The

Wise Agronomist

A Reflection on The Lord’s Parable

A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he [Christ] had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 8:5-10.

In the parable of the Sower (Mark 4:2-20), the “ground” is used to symbolize the heart of man. Our Master says, in verse 15, that it is here that the Word of God and divine truth are sown. See also Luke 8:12. This is further demonstrated by Christ’s identification of “good ground” as an “honest and good heart.” Luke 8:15. In contrast, “stony ground” therefore is representative of a hardened and calloused heart. In the book of Ezekiel we find that

God says, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26.

Notice the similarity between this verse and that of Christ’s parable. As God had spoken to Ezekiel of “stony hearts” and His desire to replace it with a “heart of flesh,” so the Master chose the same language for His parable to re-establish the principle of the need for a tender and submissive heart before God. Without such a heart, we are not going to receive the things our Father would teach us or the righteousness He wills to implant. The heart that is hardened and un-submissive will not fully come to the Master. This is the reason that only in “good ground”—a submissive heart—fruit will be “brought forth.” Mark 4:20. Once again, Christ’s word in describing the heart that allows divine truth to exercise its sanctifying influence was particular in choice so as would re-establish old truth, for God had revealed many years earlier that it is a humble heart before Him that is “good.”

“He [God] hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” Micah 6:8.

The divine Teacher warns of “other lusts” “entering in.” This refers to the entering in of sensual and earthly desires upon the environs of the heart’s affections, and which differ from what the Spirit of God inspires in an individual in the Spirit’s quest to redeem and sanctify. Christ made it clear that all such desires cause disruption in God’s work upon the heart, and hinders the transformation He wills to be brought forth.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” Matthew 6:33.

When we are persuaded to care for a thing of this earth—taking the place in our heart of the desire for Christ-likeness—it will “grow up” alongside the righteousness that is being tenderly cultivated there by God, and casts an unholy influence over our mind. This influence causes us to lose attraction for godliness. The more we partake of the things of earth, the more we indulge in ungodly practices, the less will be our desire for God and for His righteousness. In this way, that righteousness which God has planted in our heart becomes “choked,” strangled, and that which God has taught becomes barren and “unfruitful” in our life as we are persuaded to walk in variance to it by the lusts and practices of earth. Satan is also seeking to work upon the human mind as God does, and this is accomplished through the practices of the fallen age which have been formulated to lead man astray. It is not that worldly practice has arisen from a gradual progression of the intellect and morality of humanity; or that they, as new discoveries, have been handed down to our generation out of errors learned from those that have preceded us. Nor are they mere happenstance. None of these account for the reason that they are unfit for God’s people to adopt. It is because Satan, the “god of this world,” is he who has invented them, and promulgates through co-partnership with lost souls. Hence is written that the ways of the world, and the things characteristic of the fallen age, are “not of the Father.” 1 John 2:16. Paul wrote to the Ephesians,

“…in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, [which is] according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” Ephesians 2:2.

So we find that the course of the present age is according to the pleasure and inspiration of this dark foe. Notice it is one of “disobedience” towards God. Notice it states that we had conducted our lives according to this very course with its rebellious practices “in time past,” before being regenerated in Christ through the Holy Spirit. From this have all who have chosen Christ been turned away by the gracious workings of God. Man is turned “from darkness to light,…from the power of Satan unto God.” Acts 26:18. Perhaps it is wondered why man is so naturally drawn to the unrighteous pattern. It is because Satan is aware of man’s fallen nature and has invented practices specific to that nature and the gratification of its lusts. See Ephesians 2:3. Who better knows how to accomplish this than Satan—the very originator of sin rebellion against the divine Sovereign, and the evil nature? Being fallen himself, with his debased morality, the foe of man is well acquainted with the knowledge of how to gratify the longings of sin and those manners which act contrary to the will of God. Therefore, to follow earthly rationale and practice—when it is to be Christ’s humility, gentleness and purity that molds the spirit—will cause a dual growth of righteous seed and the thistles of apostasy and corruption, to take place within. Though this conflict in cultivation may exist for a time, we must consider that one will eventually dominate and choke out the other. Both God and Satan have seed they wish to sow in you. These are but offered varieties at market, and we the agronomist, who exercises his volition and decides which is to be chosen and purchased for production. What fruit, do you suppose, will issue forth if our lives and conscience are dictated by earthly practice instead of God’s revealed will? Shall a Christ-like character be cultivated from earthly seed? Will not sensual, carnal characters come forth from those practices designed to pacify carnal lusts? This is true, for we are taught of Scripture that whatsoever is sown, the same will be reaped. Galatians 6:7. We must do away with an earth-like estimation for life and practice, and “the sin which doth so easily beset us,” molding our lives by truth and by a bond to Christ instead. It is the difference between life and death.

