Walking the Parable of the Sower: Among the Thorns
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I used to be in a small English class in high school. I always found it strange (even though it was intended to be sweet) that the teacher called me “The rose among the thorns.” Now, I remember this story as I ponder the parable of the sower and how hard it can be to thrive in this world with so many thorns trying to squeeze out every ounce of hope we have in the gospel of Jesus.
Everyone is in a real battle of Jesus versus the world. Will people receive the gospel and grow or will they be choked by what the world overshadows? Today we will learn more about the seed among the thorns.
Overview of the Parable
As a reminder, there are four types of soil found in this parable.
1. Along the Path
2. Rocky Ground
3. Among the Thorns
4. Good Soil
Lisa Loraine Baker, in her article, explains the meaning of each of these:
The Sower – Jesus Christ
The Seeds – The Gospel of the kingdom, the Word of God
The Bird – The evil one
The Soil – Our hearts and minds, we who are presented with the Gospel of God's Kingdom.
How Jesus Explains This Parable
“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants” (Matthew 13:7).
A seed that falls among thorns is not in a place for successful growth. It is in a danger zone of potential attack from the thorns. The gospel that is shared with a person who’s “heart soil” is thorny does not end up thriving and growing in Christ. The thorns block the blessing.
“The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).
We see the reasons someone’s faith is choked:
- Worries of this life
- The deceitfulness of wealth
This person hears the gospel, but because the worries of the world and deceitfulness of wealth surround them and overtake them, they spiritually suffocate and cannot survive and bear fruit. They may have heard the Word of God, but they never received it with joy and looked to God to breathe life into them. They chose to look to their love for the world rather than to Jesus.
I think about the desire to be in control. We can trace back the first deception to the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eve wanted to be like God. Trying to be God because of the worries of the world is not a good solution to the need for a Savior. True freedom comes in surrender to Jesus in the gospel. A person who wants to “be god” and have it all and be in control seems to be doing fine and often looks successful in the world’s eyes. But the worries and the deception of wealth choke them in the end. There is no true new life in Jesus nor is there growth. It is shallow.
Real Life Examples
Jesus is described as the Light of the world. Just like the sun gives life and grows plants, Jesus gives life to us and grows us in our faith.
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12).
John emphasizes that Jesus called Himself the Light of the world. He teaches that anyone who follows Him will not walk in darkness. The tricky part about thorns is that, at first, a plant might find the shade nice and even helpful or comforting. But shade is still darkness. Suddenly, the plant finds itself covered in the dark without the light, dying. The world appears appealing, but actually is slowly suffocating people spiritually every day. Thorns are all around.
I find it beautiful that John begins his book talking about the victory of Jesus in the light.
“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5).
When the Light of Jesus has truly come into someone’s heart and this person has been born again, the darkness will not overcome them. The person who is among the thorns might hear the gospel and even agree with it, but they have chosen to gain the world and lose their soul. They reject the light and receive the world.
“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36).
I just had a conversation with a man at a coffee shop who trains hospital teams in the newest technology for life support. It just hit me that as I am writing about the spiritually suffocating person, God has aligned my path with a man who is in my community training others to help support lives. They are like the seeds who fell among the thorns. They are hopeless without life support. WebMD describes life support as “a machine that helps someone breathe.” This person cannot breathe on their own, they need support to live.
Goodness of God Ministries shares, “The thorns continue to rapidly press against the plant and soon it cannot take in the sunshine, moisture, oxygen and nutrients essential to its survival. Engulfed in the shadow of the thorns, the plant begins to choke as the slow process of suffocation starts.”
Let that soak in for a moment. Thorns continue to put pressure on the plant to where it cannot receive the sunlight. The shadows overcome the plant and the plant is deprived of oxygen. A suffocating plant can be compared to a spiritually suffocating person. The person may not even realize that they are running out of spiritual oxygen until they are completely overcome by the “thorns of life.”
Although I would argue that a believer in Jesus cannot be choked out from God’s family, I would say that we can experience setbacks in our growth when we are tempted by the worries and desires of the world. We need to be intentional in seeking Him.
How People Experience the Breath of Life from God
1. We Are All Physically Alive
God created mankind by breathing into Adam and Eve. Everyone who is alive has experienced the breath of God.
“Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).
“The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).
2. To Those Jesus Gives the Holy Spirit
Jesus also connects the concept of breath with new life after His resurrection and before His ascension. He uses His breath to encourage new life through the Holy Spirit to His disciples. (Note: the Holy Spirit comes in Acts 2 after Jesus’ ascension. There are various views on this verse, so dig deeper in personal study for interpretation). The point I am making here is that Jesus used the concept of breath to symbolize new life with the Holy Spirit, just like He spoke about being born again.
“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:21-22).
3. In Reading the Bible: The Word of God
We see that the Bible is literally breathed by God. He spoke it into existence and His Word is forever.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
In other words, we go to God’s Word for spiritual oxygen and growth.
The Gospel Among the Thorns
Thorns overtake plants and prevent them from receiving light and oxygen. They overpower them and stop them from living and growing. The sad part is that thorns in life might appear like good things in our culture: wealth, security, comfort, control, etc. However, these things can overshadow a relationship with God. We must be aware and lovingly warn others of the temptation to seek the world over receiving Jesus.
Related articles
Walking the Parable of the Sower: Rocky Ground
Walking the Parable of the Sower: Along the Path
Walking the Parable of the Sower: Good Soil
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