Pieces of the Puzzle (Matthew 13:19)

Matthew 13:19 says, "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, then comes the wicked one and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside."

SIGNIFICANT FACTOR

Matthew is the only one that mentions the fact that "understanding" is a significant factor in this "soil" not producing fruit.

[It must be noted too, that despite this being a parable to be reflected on for meaning, the people at that time did have a certain degree of comprehension of the basics of this parable, in that the terms Jesus used were not unfamiliar in Rabbinic teaching. "Sower", was a common symbol for a teacher; "sowing", was used for teaching; "seed" was used for words; and "soils", for students.]

TYPE OF SOIL

What is especially important about this first type of soil, is what is so obviously stated, but perhaps not readily considered, which is the fact that this type of soil is the trodden down; hard, almost impenetrable, well worn walking path.                                                                                                                                        

In other words, the odds of the seed gaining a lodging, in practical, agricultural terms, is pretty slim. However, it is not impossible, in that the devil is still extremely aggressive about insuring that it does not find some crack or opening, to gain an entrance, and grow up to become, whatever type of word seed that it is.

ISAIAH 6:9-10

The commentary by Jesus, previous to the explanation of the parable, is also significant. (Matt. 13:11-17). Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 6:9-10, and gives insight as to why this type of soil is referred to as the well trodden path. 

In Isaiah 6:9, the words "hear" and "see", in the Hebrew, express continued intensive action. What that means, to paraphrase the verse, is "...you hear and you keep on hearing, but you don't understand, and you see and you keep on seeing, but you do not perceive.."

HARDENED

The thought conveyed, from Isaiah, is that Israel had heard, and heard, and heard, the message so many times, and obviously not responded in repentance or obedience, to the point, that their hearts were now hardened to what they heard, like the well worn walking path in the parable.                                                                                                                        

They were dull of hearing, to quote another biblical term, in that the message was still being communicated, but there was no response, other than indifference. They heard the annoyance of the sound of the words, but the seriousness of the content was not registering or being perceived. The message was not valued by them. [ see the word study Value as Precious ].

(They needed to "understand" the word that was being spoken.)

UNDERSTAND

This word is a compound word, from the prefix, "together", and the root, "to put". Therefore, the meaning is "to put together". It carries the idea of assembling individual facts together, much like a person would take the individual pieces of a puzzle, and putting them together to form a complete picture.

Originally, it referred to what was perceived by the natural senses, but not just the act of perception. but the active analysis of that perception to derive significance as to the meaning of the information gathered by the senses.

PROGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT

There was a progressive development in the word:

1) Perception - by the senses of what was going on through touch; taste; smell; hearing; seeing.

2) Taking Note - of what was perceived. This involved a focused attention upon the action occurring.

3) Grasping - This is the third step in the process, where perception and focused attention gives way to significance, or the actual meaning of what has been perceived and observed.

There is a fourth aspect to the word meaning, that is more implied, than specifically stated, which is:

4) To Accept and Act - on the understanding gained.                                                                                  

SPIRITUAL SENSES               

[In fact, the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek word, has a strong moral implication, in that there are those who have "understanding", and those who are "fools".]

To the Hebrews, "understanding" transitioned from merely the physical senses, to the spiritual senses, and was something that was imparted by God. This became the foundation for the Greek usage in the NT.

Though there is obvious perception through the physical senses, the most significant is that which is derived from the spiritual perception of the heart.

APPLICATION

To apply this to the parable, and our lives,

1) This type of soil is hardened by repeated hearing without any response of obedience.

2) It is not hopeless, because the devil still "believes" that the seed can take root, or he wouldn't fight so hard to prevent that from happening.

3) It is important, for those of us who sow the word,  to make it as simple and understandable as possible, knowing that there has to be:

(a) perception and

 (b) focused attention, for people to

(c) grasp the significance of what is being said.

We must take the pieces of the puzzle, and put them together for the hearers, in a manner so they can see the full picture.

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours.