GARDENER

Jesus had His twelve Apostles with Him and crowds were gathered together at the sea side where He was. Women who had been healed of evil spirits and illnesses were there. Mary, called Magdalene, had seven devils who Jesus cast out of her, Joanna who was the wife of Herod's steward, Suzanna and many others ministered to Jesus. He got into a ship and the people stood on the shore and listened as He told this parable.

A gardener went out to plant. And when he planted, some seeds fell along the way. They were stepped on and birds came and devoured them up. Some fell on stony places where there wasn't much dirt and they sprang up quickly because they weren't planted deep. When the sun came up they were scorched because they didn't have good roots and they withered away. Some fell amidst thorns and the thorns grew and choked them. But some fell into good ground, and produced fruit, some one hundredfold. He that has ears to hear, let him hear (understand).

The Apostles came up to Jesus and said, Why do you talk to them in parables? Jesus told them, Because you're shown the hidden TRUTH of the Kingdom of Heaven but to those who are without faith, all these things are done in parables. Whoever has (faith), to him will be given more, and whoever doesn't have (faith), from him will be taken away all that he has, because they have eyes but don't see, and have ears but don't hear or understand. In them, the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled (Isaiah 6:9-13), By hearing you will hear, and will not understand; and seeing you will see and will not perceive: Because these peoples’ heart is become callous and their ears are dull of hearing, and they've closed their eyes; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous men have wanted to see the things that you see, and haven't seen them, and to hear the things that you hear, and haven't heard them.

Learn then, what the parable of the sower means. When anyone hears the Word of the Kingdom and doesn't understand it, then the devil comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. This is the person who received seed that fell along the way. The one who received the seed in stony places is the person who hears the Word, and immediately receives it with joy, but he has no roots in himself. He holds on for a little while but when tribulation or persecution arise because of his beliefs, he stumbles. Likewise, the one that received seed amidst the thorns is the person who hears the Word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth, choke the Word, and he can't produce fruit. But the one that receives seed into good ground is the person that hears the Word, understands it, bears fruit and spreads the Word to hundreds.

Jesus isn't the kind of teacher who is giving you a surprise pop quiz to see how much you understand. He grades you on your heart. Don't expect to understand every verse in your Bible the very first time you read them. If you don't, it doesn't mean that you're one of the people who Jesus and Isaiah were talking about. Your desire to search for the meaning of the parables is just as important as the parables themselves and that's what makes you the good ground.

Never let the devil's lies convince you that you that you're not worthy because of any reason. Look back to the beginning of this story, a woman who had 7 devils in her, was now ministering to Jesus. The wife of Herod's butler also ... you remember Herod? The one who had John the Baptist thrown in prison and did many other evil things. In fact, if the Kingdom of Heaven was only for those who were worthy, it would be vacant.

Take good care of your garden. Plant the seeds … read your Bible, listen to good Christian music, read good Christian books, etc. Water and fertilize often (pray), and God will do the increase (make you grow as a Christian). Weed out the bad and you can expect an abundant harvest that will feed your soul an hundredfold and you can share it with others.