“Wherefore…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1.

The work of God upon us is brought to fruition “with patience.” Luke 8:15. This means “endurance, constancy” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). If complete transformation of character into the image of Christ—the “fruit” of God’s seed—was immediate, we would have no reason to be concerned with the possibility of interruption. But because our transformation is not immediate, but progressive (2 Corinthians 3:18), the process must “endure” and be “constant” until the end if it is to come to full fruition and not be halted before the time. Not only was this stated in the Gospels, but also in the above verse in Hebrews, and Romans, where it declares that only to those who by “patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality” will “eternal life” be given. Romans 2:6, 7. This is why we are instructed to “lay aside every weight”—all that should hinder our transformation. It is true that we are “born again” (John 3:5-7). But it does not stop there; we must go on to the next stage in our transformation, for we start out as “newborn babes” (1 Peter 2:2), and then must continue to “grow up into” Christ (Ephesians 4:15) “till” we reach “the measure of the stature” of the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:13). Clearly, we see a progression in godliness, not in that which God possesses, but in that which man acquires. Yet even if one unconsciously wanders from the paths of truth, and worldly customs are adopted, becoming somewhat halted in his spiritual growth, a tender and submissive heart would receive the alerts and corrections that are sent from Him who is the Author of salvation, and which will restore the believer’s unity with Himself and progress in the way. As the Master said, they whose hearts remain tender and submitted to Him will “bring forth fruit.” Mark 4:20. But a heart that is hardened would refuse the correction; refuse to turn from the worldly way, even though the correction had been sent him, as was the continual behavior of the children of Israel. And so is demonstrated the significance of walking humbly with God. We see the importance for the heart to be completely yielded to Christ. There is no fulfillment in bearing the image of this earth. The earth is an untrustworthy candidate in the role for leadership; deceitful in evaluating worth; deceived by the old serpent. Revelation 12:9. After tasting of its patterns and practices our spirit feels molested, and the longing of the heart for security remains unfulfilled. Is this not so? Fuller surrender to Christ, and seeking greater communion with Him who came to save man, will educate our minds on the unseen beauty of this communion, on righteousness, on the deceitfulness and emptiness of that worldly thing which before used to bring us pleasure. This the wisdom from above can alone teach (James 3:17), which we have only in Christ; and by seeing into the truth of righteousness and sin, we would no longer look for fulfillment in the wrong places but now in our unity with Him. “He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” 1 Corinthians 6:17. And we will find ourselves there, in drawing nearer to Him who is true, for His invitation is, “Come unto me…and I will give you rest.” With a “good and honest heart” we will experience the truest intimacy with the Teacher sent from God and learn liberating truths.

Additional Study Materials Available

• The New Covenant and The Law

• The Spirit of God

• The Importance of Understanding and Keeping God’s Commandments (According to the Scriptures)*

• Enter His Rest

• Sunday (the first day) in the New Testament*

• A treatise on God’s Sabbath

• The Law before Sinai

• The True Israel of God**

• The Rusty Woomer Story (Bill Stringfellow)*

• What Denomination Should I join? (Lynnford Beachy)

• Christ In You (Lynnford Beachy)

• What Must I Do To Be Saved…?

• By Beholding We Become Changed

• Christ Reflected (Alonzo T. Jones)

• The Faith of Jesus (Alonzo T. Jones)

• The Hour of His Judgment Is Come (Alonzo T. Jones)

• Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

• Changed By The Spirit

• A Need for Heavenly Enlightenment

• The Dangers of the Cares of Life

• Living for Christ and Keeping His Work

• Take Your Stand and Fight

• An Investigation of the Scriptures on Truth and Its Importance

• Hidden Truth

• Anathema Maranatha

• The God of Our Fathers

• Baalmass and Pagan Easter (L.B. Brunk)