PrintSEASON TWO - "Shallowness"
"The rocky soil represents those who hear the message and receive it with joy.But like young plants in such soil, their roots don't go very deep. At first they get along fine, but they wilt as soon as they have problems or are persecuted because they believe the word". (Matthew 13/20,21)
"The rocky soil represents those who hear the message and receive it with joy.But like young plants in such soil, their roots don't go very deep. At first they get along fine, but they wilt as soon as they have problems or are persecuted because they believe the word". (Mark 4/16,17)
"The rocky soil represents those who hear the message with joy. But like young plants in such soil, their roots don't go very deep. They believe for a while, but they wilt when the hot winds of testing blow. (Luke 8/13)
Somewhere I heard or read the statement that superficiality is the curse of our age. Not so long ago I heard an American preacher make this observation concerning his own country, "Christianity in America is about 4,000 miles wide and ½ an inch thick!"
This season of the soul is marked by a lack of "stickability". The seed penetrates into the soil, unlike the previous season, but it does not penetrate very far. The root system is prevented from going deep into the soil because of an unseen rock shelf just below the surface. This situation makes the young plants very vulnerable. In the face of numerous external forces (problems and persecution) these plants wilt.
There are times and seasons in the Christian life when we are the target of dangerous spiritual forces and, in the face of such opposition, we may easily wilt. Such an outcome in not so much a commentary on the strength of those forces; rather it is an insight into the weakness of our soul.
In the same way that the foundations of a building are out of sight (another story that Jesus told - Matthew 7/24-27), so it is with the root system of a plant. The house built on sand probably appeared to be no different to the house built on rock. It revealed nothing of its inherent weakness until the storm came. Plants with a shallow root system can and do thrive in ideal conditions. But let conditions become adverse and they will quickly wilt. Let problems arise and opposition come and the shallowness of those roots will be exposed. Obviously the opposite to shallowness is depth.
Jeremiah expressed it this way: "But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit". (Jer 17:7-8 NLT)
So, how does one overcome the curse of superficiality in the Christian life?Jeremiah's answer would be, "Put down roots that reach deep into the water". How do we do that? Jesus' answer would be, "Hear my teaching and do it!" (Matt.7/24). Knowing and doing the Word of the Lord.
