The Purpose of the Parables
9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Observations and Reflections
As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
So far, Jesus has taught the disciples about bearing good fruit and practicing what they believe. This parable about the good and bad ground is in the same vein. The one who is going soil is the person who takes the seed, waters it, and allows it to mature into a fruit bearing tree. None of these elements can be missing if one wants to be a disciple that Christ is looking for.
However, we must recognize that it’s a process for new Christians. When one becomes a Christian, we must surround them as a body and help them to water the seed of faith and bring it to maturity. This is a long process sometimes so we must be able to treat our brothers and sisters with patience.