with understanding, and be doer of things heard.
- Heareth... understandeth... beareth fruit... bringeth forth...
Hearing the word of the kingdom with understanding is an activity of God's children, and it requires attention and diligence.
