Matthew 13:3-9 Then HE told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”
[New International translation]
Summary
JESUS spoke and taught in parables. HE used simple stories to illustrate a spiritual or moral lesson.
The “parable of the sower” is one of the parables of JESUS that illustrate a number of points. JESUS explains this parable in the later verses of Matthew 13. The various scatterings of seed represent various scenarios that can occur when a person hears the Gospel. For example:
- The hard path where some of the seeds fell represents the heart of a person who
hears the Gospel and doesn’t understand it, treasure it or values it; then Satan (i.e., the evil one) comes and snatches away the seeds from his heart. (Verses18-19) - The shallow, rock soil represents the heart of a man who hears the message and receives it joyfully. But the man doesn’t have much depth or substance (he’s rather shallow), and the message seeds are planted hastily and without the man delving deep into the Gospel. As a result, when trouble comes, or persecution begins, the man’s has no roots to fortify him, so his joy and enthusiasm fade and he let’s go of the message and drops out. (Verses 20-22)
- The ground covered with thistles represents a man who hears the message, but the cares of this life and his longing for money (i.e., the deceitfulness of wealth) chokes out GOD’s message so that over time the man does less and less for GOD. This man wants a crown without a cross; the pleasure of life without eternal life. (Verses 22)
- The good ground presents the heart of a man who listens to the message and understands it, feels the urgency of the message and the desire to serve, spreads the Gospel, bringing others into GOD’s fold. (Verse 23)
Each one of these illustrations is worth studying in detail. Each one is worth praying about. Each one is worth asking, as the disciples asked at the Passover meal, “LORD is it I.” (Matthew 26:22) Am I that one? “Is that one me?” “Is that what I am becoming?”
Some of us may even ask ourselves if the place where I worship is the kind of “soil” that makes it easy for someone to “hear” the Gospel. Are we a “hard” soil church? Are we a “thistle” church, “tripping others up with protocol or “pointy comments” that hurt others’ hearts? Are we good, nurturing soil place of worship, ready to provide the nutrients for those “thirsty” for a relationship, a supportive nurturing environment and GOD’s WORD?”
Obviously, there are a number of ways to receive a message, to hear or listen to a message, to be a message or to lay the “ground work” for the message and THE MESSENGER.
The Meat Message
On October 26, 2015, an international panel of cancer experts with the World Health Organization (WHO) made an important announcement about red meat, processed meat and cancer risk. Processed meats are bacon, cold cuts, ham, hot dogs, salami, bologna, corn beef, canned meat, jerky, sausage, most deli meats and those meats in jars based in sauces. They are generally meats that have been cured, have had salt or preservatives added to them to extend their “shelf life,” or change their taste.
Red meats include: beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse and goat. After pouring over more than 800 research reports, the cancer experts with the World Health Organization made a statement.
According to WebMD, this group has been making statements since the 1970’s, classifying various substances, from chemicals in foods to particles in air pollution. Substances are classified in 5 tiers:
- Group 1: Carcinogenic -- causes cancer
- Group 2A: Probably causes cancer
- Group 2B: Possibly causes cancer
- Group 3: Can’t tell -- not enough evidence
- Group 4: Doesn’t cause cancer
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a branch of the World Health Organizations, processed meat is in Group 1 and red meat is in Group 2A. Processed meats are now in the top tier with tobacco and asbestos. See, “Meat and Cancer, What’s The Risk?” by Brenda Goodman, MA, reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD on October 26, 2015; www.webmd.com/food-recipes/20151026/meat-cancer-risk.
WebMD notes that processed meats “have long been linked” to certain cancers of the digestive tract, especially colorectal and stomach cancers. As one scientist put it, this is really nothing new. The fact that the World Health Organization is saying it just gives the connection between processed meat and cancer, “more weight.” Id. It also helps spread the message.
It was reported that “50 grams of processed meat per day, less than 2 slices of bacon [or the amount of meat equivalent to an average size hot dog], increased the chance of developing colorectal cancer by 18%.” However, there were no specific guidelines regarding red meat consumption. Wed MD notes that while the WHO has made no specific red meat guidelines, the WHO reported that a person’s cancer risk will rise the more they eat.
How well have Americans heeded the red and processed meat message? According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, annual meat production is predicted to rise from a level of 218 million tonnes recorded in 1999 to 379 million tonnes by 2030. The trend is toward increased meat consumption! See, www.wcrf.org/int/cancer-facts-figures/link-between-lifestyle-cancer-risk/red-processed-meat
The United States has one of the highest levels of meat consumption in the world. China and North Korea have been in the group of lowest consumption countries.
Animal consumption also impacts the environment. In “Eat less meat to avoid dangerous global warning, scientist say,” researchers with the Oxford Martin School found that intensive livestock-rearing to be a major cause of greenhouse gasses because of the methane produced by animals and the massive slurry pits necessary for these large animal farms. Animal rearing also diverts large amounts of water and grain. For example, it has been reported that raising animals for food consumption uses more than half of all water consumed in the U.S. A pig farm produces the same amount of raw waste as a city of 12,000 people. See, www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/21/eat-less-meat-vegetarianism-dangerous-global-warming.
Like other cancer reports involving money making industries getting the message out to the public has not been easy. Like cigarettes, and other cancer causing money making products, it may take years, if ever, before there are cancer warning on packages of bacon, ham, hot dogs or other processed meats, and poultry, despite the fact that The Center of Science in the Public Interest and other consumer watchdog agencies have been calling for the US Department of Agriculture to do so. See, https://cspinet.org/news/cancer-warning-label-urged-processed-meat-poultry-20161201.
For those who hear, the real question will be what will you do with the message?
Listen to the Messages
Some messages have been around a long, long time:
-Love GOD;
-Love your neighbor as yourself;
-Eat fruits and vegetables;
-Exercise;
-Reduce stress;
-Don’t smoke;
-Limit sugar and salt;
-Seek and work for justice;
-Stand up against injustice.
We receive many important messages in a lifetime. Some of these “seeds” were planted a long ago. The World Health Organization message about processed meat and cancer was announced in 2015, about two years ago. The Living Bible translation of Matthew 13:9 states: “If you have ears, listen!”
So, today, please listen! Take the message “seeds” about achieving greater physical and spiritual health to heart and please pray.
Ask GOD what you should do and BE BLESSED!
