Jesus' Parable of the Soils

March 9th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Matthew 13:8-9, 23 And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear… 23 And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

When the word of God is preached, many hear it and ignore it. The soil of these people’s hearts is hardened and unwilling to receive the truth. Others hear the word of God preached, and they receive it with great joy. But when trials enter their lives, their joy ceases, and they fall away from their faith. For others it is worldly problems and the deceitfulness of riches that end up taking priority in their lives over commitment to Christ. These folks remain in a state of immaturity, bearing no spiritual fruit but seeking after worldly things. But in vv. 8-9 there is another kind of soil that Jesus highlights: the soil that receives the truth and bears fruit.

In Israelite agriculture, plowing the field always followed sowing the seeds. There was nothing about the farmer scattering seed on his field, however, that was done in a careless way, even when he threw it upon the well-trodden path. He would throw it all out there, then he would plow the ground so that the seeds would fall into the soil. Farmers did not go to great lengths to find which soil was shallow, rocky, or rich. They would simply wait to plow and see what happened. It is therefore vitally important to understand that plowing followed sowing in order to fully understand Jesus’ parable. William Lane says, “It serves to caution the interpreter that less attention is to be given to the various types of soils, and more to the central act of sowing… In the details about the soils there is reflection on the diversity of the response to the proclamation of the Word of God, but this is not the primary consideration. The central point concerns the coming of the Kingdom of God. God is the center of the action.” Even the Apostle Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth” (1 Cor. 3:6-7).

The final soil in Jesus’ parable indeed receives the seed sown upon it, and it brings forth great fruit. Jesus said, “This is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty” (v. 23). This seed represents fruitful believers—those in whom Christ’s presence is absolutely evident.

The Psalmist speaks of the believer whose “leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers” (Ps. 1:2-3). Likewise, Jesus spoke of His true followers who remain in Him and who bear fruit as a result (John 15:2-5)—like branches attached to the vine. Of course no believer is saved by works but through faith in Christ alone. And true faith naturally produces good works (Eph. 2:10). For Christians, good works are the fruit of salvation, the evidence of true faith.

Food For Thought
Believers in Christ are by nature strongly sensitive to sin and convicted by it. Prior to salvation, they felt an emptiness in their souls and realized that only Christ could fill that void, purify them, and cleanse them for all sins. As a result, they hunger and thirst for righteousness, love God’s word, give of their wealth and their time, and desire that others know Him as they do. The same persecution that causes the superficial church attenders to fall away from the faith is that which actually strengthens Christ’s true disciples. God’s true children know that “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). But they also know that “after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10). In this it is simple to detect a true believer from a false one. Inspect their fruit!