The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 13 Part 4 Don't Be Distracted By Worldly Cares or Lust For Wealth

We are studying Matthew thirteen which contains many parables of Jesus that are meant to instruct us about the kingdom of God and gospel ministry.

Thus, this material is very relevant for pastors, parents, parishioners and church leaders.

Some seed fell on thorn infested ground and was quickly crowded out by thorns.

Matthew 13:7  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 

We now come to the third type of soil and this one is also a bad type of soil.

Remember that Jesus gave these parables to use natural things, easily understood by all people in order to teach spiritual realities.

Thus, the four kinds of soil are pictures of how people respond to gospel preaching. 

The wayside soil pictures a careless, inattentive hearer who cares little about the things of God.

The Devil snatches away the Word of God from a wayside hearer's heart so that he cannot be converted to Christ.

The second soil type is the stony places which pictures a person who seemingly agrees with the gospel and sticks with it for a while.

As soon as this person encounters hardship because of the gospel, he turns away and never grows.

This third soil type is soil that is covered in thorns.

Thorns and thistles remind us of the curse of God on the world due to Adam and Eve's sin.

Genesis 3:17-19  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18)  Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19)  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 

This soil type connects with the curse God put in place after Adam and Eve sinned.

The earth will readily grow thorns and thistles which are not useful for any good purpose.

We know this to be true. As it has often been said "Nature abhors a vacuum" meaning that fallow ground will soon be filled with weeds and thistles.

All we have to do is look at a property that has been neglected for a while and see how quickly weeds, thorns and thistles take over.

Now, let us look at Jesus' explanation of the soil infested with thorns and thistles. 

The seed on thorny ground pictures a man professing faith but pursuing worldly things.

Matthew 13:22  He also 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. 

Some seed fell on thorny ground. Thorns can be a good hedge to protect the corn from deer that like to eat it, if the thorns grow only on the perimeter of the field.

When the thorns are growing among the corn in the field, they will overwhelm the corn.

This person is one who hears the Word and seems to have a positive response to the gospel.

He has put down some type of roots but they are in the thorny ground.

This person, though they made a profession of faith in Christ, were not willing to turn away from the world and to follow hard after Christ.

This person wants to be rich and have the world while claiming to have faith in Christ.

The cares or anxieties of worldly things press in on this man's heart. 

He is distressed over natural disasters, political upheaval, economic downturns or family problems.

He is preoccupied with finding a way out of his difficulties and has no time for God and His Word.

The seed that fell on thorny ground pictures a man who gives in to fleshly desires to seek riches and these two pressures choke out the Word just as thorns will take over a garden if not weeded out. 

Seed on the thorn infested ground pictures an unfruitful man who professed faith in Christ but did not cultivate his faith.. 

He may have started out well and even had evidence of fruit in his life, but the cares of the world and the pursuit of riches made him useless for the kingdom of God.

God's remedy for seed on thorny ground. Love not the world or the things in the world.

1 John 2:15-17  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16)  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17)  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 

The scriptures tell us how to live and make progress in spiritual growth.

A lesson we can glean from the man represented by seed falling on thorny ground is to avoid being overwhelmed by the cares of this world.

John tells us not to love the world because if we love the world, the Father's love is not in us. 

Jesus taught us to seek the kingdom of God first because our Father will provide for us.

Matthew 6:31-34  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32)  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33)  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34)  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

Jesus already addressed how to deal with the cares of this world.

We are not to spend all our time thinking about all the bad things going on in the world. 

We cannot change any of it and spending our time listening to what goes on in the world will lead us into a dark hole of distraction. 

It will divert our attention away from what really matters which is the kingdom of God and the gospel of Christ.

Instead of seeking to find out the latest things going on in the world, we are to seek first the kingdom of God.

Our Father knows what we need and He has promised to meet our needs. 

Jesus said that we must lay up heavenly treasures and shun earthly riches. 

Matthew 6:19-21  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20)  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21)  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

Jesus also addressed the issue of seeking to be rich.

He instructed us to not store up earthly treasure (wealth, riches) because these are fleeting and can change in value overnight.

Our wealth can be stolen by scammers before we are aware that it has been taken from us.

Instead, we are to fill our hearts with heavenly treasures, spending time in Bible study, in prayer, in witnessing for Christ, in learning to walk closer with our Lord, and in worshiping Him aright. 

Whatever our priority we choose as our treasure is where our heart will be.

Will it be the world or the kingdom of God?

The man pictured by gospel seed falling on thorny ground has his heart set on riches and on the cares of this world.

He did not seek to store up heavenly treasure.

There are applications of this truth for believers in Christ to think about.

It takes a lot of preparation by a farmer to get his field ready for planting seed.

The picture painted by ground infested with thorns and thistles is illustrated by how fallow ground is spoken of by God's prophets, to describe Israel's deplorable spiritual condition.

Fallow ground in our heart must be plowed up by God's Spirit in order to receive the gospel seed.

Jeremiah 4:3-4  For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. 4)  Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. 

Hosea 10:12-13  Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. 13)  Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

God commanded Israel to break up fallow ground and specifically not to sow seed among thorns.

Jeremiah immediately connects this act with the backsliding of Israel.

Jeremiah spoke of the new birth, that new spirit and new heart promised by God (See Ezekiel 11:19-21; 18:30-32; 36:26-28).

Hosea also called the people to repent of their wicked ways and to pursue holiness as God commanded them to do.

Sowing in righteousness pictures the good gospel seed entering our heart and doing a good work in us.

Fallow ground must be broken up by plowing, disking and using a harrow.

It takes work to prepare our heart to rightly receive the gospel when it is preached.

This pictures the convicting work of God's Spirit using the Word of God to point us to Christ.

I must examine my heart to make sure that there is no fallow ground because the seed of God's Word will be choked by thorns that may grow there.

Worldly cares are compared to thorns, for they came from sin, and are a fruit of the curse. 

A man must have proper attire to deal with thorns or else he will suffer scratches and deep cuts.

Metaphorically, thorns represent the entangling, vexing, cutting aspects of worldly cares that press us down and their end is to be burned, (See Hebrews 6:8).

1 Timothy 6:5-10  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 6)  But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7)  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8)  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9)  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10)  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Thorns also picture the foolish allure of seeking to be rich.

Some wrongly equate riches with godliness but believers in Christ must learn that godliness with contentment is where we enjoy God's blessing.

Those who seek to be rich are like the thorn infested ground. They will drown in temptation and lust. 

The love of money is the root of all evil and will lead to many sorrows for those who seek wealth rather than seeking first the kingdom of God.

The thorny ground pictures a man who is not fully converted to Christ, who has not taken up his cross to follow the Lord.

It also portrays a believer who does not remember to have his affection set on things above where Christ is seated at the Father's right hand.

Where our treasure is will determine where our heart's allegiance is.

Where is my focus?

What do I treasure the most?

I will find the fullest joy and satisfaction in Jesus Christ alone.

May our gracious Lord help us understand these truths so that we choose His kingdom first each day that we wake up.

Bob