Wednesday, October 2

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Matthew 13:22

The one who receives the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

Years ago I had a lunch conversation that I have never forgotten. The lunch was with a man who attended my father’s church and who was an alumnus of the college I was attending at the time. So even though he was 20 years my senior, he invited me to lunch just because we shared that particular connection.

But during the course of lunch we talked about much more than our common experience at the school. He told me part of the story of his life as well.

He had graduated, gotten married, finished law school and built a very successful career as an attorney. As I recall, he and his wife had 5 or 6 children and enjoyed what he called a “perfect life” for a number of years. But as time went on and he continued to climb the ladder of success, cracks began to form in the foundation of his life. His work kept him away from home for long hours every week. The stresses of raising children pretty much alone left his wife increasingly resentful and, over time, she developed a dependence on alcohol.

To make a very long story short, by the time he realized how unhappy she had become, she had already filed for divorce. At the time of our lunch conversation he was living in an apartment by himself, struggling to find time to visit his children, and struggling to make sense of his life.

The part of the conversation that I remember word for word, even after 35 years, is the sentence he used to describe his life as he worked his way to professional success.

He said, “Brian, I just lived at a higher and higher level of poverty.”

Jesus said:

The one who receives the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

There is some debate as to whether Jesus is using the images of rocky, and thorny soil to refer to those who have rejected the gospel (it’s pretty clear that the “path” refers to hearts hardened against the gospel and have therefore rejected God’s grace), or if he might be referring to those who have actually received the gospel but in whom gospel growth has been impeded. 

I tend to think the latter is the case; for two reasons. First, it seems that in both the rocky and thorny soils the gospel seed has, in fact, penetrated and begun to grow. Second, I think Jesus is referring to those who have believed because I have known so many people like this.

I think that thorny soil, or “the distracted heart”, is the defining soil type of our modern North American culture. We live at an unprecedented time in human history. We are bombarded by more information in a week than people living in the 18th century were exposed to in a lifetime. We have more options for entertainment and leisure, and enjoy a standard of living higher than perhaps any civilization before us. Yet, despite all this, we report higher levels of stress than almost any culture in the world. We are busy; we are occupied; but, as a whole, we are neither happy nor healthy.

The result is, even for those who have received the good news of the gospel, who claim to follow Christ as Lord and Savior, a struggle to pay attention to the voice of God amidst so many competing voices, and to keep the pursuit of wealth from the center of our hearts. We struggle to recognize the deceitfulness of wealth.

Again, there is nothing wrong with earning a living; nothing wrong with wealth, per se; but there are at least two pervasive lies in our culture that conspire to choke out the growth of the gospel in our lives.

The first lie is: “More money will make you happier.”

The second follows closely behind: “If more money makes you happier, then it’s worth any sacrifice to get it.”

Who, or what, stands at the center of your heart? Who or what do you serve? Who or what do you want more than anything else?

Have you ever been willing, like my friend from years ago, to sacrifice your family, your relationships, and the growth of the gospel in your heart for the pursuit of wealth? 

Ask Jesus to rule in your heart in such a way that your life produces good fruit.

Pastor Brian Coffey