The Parable Of Seeding / 씨뿌리는 비유

       < 씨앗복음/ 種子福音 >

제대로 된 열매를 먹고 싶으면
<씨앗/種子>이 좋아야 한다
<밭뙈기>타령을 먼저 배우지 말고
<씨앗>타령을 먼저 배우는 것이
제대로 된 순서이다.

 <밭>이
어떤 <밭>인지는
눈 달린 사람은
보기만 하면 다 알아 챌 수 있겠으나
<종자>가 어떤 <종자>인지는
  밭에 심어보지 않고서는
   그 열매를 알 수 없다.
그리고
 제아무리 먹음직하고,
보기좋은 열매가 맺혔다 할지라도
그 열매를 직접 맛보지 않고서는
그 <종자> 의 질(質)과 맛(味)이 어떠한 것인지
모를 수 밖에 없다.

미스터 <아담>과
그의 아내 <이브>가
 죽은 생명이 되어버린 것은
보기좋고 먹음직한 열매가 맺힌 것을 보고
그 <種子>가 좋을 것이라 생각하고
그냥 꿀-꺽해 버렸다는 것이
인간 첫 열매의 <맛보기>라는 것이다.
인생의 열매 맛이
<죽을 맛>인지
<살 맛>인지는
각자가 맛을 보아야 알 수 있는 것이지
누가 대신해서 맛보아 줄 수
없는 일이다.

예수께서 인간에게
맛보여 주고 싶은 천국의 열매는,
천부(天父)의 씨앗(種子)으로 인한 열매이기 때문에
천부(天父)의 천성(天性)이
바로 그 <씨앗>에 있다.
이 씨앗(種子)으로 인하여
예수가 성령으로 잉태되어
세상에 태어 나셨다고 하셨으니...
예수께서 천부(天父)의 천성(天性)을
가장 귀중히 여기시고,
그런 천성(天性)을 몸소 실천하여 가르치시고,
바로 그런 천성(天性)을
생명의 존귀한 <씨앗>으로
취급하시면서 사신 것은
지극히 당연한 일이다.

그러나
사람의 마음의 중심(中心)은 어디에 있는가?
천부(天父)의 씨앗(種子)이 귀중한 것이 아니라
눈 앞에 보이는 것들이 중(重)하고
귀에 들리는 것들이 중(重)하기 때문에
천성(天性)으로 된 씨앗(種子)에 대하여
무지(無知)하니---
<눈>으로
보고 있다고 하나
보고있는 것이 아니요,
<귀>로
듣고 있다고 하나
듣고 있는  것이 아니라고 하신 것이다.
사람의 마음의 중심(heart)이 이처럼 어두우니
<눈>으로 보고 있는 <장님>이요,
<귀>로 듣고 있는 <귀먹어리>라는 것이다.

이게 바로
지랄같은 병통이다.
<성령>으로 사람된 예수께서
씨앗의 비유를 든 것은
사람의 마음의 <밭뙈기>가
발로 짓밟아 놓은 <길가 밭> 같고,
자갈들이 쳐박혀 있는 <돌 밭> 같고,
가시덩쿨이 번창하는  <가시 밭> 같으니,
< 하나님의 씨앗/ 天國種子>이
이런 <밭뙈기>에서는
생명력(生命力)을 발휘할 수 없다는 것을
 몸소 보이신 것이다.

예수께서  <씨앗>의 비유를 들어
이처럼 자상하게 말씀하신 것은
천국(天國)의 속성(屬性)이
어떠한 것인지를  면밀하게 밝히기 위한 것이다.
이같은 천부(天父)의 속성을 알아
직접 그 맛을 보고---
그 비밀(秘密)을 알아 깨닫고 있는 자는 (11절)
더욱 더 받아서 천국의 열매가 넉넉하게 되지만은
그렇지 못한 자는
그 있는 것 마저도
빼앗기게 될 것이라고 선포하고 있다(11,12절):
"To you it has given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven,
but to them it has not been given, for to him who has will more be given,
and he will have abundance; but from him who has not,
even what he has will be taken away." --- ( Matthew 13:11-12 )
허기진 거렁뱅이가 따로 있는 것이 아니라,
<하나님 나라>의 떡 맛( 요한복음 6:33-39 )을 모르는 자들이
직접 당면(當面)해야만 하는
옹색(壅塞)한 굶주림을 주목하여 보신 것이다.

생명(生命)의 보존은 열매에 있다.
그리고 열매의 근본은 씨앗(種子)에 있다.
그러므로
<식량>의 근원은 씨앗(種子)이다.
씨앗(種子)를 지키는 일이야 말로 <생명의 근원>이다.
<복음/福音>은 생명의 근원이다.
생명의 근원 <生命의 根源>을 깨닫고
사수(死守)하여
그 근원(根源)을 지키면---
<천국의 열매>를 맺을 수 없는
모든 <밭뙈기>들은
허공의 연기(煙氣)처럼 사라져 버린다!

