Lent Day 31 [4.9.2025] / The Good Soil

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23 / 마태복음 13:1-23

Matthew 7:20 - Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Overview:

Our scripture today provides a rare account in which Jesus would present a parable and then explicitly outline the meaning and intent of His teaching. The parable of the sower portrays a farmer who went out to sow his seed. Some of the seed he had scattered fell upon the path, where the birds came and ate them. Yet, some other seeds fell on rocky places where the soil was shallow. The plants sprang up but were scorched in the sun due to the lack of roots. Still other seeds fell among thorns that choked the plants when they grew. Finally, a group of seeds had fallen on good soil where the seeds produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. The various parts of the parable liken to our lives in this way: the sower represents Jesus Christ, the seed represents the gospel, and the soil represents our hearts. Following Jesus’ teaching regarding this parable found in verses 18-23, how can we become like the good soil that produced a harvest a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown through our lives?

The Path:

Firstly, Jesus explains that the path represents those who would hear the message of the kingdom of God, but fail to understand it. In due time, the enemy would come to snatch away the truth just as the birds would come to eat up the seeds. As we know, a path would not be suitable to plant crops because of its compact nature. In order to be feasible, the soil would need to be plowed and overturned to leave room for the seeds to take hold and soak in the necessary nutrients for growth. However, the path had become compact because over time, the constant trampling and weight-bearing cargo that had passed over it would have caused it to harden and callous. What kind of people does Jesus describe as resembling the path? The ones who are unreceptive, unyielding, and even hostile to the message of the gospel. They may have dealt with a series of significant tragedies, traumas, or have become consumed with the distractions, trophies, and busyness of life that their hearts have become helplessly compact and resistant to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Rocky Soil:

Secondly, the rocky soil represents those who would hear the message of the kingdom of God and receive it with great initial joy, but wither under the sun due to its shallow roots. The rocky soil portrays a faith-living riddled with spiritual highs but lacking in personal devotion. In other words, faith became about the fun, the hype, the community, the surroundings, and circumstances rather than about Jesus Christ Himself. It is interesting that Jesus would describe the tests and trials of life as the sun. We know that plants need sunlight to grow, but due to their shallow roots, the very process that should grow them actually caused them to whither. When we live out our faith for the wrong reasons, the tests and trials that God places in our lives to grow us in our faith cause us to stumble and fall. In other words, if we are living our faith for any other reason besides Jesus Christ, our conditional limitations for following Jesus would not nurture our devotion and desperation for God but rather cause our ultimate disenchantment and disillusionment of following Jesus.

The Field of Thorns:

Thirdly, the field of thorns represents those who would choke the gospel with the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth. In other words, the field of thorns portrays those who live with a desire for security from the world but not from Jesus Christ. Though the soil may be good for growth, allowing darkness, wickedness, and sin to grow alongside the gospel would distort, corrupt, and twist the kingdom message and cause it to be unfruitful. Worry and false security are two of our greatest idols that keep us from trusting in God and shackle our identity to fear and unrest. The process of producing good and Godly fruit in our lives has nothing to do with the seed itself nor the sower, but everything to do with the condition of the soil.

The Good Soil:

Finally, the good soil represents those who would hear the word of God and understand it. For such people, they would receive the message of the gospel and yield a miraculous harvest in their life of abundance and plenty. The good soil is receptive to the scattered seed, allowing for deeper roots to grow, and yielding a greater return compared to what was sown. When we receive the gospel and allow it to take root in our lives, God bears much fruit in and through our lives. Such fruit represents the kind of security, peace, courage, love, joy, freedom, and eternal life that only Jesus Christ can provide.

How can we be the good soil?

In whatever soil you identify with today, there is always work to be done in becoming the good soil that yields the character and gifts of Jesus Christ in abundance in our lives and through our lives for others. For those whose hearts are like the path, we are to re-plow our hearts by letting go of our past or by letting go of our busyness to make room for Jesus. For others whose hearts are like the rocky soil, we are to deepen our desire and desperation for God by building a personal and secret faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. Overcome the spiritual highs by seeking after Jesus away from the hype and crowd. Those who identify with the thorn infested soil are called to hope in heaven not in the world. Jesus Christ and His ultimate recognition and love for us does not feel new and impactful at times not because He is not enough, but because we are still entertaining and flirting with sinful and vain living. In these ways, God is transforming our often calloused, overpacked, and fickle hearts into good soil that would bear His glory and gifts miraculously, powerfully, and abundantly.

Reflection:

1. What soil do I identify with the most today?

2. How can I become even better soil that produces an abundant harvest of Godly fruit?

   
   

Prayer:

1. God, thank you for teaching me the result of certain attitudes and hearts when it comes to receiving the message of the gospel. Help me to become more like the good soil that receives and understands the gospel deeply.

2. Jesus, thank you for sowing in my heart the message of your life, death, and resurrection that grants eternal life.

3. Holy Spirit, help me to bear much fruit this season by deepening my relationship with God.

   
   

씨 뿌리는 자의 비유

오늘의 성경 말씀은 예수님께서 비유를 말씀하시고, 그 비유의 의미와 목적을 직접 설명해주신 드문 경우 중 하나입니다. 씨 뿌리는 자의 비유는 한 농부가 씨를 뿌리는 이야기로 시작됩니다. 어떤 씨는 길가에 떨어져 새들이 와서 먹어버렸고, 어떤 씨는 흙이 얕은 돌밭에 떨어져 싹은 났지만 뿌리가 없어 햇볕에 말라버렸습니다. 또 다른 씨는 가시덤불 사이에 떨어져 자라던 중 가시에 막혀 자라지 못했고, 마지막으로 어떤 씨는 좋은 땅에 떨어져 100배, 60배, 30배의 결실을 맺었습니다. 이 비유에서 각 요소는 우리의 삶을 다음과 같이 비유합니다: 씨를 뿌리는 자는 예수 그리스도이시며, 씨는 복음을 의미하고, 땅(흙)은 우리의 마음을 나타냅니다.

