The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. — Matthew 13:22
until his prediction came true, the word of the LORD tested him. — Psalms 105:19
Text: Luke 12:22–34
The parable of the Sower categorizes the growth of seeds in 4 ways; Two died, not attaining fruition stage, two lived, attained fruition stage — One of those, just remained, did not produce fruits at all, kept growing, remained alive, but produced no fruits at all. Those are the seeds among Thorns.
Fruitfulness is when a Spirit-filled life is productive in-accordance to the capacity entrusted to it in stewardship [Matthew 25:14–15]. Hence, unfruitfulness is the unproductivity of a Spirit-filled life. [1 Corinthians 12:7].
The parable of the Sower shows two perspectives: 1) the perspective of the sower and caution of where he is to sow to make good investments. 2) the perspective of the recipient and caution on how he is to tread with care and ensure the Word is fruitful.
There is a common misconception about readers of this part of the scripture — that it is the recipient that is unfruitful. No, rather, unfruitfulness is applied to the Word — it is the Word that is unfruitful; meaning, it does not work for the recipient. What the scripture implies is that if the Word is fruitful, the recipient will also be fruitful.
The emphasis of this article is placed on the seeds that fell among thorns and the recipient of the Word.
A Special Command
We have a special command from the Lord to fulfil. The Old Covenant is a shadow or symbol of things to come (the New Covenant), this command still shows its self as the most crucial assignment.
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it* …..(Old Covenant) -> *Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19* Therefore go and make disciples of all nations*, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you ….. (New Covenant).
I perceive you had never thought they were the same. But they are since the Old Covenant is a shadow of the New Covenant; which infers our spiritual birth as Sons and Daughters of God, in this realm we are commanded to give birth spiritually.
In our endeavours to fulfil this great commission, the outcome is justified by one thing: Fruitfulness of the Word.
The Word is an essential ingredient to the soul. The scriptures records, that after natural food, the next thing that ensures Man’s survival is the Word of God [Matthew 4:4]. Its fruitfulness in our lives determines the level of spirituality [Hebrews 5:14, 1Corinthians 3:2] — It is the food of the Spirit.
The Puncture of Thorns
The Thorns: worries of life and deceitfulness of riches. They choke the Word and the Word becomes unfruitful. The Word does not work for these recipients of the Word.
The ground the seeds fell on is the mind of man. The mind being filled with thorns (worries of life and deceitfulness of riches) leads to Chaos. Chaos leads to impatience, which betrays (choke) the Word and inhibits its fulfilment. Thus, the Word is unfruitful.
Chaos is what stops believing and trust in God and seek other alternatives. Chaos is what stops the reading of the scriptures and replacement with a rational mind. Chaos is what makes people faint and not to pray. It alters the stance of faith in God and thus makes the Word unfruitful.
Danger of Severance
The Scripture shares two perspectives to every recipient of the Word in respect of its fruitfulness 1) Part of Big Tree family 2) A Standalone tree.
The Word is a necessity for spiritual growth, its fruitfulness is an evidence of spiritual development. Its fruitfulness can only be attained by the recipient who makes Christ his dwelling place; ‘Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me’ — John 15:4 AMP Classic.
The unfruitfulness of the Word in the life of the recipient is an evidence of not dwelling in Christ and leads to Spiritual Degradation. We are warned of severance by the two perspectives — As Member of Big Tree family — ‘Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away)’ — John 15:2a; — As a Standalone tree — ‘So he said to the vinedresser, See here! For these three years, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue also to use up the ground [to [e]deplete the soil, intercept the sun, and take up room]?’ — Luke 13:7,, [Revelation 3:16]. Note: Severance is not an unjust act of God but Resource management (‘why should it continue also to use up the ground’) and Hygiene management technique (‘a branch is severed to avoid affecting other parts of the tree, as it might be infected by virus’).
Conclusion
Let the Word work for you, let it be fruitful and thus affect your Spiritual growth positively and thus be fruitful, so that you can fulfil the Special Command. Otherwise, face the danger of severance.