<땅>은 그저 <땅>일 뿐이다.
땅이 굳었으면, 뒤집어 엎으면 될 일이요,
돌맹이가 박혔으면 파내면 될 일이요,
가시덩굴이 자라면 뽑으면 될 일이다.
이제는 <밭뙈기 타령>은
그만 집어치워 버리고,
생명의 근원(根源)을 몸소 맛보고,
그 근원(根源)을 온 힘과 뜻과 정성을 다해
사수(死守)하는 작업부터 시작하지 않으면
우리는 모두 망쪼가 들어버릴 것이다.

Jesus said to them,
"My food is to do the will of him who sent me,
and to accomplish his work."  < John 4:34 >

거리복음선교 목자,
우범(愚凡), 이 건작 씀
2013년 11월 8일

< Street Gospel Mission Church's Sunday Worships & Communion Services >

on November 10, 2013, are held as follow-on: 

(1) at 7:00am in 550 15th Street & San Bruno Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94103

(2) at 8:30am in 5th Street between Harrsion & Bryant, San Francisco, CA 94107

=== (3) at 4:00pm in 1611 Stanford Avenue (*University Church*), Palo Alto, CA 94306

*** Mobile Phone Contact at: 650-995-3336; 650-291-6010;

                            Office at: 650-369-7151

http://streetgospelmission.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/steven.g.lee1?ref=tn_tnmn

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Street-Gospel-Mission-Church/150060988379444

< Matthew 13:1-9 >

συνήχθησαν -- were assembled
ἐμβάντα -- embarking
ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων -- went out the(one) sowing
σπείρειν -- to sow
παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν -- beside the way
πετρώδη -- rocky places
ἀκάνθας -- thorns
ἀκουέτω -- let him hear

 On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore.3 And he spoke to them at length in parables,  saying: “A sower went out to sow.4And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up.5Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,6and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots.7Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.8But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.9Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

_______________________________________

< Genesis 1:11,12 >

 מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע -- seed, seed-bearing
לְמִינוֹ -- to-kind-of-him
 תַּדְשֵׁא -- let her produce
עֵץ פְּרִי עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי -- fruit bearing fruit tree
זַרְעוֹ-בוֹ -- in him seed of him
11Then God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. And so it happened:12the earth brought forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw that it was good.
12
God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."   < Genesis 1:29 >


< BEAR FRUIT WITH SEED INCARNATED >

Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23

 As Jesus sat by the seaside teaching, He began to talk about an image with which everyone present was familiar. He talked about a man taking seed into a field. He pictured that man casting the seed upon the earth. This seed fell upon the ground and landed upon differing types of soils. Some of the seed brought forth fruit, other seed did not. Jesus used this common image to teach those who heard Him about the condition of the human heart. Here, we see that the sower is the Holy Spirit, the seed is the Gospel of grace and the soil is the human heart. From His words, we learn that the human heart is like soil. It can either receive the seed of the Gospel and produce a harvest of spiritual fruit, or it can be unprepared and produce nothing of value for the glory of the name of God. I would ask you to examine your own heart to see what kind of soil you are. 

I. THE PLAN OF THE SOWER

The sower in this parable is a man who goes into his field with the intention of raising a crop and gleaning a harvest. Such is the case with the Lord God. He sent His Son into the world to die and He sends His Spirit into the world so that He might reap a spiritual harvest. Just as a bountiful harvest brings riches and honor to the farmer, so the salvation of souls brings glory to the name of God.  Even though the plan of God to save the lost is all for His glory, I still praise God for the fact that He devised such a perfect plan to save those who believe! 

II. THE POTENTIAL OF THE SEED

Every seed that was sown by the sower had the potential to produce much more  One little seed had the potential to multiply itself 3000%; 6000% and even 10000%. Those of you who farm have seen this principle in action. You can plant one bean seed and from that seed reap many beans, with each pod containing several more seeds. Sow one squash seed and it will produce a plant that yields several fully grown squashes, each containing dozens, if not hundreds or new seeds. Plant one corn seed and watch it produce a plant that will yield several ears, each containing many rows of fresh seeds. The seed had the potential to reproduce itself many times over.
Such is the seed of the Gospel of grace. When it is sown in a ready heart, it will germinate and reproduce itself over and over again. The seed has the potential to begin small and to reproduce much. It is worth noting that the seed always the changes ground in which it is planted. What had been bare earth is now yielding a harvest to the glory of the sower. When the seed of the Gospel finds a lodging place in a heart that has been plowed by the Word of God and tilled by the grace of God, it will germinate and leave that heart forever changed and producing a harvest of spiritual fruit to the glory of God.  This is what the Lord wants from your life and mine! He wants to produce His fruit in the hearts of His redeemed. 

