What Kind of Hearer Am I—Today?

Matthew 13:3–9 – He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” (NLT)

Matthew 13:18–23 – “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (NLT)

Parallel passages: Mark 4:3-9,14-20, Luke 8:5-8,11-15

Devotional Series: The Stories Jesus Told

If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you are likely familiar with this parable. Jesus described four types of hearers of the Word:

1. Those who hear it and don’t understand it, and Satan immediately snatches it from their hearts.

2. Those who receive it with joy but lack deep roots; when trouble or persecution comes, they quickly fall away.

3. Those who hear and even agree with it, but the message is crowded out by life's worries and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.

4. Those who truly hear and understand it—and produce a harvest:

   • 30 times what was sown

   • 60 times

   • Or even 100 times

Laid out like this, it's easy to be honest with ourselves—if we're willing.

I used to think of this passage only in broad terms, evaluating my entire Christian life. That made it easy for me to assume, that I am in group 4. I am bearing fruit of some description; therefore, I am fine. All three subgroups are said to truly hear and understand the word—there is no real distinction between those who produce 100 times vs. 30 times. So as long as I am doing things like this devotional, helping people every day in some way, trying not to lie, or some other thing, I am a true hearer, believer, group 4 fruit bearer.

But I am not entirely sure that is the correct way to read this passage. Instead, I think we are supposed to examine ourselves more closely, frequently, even daily. The Word of God is a mirror. Every time I open it and read a passage, listen to a message or podcast, or go to church, I think I am supposed to ask myself: what type of hearer am I?

Now to be clear, it’s unrealistic for us to think we will be able to implement everything we hear—especially in our current content-driven world. But I don’t think that is what the passage is asking us to do. That’s why the amount of fruit isn’t an indicator of a group 4 hearer. I think the ask is for us to reflect on at least one thing we are going to change since that particular encounter with the Word. One person might hear a message and make a life-altering decision like become a missionary. Another person may hear the same message and conclude that they need to smile more or say good morning to strangers. Both would be fruit-bearing group 4 hearers.

The Parable of the Sower is a reminder that we need to be more intentional in our hearing and understanding. It has never been enough to be a Christian who consumes a lot of content but has no fruit to show from their many encounters with the Word. The question we must continually ask ourselves is: what one thing will I implement after hearing or reading this Word?

Questions for reflection:

• What type of hearer am I?

• How often does my life bear fruit following an encounter with the Word of God?

• Am I consuming too much Christian content?

• Do I need to focus on being a doer rather than a hearer?

• Have I prayed for the help of the Holy Spirit to be a better hearer?