“And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.”1
I have this theory about pain. If you are injured, and you immediately feel pain, you’re okay. Not to worry. Your pain will be easily managed and you will probably heal fairly quickly. Actually, you’re not really injured, just hurt. But if you are injured, and you don’t immediately feel pain, but you know you should feel pain, you are really really injured! So far, my theory has been correct—at least in my experience. And I’ve had a lot of experience!
I’ve broken my little toe, my index finger, my nose, my elbow, my wrist, my leg, and my back (in that order!). In each case, I did not feel pain until much later after the event that precipitated the break. And, by the way, the bigger the break, the more time passed before I felt pain! And the one circumstance that really proved my theory was when a truck going 50 mph hit my car while I was at a complete stop. I walked away from the car that day—though the car was totaled—not even limping! I actually ran across the street to see if the truck driver was hurt! And the next day I could barely move. And I realized I could not walk without a cane. And for the next 7 months, I trudged along, each day becoming harder and harder, until I had my knee replaced! And then there was more pain to go through with recovery. It was 24 hours before I felt any pain after that wreck. But the pain lasted over a year.
Perhaps the same theory can be applied to joy. For Jesus said that those “who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy . . . fall away.” Maybe true joy takes time to sink into our hearts. So, if that theory is true, then when something makes us joyful immediately, the joy probably won’t last. Joy comes from deep inside and does not spring up immediately. It is a fruit of the Spirit, and fruit takes time to grow. Fruit needs nurturing.
But what was rocky ground guy feeling, if not joy? Probably excitement or relief at starting a new direction in life. Rocky ground people drift around. They are good at starting things—not so good at finishing. Why did rocky ground guy fall away from the word after being so joyful about it? He was not grounded. He had “no root.”
So, what about the people who were grounded? How did they respond to the word? “But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”2 No joy is mentioned here. Just a quiet acceptance. And then fruit (“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”3) came later. In abundance!
My point? The parable is about soils. Foundations. How deeply are we rooted? For if we are not deeply rooted, we have no staying power, no endurance. Rocky ground people “endure for a while,” which is the same as saying, they don’t. How does one learn endurance? Well, I hate to say it, but “suffering produces endurance.”4 Which is why many people do not endure. They haven’t learned to profit from suffering! For there is something to gain by it—if we endure!
Which leads us right back to my point about pain. Suffering is an important part of our lives! If we “let steadfastness (endurance) have its full effect,”5 our endurance can “produce character, and character produces hope.”6 Many people become angry and bitter over their suffering “or tribulation or persecution,” and “fall away.” They learn nothing and go on to the next thing.
I think rocky ground people were members of the church in Galatians that Paul wrote to. He opens with these words, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one.”7
Therefore, foundations are really important. One might say they are foundational! What makes up a firm foundation? Paul makes it clear: “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”8 Our foundation is Christ—which will not be stable on rocky ground. When we hear the word, we must let it take root, which might mean changing locations or lifestyles so the roots can dig in. We come to Christ humbly, not joyfully. Joy comes later. Growing in Christ requires a solid foundation. And then our job is to build on that. “Let each one take care how he builds upon it.”9
How’s your construction going?
1Mark 4:16-17 2Mark 4:20 3Galatians 5:22 4Romans 5:3 5James 1:4 5Romans 5:4 7Galatians 1:6 81 Corinthians 3:11 91 Corinthians 3:10
