I am continuing to reflect on Jesus’ story: the parable of the sower in Matthew chapter 13: Jesus compares the growth of healthy seeds in four different types of soil. The seed is representative of the Gospel: the good news about the kingdom of God. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the seed or the message but the hearts of the listeners are in most cases ill prepared to receive the good news. Jesus implies that many of the hearers will not fully understand the truth about Jesus because their hearts are hard, consequently they do not listen. If their attitude was different, Jesus says they “might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them”. (Matthew 13:15) This is still true. Many people fail to respond to God’s Word because they are proudly reliant on their own way of handling their lives. They are distracted from hearing Jesus’ message and they miss the tremendous benefits that He offers: “healing”. Jesus can heal us from disease and even more importantly He wants to heal us from the consequences that our bad lives deserve: eternal punishment.

Isn’t it a tragedy that many men and women are living miserable lives, refusing to listen to Jesus and failing to receive the healing that He wants to offer us. We must challenge ourselves to consider whether we are really giving Jesus our full attention and receiving the healing that we need. Stubbornly refusing to pay attention to Jesus is like a foolish person refusing to go to the doctor when he is hardly able to breathe. Jesus offers much more than an inhaler to help an asthma sufferer breathe. He offers life in its fullness as well as eternal life, for Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life.”

Some people do listen temporarily to Jesus’ words, but not for long enough to receive long lasting benefit. Many of us are a bit like the patient who goes once to the doctor but does not actually take the medicine or return for future treatment. We can’t really blame the physician when we remain sick and neither can we blame Jesus if we do not allow Him to help us.

In Jesus’ parable some of the seed 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.”( Matthew 13:5-6). Jesus explains in verses 20-21 that this type of person hears God’s Word ‘with joy’ to start with but this is short lived for,”As he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.”

This is a real wake up call isn’t it? The church in the west has got used to having it easy. Typically, many Christians do not see the need to immerse themselves in the Bible because they enjoy a superficial awareness of Jesus. Sadly many pastors do not challenge their congregations to dig deep and to become mature Christians. Rather than expecting to be tested and challenged by difficult circumstances, many people who have a shallow belief in God, give up the moment they face difficulty. James wants us to expect trials and to rejoice in the maturity and strengthened faith that result from facing such challenges with Jesus: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1: 2-4)

It is essential that we realize that Christians must expect persecution in the same way that soldiers expect to be attacked. When we tell others the good news about Jesus (“sowing the seed”), we must not adapt the message to make it more acceptable. This might make us more popular but it would stop people discovering the only truth that can set them free. If we do not teach about sin and Hell, non Christians will not realize why they need Jesus’ offer of salvation. Christians are to suffer, and if we seek God’s help throughout the trial, our faith will become more mature and Christ like. Christians will be persecuted for their faith, just like Jesus was.

It is unpopular to teach that Jesus is the only way, and proclaiming a more tolerant message would lead to less opposition. However avoiding teaching the truth would lead to significant disappointment one day. Our goal must be to share the good news about Jesus and the bad news about our sinful state, irrespective of others’ responses. We need to explain that Jesus offers the only way to escape the eternal punishment that we deserve, and the only way to get to Heaven: a destination that so many look forward to. Instead of giving up, Paul describes how he and his companions respond to hunger and brutal persecution in 1 Corinthians 11-12: “When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it: when we are slandered, we answer kindly.”

Jesus will bless those who suffer or who are persecuted for His sake. We must not harden our hearts or give up the moment trouble or persecution challenge us, like a seedling that shrivels in the sun because it has so little root or depth. If you are experiencing opposition for being a Christian you are probably doing a good job of presenting Christ. Keep going, dig deeper into the Bible and persevere because Jesus loves you and your rewards in Heaven will be great. Our lives must not be about pain avoidance or seeking popularity now. “Now” is short lived but eternity is forever and our focus must be on pleasing the eternal king: Jesus.

www.WomenRespond.com

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