III. THE PROBLEM OF THE SOILS

As the sower sowed his seed, it fell upon four distinct kinds of soils. We should mention that each of the soils was good soil, but the condition the soil was in when the seed landed upon it determined its potential for producing a suitable harvest.  ( We are comparing the soils to types of human hearts. Just as there are no bad soils, there are no bad hearts. I know that "the heart is desperately wicked above all things" and I am not trying to contradict the Word of God. What I mean is there is no heart so bad that it shouldn't receive the Gospel message.) The Lord in His grace allows the seed of the Gospel to fall upon hearts of all descriptions. What makes the heart unable to receive the seed is its condition when the Gospel comes to it.  A look at the four types of soils mentioned here is very revealing when it comes to understanding the human heart and why people respond to the Gospel as they do. One of these soils is going to paint a perfect picture of his/her heart. See if you can identify what kind of soil you are. 

1.> The Hard Soil - v. 4, 19 - The "wayside" refers to the narrow footpaths that ran beside and through the fields. These were the roads of the day and the soil on them had become as hard as concrete from the feet of the travelers that had walked upon them. When the seed fell on the footpath, it could not penetrate the soil and it remained there in the open, only to be devoured by the fowls of the air.

We are told that this speaks of the person who hears the Gospel, but who doesn't "understand it". That is, they cannot make the connection between the claims of the Gospel and their own life. Maybe they are steeped in sin and refuse to believe. Maybe they are calloused and cold toward the things of God and refuse to hear. Maybe they have hardened their hearts for years against the call of the Gospel and like a path trampled underfoot for centuries, they have become hard hearted! Whatever their need, they are hard hearted and the seed of the Gospel cannot penetrate the soil of their heart. When this happens, the devil and his minions will snatch away to Gospel seed by diverting the mind and helping the person become even more hardened against God. This person has a heart that is not prepared for work of grace leading to salvation. ( We often wonder how some people can continually spurn the Gospel message! It is because they are hardened to it by their own choice. )     2.> The Stony Soil - v. 5-6; 20-21 - These stony places are common in Palestine. Often there will be an outcropping of limestone rock covered by a thin layer of topsoil. This soil looks like it is ready to be sown. This ground looks good and productive and seed cast here will germinate and quickly spring up into a promising plant. But, because there is no depth of soil, as soon as the sun beats down on the tender plant, it withers and dies without producing any fruit. This kind of soil speaks of that heart that makes an emotional response to the presentation of the Gospel. Perhaps this person heard the Gospel and said, "That's what I need!" Or, perhaps they come because a friend came. Whatever their motive, they make a profession, but it is a shallow one at best. They may even show signs of life in the Lord, but when Christianity doesn't turn out like they thought it would, they quickly fade away and disappear! They shrink away from the radical claims of Christ and the cross, Matt. 16:24. These are the people who make a profession, go like gang busters for a short time, and then wind up right back in the world. Were they saved? No! How do we know for sure? No fruit!   3.>  The Thorny Soil - v. 7; 22 - This soil looks like it is ready to be sown also, but underneath the surface are the living roots and seeds of thorns and weeds. When the seed falls here, it also quickly springs to life and gives every indication that a good harvest will follow. However, the same ground begins to produce the thorns and weeds that were already there and they soon choke out the tender plant. This plant withers and dies without producing any fruit at all.  This is a picture of a heart that tries to have the benefit of the Gospel while still clinging to the thorns of sin. Without a conscious break from the old life of sin this person does not have a chance of being saved. The seed of the Gospel cannot survive to produce fruit in a heart filled with other things. The seed must have the ground or sin must have the ground, but it cannot be shared! Jesus said it was the cares of the world and the quest for earthly riches that spelled disaster for this kind of soil. This kind of person begins well, but soon fades away, having their profession choked out by sin and the world. Were they saved? No! How do we know for sure? No fruit!

4. The Good Soil - v. 8; 23 - Finally, some seed fell onto good ground. This ground had been worked and prepared. It had been plowed and tilled and it was ready to receive the seed when it came. The seed germinated within the heart of the soil and the plant began to grow. When the plant reached maturity, it began to produce fruit that brought honor and gain to the farmer.
This a picture of the heart that has been plowed deeply by the Word of God. It is a picture of a heart that has been tilled and prepared by the grace of God. When the seed of the Gospel hits this kind of heart, it germinates, grows up and bears fruit to the glory of God. This heart alone pictures that kind of life that can truly call itself saved!

Please notice that the only difference between these soils was fruit. On the hard soil, the seed did not penetrate, but it disappeared, being removed by the fowls. In the other three, the seed disappeared within the ground. In the last three soils, a plant resulted, but only the good soil brought forth a harvest! What kind of soil are you?  Has the Gospel message found a lodging place within your heart and life? Are you bearing fruit to the glory of God as you should? ( Don't get hung up on fruit bearing! Some of these plants brought forth more fruit than others, but the point is, they all bore some fruit! If you are saved, your duty is to abide in His holy spirit and He will produce His fruit in your life, as it pleases Him,John 15:1-11. If you will abide in Him, you will find that "fruit happens!"   What kind of soil now is your heart made of?