Understanding the Parable of the Sower: the Stony Ground

This week, we’re discussing the second group Jesus addresses in the Parable of the Sower: the stony ground. 

As a reminder from last week, we established that in this parable, the seed is the Word of God, while the ground the seed is sown in is the person. So what does it look like for a believer to be like stony ground?

Let’s look at what Jesus says.

In Matthew 13:5, He says:

“Some [seeds] fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.”

At first read, seed immediately springing up might sound like a good thing. The seed was planted and it’s yielded a crop which is what we want, right? The problem is you can’t rush perfection, and that’s exactly what happens here. 

If we keep reading on to verses 20-21, Jesus tells his disciples:

“But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.”

There is a certain amount of lukewarm behavior in the first three groups of the entire Parable of the Sower, the first of which we discussed last week. But it’s sadly apparent with this group because they are actually initially excited about their faith. They’re happy to choose Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they want to serve him, they look forward to sharing the good news of the gospel—but then reality sets in.

That is: most people aren’t as excited about what Jesus taught as you are. 

In Matthew 10:22 and John 15:18-19, Jesus makes it clear to his disciples that following Him is far from easy. He tells them that they “will be hated by all for My name’s sake” (Matt. 10:22) and “‘If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.’” (John 15:18-19).

It’s also reported through various historical accounts that each of the disciples suffered pretty gruesome deaths, directly or indirectly related to their efforts to preach the gospel to all nations. 

The sad reality is that this severe level of persecution still exists in many countries where Christianity is illegal or even punishable by death. But it’s not the only kind of “tribulation” or “persecution” that Christians may face. 

In a country like the United States, for example, the type of persecution you’ll likely deal with is being challenged by the non-believing world around you on principles you adhere to according to the Word. For example, things like abortion or sexual sin.

Voicing your biblical stance on issues like these can lead to being ostracized by your community, friends, and family, or it can even affect your ability to make a living by costing you a job.

This type of persecution pales in comparison to what our brothers and sisters in Christ experience in nations that aren’t friendly at all to Christianity, but nonetheless, persecution of any kind can be scary to deal with. That’s why those in the stony ground group feel the pressure to conform and are forced to make a choice: to stand upright in what they believe in according to the Word, or to stumble and fall in line with the world. 

However, some Christians also have a tendency to stumble and fall unprovoked. This kind of stumbling often looks like compromising.

For example, because you don’t want to be ostracized or persecuted, you start to come into agreement with the world to fit in so that you are never challenged to begin with. This includes Christians who say certain sins are fine, make excuses to justify those sins, and even in their hearts start to believe those sins “aren’t that bad” because they realize the alternative is being shunned.

But this kind of stumbling is also a form of lukewarm behavior because although your heart aligns with the Word, due to the pressure to conform, your actions and your words contradict what you know is right.

Now, let’s go back to Matthew 10:22 and John 15:18-20, and take a quick look at Revelation 2:10 to see what Jesus says about being met with persecution. 

In Matthew 10:22, He says:

“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”

In John 15:18-20, He tells them:

“‘If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, “A servant is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.’”

And in Revelation 2:10, He says:

“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Jesus tells the disciples point blank multiple times that they will be mistreated and resented for following Him and living like Him. However, He also offers them comfort by reminding them in John 15 that He knows what it feels like to be hated by the world because He was the first to experience it. And ultimately, just like Jesus, we are meant to remain strong in our faith, because if we endure to the end, according to Matthew 10 and Revelation 2, we have the reward of eternal life.

Again, this is much easier said than done, but you aren’t meant to endure persecution on your own. I invite you to look up Isaiah 41:10, 2 Corinthians 12:9, and Ephesians 6:10-18 for God’s answer to handling persecution or any kind of strife in life.

But before we close, I’d like to point out that not all persecution comes from outside the church. There’s another type of person who can easily fall into the stony ground group, right from the comfort of a church pew.

Let’s say you’re a Christian who is in a hyper-religious environment or just around very bigoted people who identify as Christians but don’t follow what Jesus taught. These groups might also persecute and ostracize you for not believing or adhering to what they believe about how Christians should think and act.

For example, Republicans who think undocumented immigrants should be treated any type of way, as long as they leave the country. Or those who think it’s good to tell gay people that God hates them. So someone who wants to retain their religious community or even family and friends will adopt those same beliefs or at least perform them out of fear of being persecuted and excluded. 

Jesus Himself actually experienced this type of persecution from the religious leaders during his time. They were so caught up with the traditions of old that they couldn’t accept the message of love, forgiveness, and salvation Jesus was trying to teach.

But once again, we must look at how Jesus responded to this persecution.

Although Jesus was a kind person, He did not shy away from voicing what was right when confronted by the overly pious leaders. He was firm with His stance when they tried to debate Him or ask tricky questions, and He was bold with preaching the gospel, no matter how much it angered the religious leaders. 

To see examples of this, I invite you to read Matthew 12:22-37 and Matthew 21:28-46.

It’s a narrow path you walk as a true follower of Christ. You have to take your ego and your fear out of your walk, or else you will be swayed into deception, which leads to stumbling, and eventually, a lack of fruit.

The last words I’ll leave you with are from a simple but powerful verse:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. - 2 Timothy 1:7

Questions for reflection:

• Have you ever been persecuted or excluded for your biblical beliefs? If so, how did you respond, and what did you learn from the experience?

• In what ways have you seen others receive the Word with joy, only to stumble later?

• What does it look like to “endure to the end” (Matt. 10:22) for you?