The Four Soils - The Gospels

In this Bible Story, Jesus speaks about the four soils. He tells of what happens to many different hearts when they come in contact with the word of God. This story is inspired by Mark 4:1-32 Matthew 13:1-23, 31-32. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Mark 4:32 from the King James Version.

Episode 187: As Jesus was teaching crowds on the shores of Galilee, He began to tell a parable about a farmer sowing seeds. The farmer sowed his seed into four different types of soil, yet only one yielded a crop. Not everyone in the crowd understood His meaning, however, and even His own disciples needed Him to explain this to them. But in the end, we find that this timeless parable is a tale about our own hearts in response to God’s Word.

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Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard

Producer: Ben Gammon

Hosted by: Pastor Jack Graham

Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith

Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray, and when it is sown, it groweth
up and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out
great branches, so that the fowls of the air may
lodge under the shadow of it, Mark four thirty two.
Those who have ears to hear here these words are

(00:22):
the staples in which I am listening to to day's reading. Lord,
I thank you that you have given me the Bible
to help lead and guide me in the way that
I should live my life. Jesus, thank you for being
the personification of the living Word here on earth. As

(00:42):
I meditate on to Day's truth found in Matthew thirteen
and Mark fourth one through thirty two, I realize that
your word is the seed in which all my purpose
and destiny will blossom and come forth. Therefore, my heart
will not be like the soil that allowed your seed
to lay unprotected, so that other people around me can

(01:05):
steal what You've deposited in me. My heart will not
be like the shallow soil that could not allow the
root of your word to take hold, so that when
the trials of life come, it withers under the heat
of pressure. I also declare that I will not let
your word fall on the thorns of life and become

(01:29):
so focused on my trials that they choke your promises
out of my thoughts and speech. I declare that my
heart and my life is good soil. I declare that
I'm healthy and ready to have your word produce a

(01:49):
crop of abundance thirty sixty, a hundredfold in Jesus's name. Amen,
Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
with God by listening to today's Bible story, brought to
you by Bible in a Year dot com The Four Soils.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
In our last story, Jesus accepted a sinful and broken
woman who had been scorned by the world. He rebuked
the Pharisees for their judgment. Now Jesus reveals more about
the Kingdom of God through the story of the Four Soils,
inspired by the Gospels.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, Jesus was
shown extravagant love and honor by a sinful woman who
entered a home and wiped the Lord's feet with her
tears and hair before bathing them in expensive perfume. Jesus
used this occasion to teach those gathered with him, many

(03:01):
of them religious leaders who felt that they were righteous
and justified by their good deeds. A lesson about forgiveness
and the proper response of those who have received that grace.
Today we'll hear Jesus teaching about different ways in which
God's word is received and what happens to the seeds
planted in different kinds of soil. It's one of the

(03:22):
most famous stories Jesus ever gave, so let's hear it
now from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
The seagulls flew gracefully across the face of the calm ocean.
The gentle breeze rocked the anchored boats slightly. As Jesus
sat at the front of a ship, thousands of people
sat on the shore listening to his words and wisdom.
They were enraptured by him. Jesus smiled and began to
speak of a farmer and his seed. There once was

(03:51):
a farmer, and he went out to sow his seed
among his land. Some of the seeds fell along the roadside.
They were vulnerable and easily swept up by the birds.
Other seeds fell on rocky soil. They sprung up quick
with water and sun, but they died just as quickly
because their roots could not go deep enough. Some of
the seed fell among thorny soil. Once they grew, the

(04:15):
weeds choked the life out of the planets. Jesus paused
for a moment and looked around the crowd. He stood
to his feet and lifted his fingers, saying, but there
were some seeds that fell on good soil. It was soft, pleasant,
and yielded great fruit. Some of the crops increased thirtyfold
and sixtyfold, some even one hundredfold. Whoever has an ear

(04:38):
to truly hear here. Then the people left back to
their homes, and Jesus was by the camp fire with
his disciples. Silence fell among the disciples as they gazed
at the stars. The flames flew up to the skies.
The sound of popping wood and crashing waves filled the silence.
Do you understand the story I told them today? Jesus

(05:01):
asked his disciples. They looked up at him. If they
were being honest, none of them truly knew what he
was saying. Jesus laughed, how will you understand if you
don't ask? He said in jest. He picked up a
stick and poked the fire. The soil represents the Word
of God, Jesus said. The seeds that fell on the

