The Mystery of the Word--Sown Along the Path

The Parable of the Sower, JESUS MAFA, 1973

Three of the four gospels include the Parable of the Sower. Luke's account of the seed on the path reads as follows:

“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it."  Luke 8:5

"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved." -Luke 8:11-12

Matthew adds the significant phrase "and does not understand it."

When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path." Matthew 13:19

Mark specifies the timing of this snatching, immediately:

"And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them." Mark 4:15

Our culture rejects the concepts of sin, hell, and the devil, belittling them as primitive, unenlightened.  The parable of the sower puts them squarely back in our court of nasty realities.

My immediate thoughts:

1. The 'trampled underfoot" suggests to me that the Word was not valued.

2. The Word of God is clearly critical in the lives of men.   It's the seed, the key element in this story.  It's the prize, valued by Satan and Jesus alike.

3. The Word can be taken from our hearts if and when we do not understand it.  There is something supernaturally different about understanding this word as opposed to understanding other writings.  We are told that a spiritual wrestling occurs over it and that "the devil," or "Satan," as Mark has it, sometimes wins, taking the Word away.

This clearly teaches that "spiritual warfare," a term that makes me wince a bi if I'm honest t because it is tossed around so carelessly in emotionally-driven Christian culture, is---whether we like it or not---a biblically sound reality.

4. Mark's "immediately" teaches that the stolen Word is not contemplated then rejected.  It doesn't linger in the mind or have a chance to begin germination.

4. Hearing the Word precedes and is key in salvation, for we are told the devil takes the word "so that they may not believe and be saved."

5. Belief precedes salvation.

6. People will hear and reject the Word, and the devil is the cause.

Questions I have:

Is the soil, the condition of our hearts?

Can the Word be taken from Christians too at other times?  Does the battle over it extend beyond salvation and into the process of sanctification impacting our continued growth and belief?