길가:

예수님은 먼저 길가에 떨어진 씨에 대해 설명하셨습니다. 이는 하나님 나라의 말씀을 듣고도 깨닫지 못하는 사람을 의미합니다. 결국 악한 자가 와서 그 마음에 뿌려진 것을 빼앗아 가는 것입니다. 길은 오랜 시간 사람이나 짐들이 밟고 지나가며 단단해지고 굳어져, 씨가 뿌리내릴 수 없는 상태가 됩니다. 예수님께서 말씀하신 이 ‘길가 같은 마음’은 복음에 대해 마음이 굳어져 있는 사람들을 뜻합니다. 이들은 큰 상처나 트라우마를 겪었거나, 세상의 바쁨, 성취, 유혹에 휩싸여 마음이 닫히고 굳어진 상태일 수 있습니다.

돌밭:

두 번째는 돌밭입니다. 이 땅은 말씀을 들으면 기쁨으로 받지만 뿌리가 얕아 시련이나 박해가 올 때 쉽게 넘어지는 사람을 나타냅니다. 이들은 감정적인 고조나 공동체 분위기 등에 의해 신앙을 시작하지만, 예수님 그분 자신에 대한 깊은 헌신이 부족한 상태입니다. 예수님은 시련과 시험을 '햇볕'으로 비유하셨는데, 원래는 자라게 하는 역할을 하는 햇볕이지만 뿌리가 얕으면 오히려 타버리게 됩니다. 이는 믿음을 잘못된 이유로 시작한 경우, 시련이 우리를 자라게 하기보다는 오히려 넘어지게 만든다는 뜻입니다.

가시덤불:

세 번째는 가시덤불에 떨어진 씨입니다. 이는 말씀을 들었지만, 세상의 염려와 재물의 유혹에 막혀 열매를 맺지 못하는 사람을 의미합니다. 땅은 좋아 보일 수 있지만, 동시에 죄와 악, 세상 염려가 함께 자라고 있어 복음을 막는 것입니다. 걱정과 거짓된 안전은 우리가 하나님을 신뢰하지 못하게 하고, 결국 두려움과 불안이라는 사슬에 얽매이게 합니다. 좋은 열매를 맺지 못하는 것은 씨나 뿌리는 자의 문제가 아니라, 오직 땅(우리 마음)의 상태 때문입니다.

좋은 땅:

마지막으로 좋은 땅은 말씀을 듣고 깨닫는 사람을 의미합니다. 이들은 복음을 받아들이고 삶에서 놀라운 열매를 맺습니다. 좋은 땅은 씨를 잘 받아들이고 깊은 뿌리를 내릴 수 있도록 하며, 뿌려진 것보다 훨씬 많은 열매를 맺게 합니다. 우리가 복음을 마음에 받아들이고 깊이 뿌리내리게 하면, 하나님은 우리의 삶 속에서 놀랍고 풍성한 열매를 맺으십니다. 이 열매는 예수 그리스도만이 주실 수 있는 평안, 사랑, 기쁨, 자유, 영생을 의미합니다.

어떻게 하면 좋은 땅이 될 수 있을까?

지금 내가 어느 땅과 같다고 느껴지든지, 우리는 모두 좋은 땅이 되기 위한 노력을 할 수 있습니다. 길가 같은 마음을 가진 이들은 과거를 내려놓고, 바쁜 일상을 멈추며 마음을 다시 갈아엎어 예수님께 자리를 내어드려야 합니다. 돌밭 같은 마음을 가진 이들은 조용하고 은밀한 가운데 예수님과의 개인적인 관계를 쌓아가며 깊은 믿음을 키워야 합니다. 영적 고조나 분위기에 의존하지 않고 진짜 예수님을 찾는 것이 중요합니다. 가시덤불 같은 마음은 이 땅이 아니라 하늘에 소망을 두어야 합니다. 예수님께서 충분하지 않게 느껴지는 이유는 예수님이 부족해서가 아니라 우리가 아직 세상적인 것들과 죄악을 붙들고 있기 때문입니다. 이러한 노력들을 통해 하나님께서는 우리의 굳어지고 바쁘며 불안정한 마음을 기적적이고 풍성하게 열매 맺는 좋은 땅으로 바꾸어 가십니다.

묵상 질문:

1. 나는 오늘 어떤 땅과 같은 마음을 가지고 있습니까?

2. 내가 더 풍성한 열매를 맺는 좋은 땅이 되기 위해 어떤 노력을 할 수 있을까요?

   
   

기도문:

1. 하나님, 복음을 대하는 다양한 마음의 태도와 결과를 가르쳐주셔서 감사합니다. 제가 복음을 깊이 이해하고 받아들이는 좋은 땅과 같은 사람이 되게 하소서.

2. 예수님, 제 마음에 생명과 부활의 복음을 뿌려주셔서 감사합니다.

3. 성령님, 이 시즌에 제가 하나님과 더 깊은 관계를 맺고 많은 열매를 맺게 도와주세요.