(05:22):
road represent those that here, but Satan swoops up the
truth like the birds. The rocky soil represents those that
receive the Word with joy at first, but when hard
times fall, their root is shallow and they fall away.
The disciples began to nod. They were understanding Jesus as
he explained. The thorny soil represents the cares and worries

(05:46):
of the word. Some are so anxious that they are
unable to truly receive truth. They are choked by the
worries and cares of the world. Jesus grinned from cheek
to cheek. Then there's the good soil for those that
but hear the word and accept it. They do not
toil or worry. They simply receive with gladness. These are

(06:07):
those that will bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
Our reading today is an illustration of the kinds of
hearts that received God's truth, and how the seeds of
truth grow or wither in each kind of soil. Jesus
is speaking to his followers a larger crowd at first,
and he's using an agricultural image. This is something his
audience would have understood well. He spoke to the crowd,

(06:35):
telling them of a farmer who went out to spread seed.
Farming was much different in those days. No high tech
farming equipment of course, precise planting of seeds and neat
little rows. This farmer was just walking across his plot
of land, scattering seeds. It almost seemed haphazard. I picture
a man with a bag of seeds in one hand,

(06:56):
dipping his other hand into the bag and pulling out
a handful of seed that he tosses here and there,
letting them land where they may. So as he walks along,
the seed falls on four different kinds of soil. Some
doesn't even make it to the ground. It hits the
path and birds quickly eat it up. Some falls among
rocky ground, and though they sprouted, the seeds lacked nutrients

(07:19):
and water, so the plants withered. A third bunch fell
among the thorns. The soil was good enough for the
plants to grow, but the environment around them was hazardous
and toxic, and the thorns choked out the crops. But
some of the seed fell in a good soil. It
grew strong and healthy and produced a great crop, yielding

(07:40):
one hundredfold. That's the good stuff. Jesus then said to
the crowd, whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.
The disciples asked why he spoke in parables, and he
responded that the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven had
not been given to them, but to the disciples. In
other words, Jesus was going to give these men special

(08:01):
insight into the things of God, into the Kingdom of God,
to prepare them for what is to come. Jesus also
said he spoke in parables to reveal truth to those
who would respond to it and receive it. He said
in Matthew thirteen, sixteen and seventeen, blessed to your eyes
because they see in your ears, because they hear. For truly,

(08:22):
I tell you, many prophets and righteous people long to
see what you see but did not see it, and
to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
The disciples were hungry for understanding, so Jesus explained this
parable to them. The seeds represented the word of God
and the soil represented human hearts. Some hear God's word,

(08:45):
but the enemy comes and snatches away the word. It
never takes root in the heart, so it never grows.
The rocky ground represents the hearts that accept the word quickly,
but without any depth. The root of truth doesn't establish itself,
and so when troubles arise, those people fall away from
the Word. Still others represented by the thorny ground, receive

(09:09):
the word and it sprouts in their heart, but worldly
worries choke them out and they never produce any fruit.
The good soil represents the heart that receives the word
and bears much fruit. This is the heart of the
believer who understands God's word. The truth of the Gospel
grows in their heart and they yield fruit for the

(09:29):
Kingdom because they believe what God has said. That's an
important word for us here as believers today, we are
to be sowers of seeds. We are to give the
Gospel to the world and spread it to the hearts
of men. The yield does not depend on us, and
we are not to pick and choose where we sow
the seed. We are to share all the Gospel with

(09:53):
all men, until the whole world hears. Some will receive
the truth and yield fruit, but others, for various reasons,
will either never receive the word or will never bear fruit. Nevertheless,
it is the calling of every one of us who
name the name of Christ, who are followers of Jesus,

(10:13):
to be witnesses of the Gospel, to sow the seeds
of truth and to trust God for the harvest. God,
we thank you that your word is always effective, that
it always accomplishes your purposes. May we boldly proclaim your truth.
Thank You that we have been called to participate in

(10:33):
the ministry of the Gospel by sowing seeds among men
and women. That as many as will receive Christ can
be saved by your grace and your love because of
your cross and resurrection. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Thank you for listening to Today's Bible in a year.
I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download

(10:54):
the pray dot Com app and make Bible study and
prayer the priority of your life. If you appreciate this podcast,
please share it with someone else. I also want to
encourage you to go to Jack Graham dot org. That's
Jack Graham dot org for information. God bless you