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January 12, 2026

The Sower, the Soils, and the Reality of Unfruitful Believers

by Jason Neill

Scripture reading: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15

To appreciate the parable of the sower and the soils, we must understand the turning point in Jesus' ministry. Prior to this, Jesus taught in a straightforward manner; he hadn’t used parables. That, of course, changed following his official rejection by the religious leaders. Jesus had been ministering for one and a half to two years, preaching that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God was within Israel's grasp (see Matthew 4:17). Please understand that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God Jesus was preaching was not the message of his death, burial, and resurrection. That may sound shocking to you, but if you pause and consider, Jesus had not yet died on the cross, nor was he resurrected when he preached this message. Chronologically speaking, since Jesus had not yet been crucified or resurrected, the good news of the Kingdom of God must be something else.

The message Jesus preached was the promised Kingdom that was foretold in the Old Testament (see 2 Samuel 7; Luke 1:26-38). Specifically, a descendant of King David would sit on his throne and rule over the nation of Israel. This is the Kingdom Jesus was offering the nation of Israel, and the one of which the Old Testament prophets spoke (see Jeremiah 33:14-22; Ezekiel 34:23-26). As mentioned in last week’s post, the religious leaders rejected Jesus and considered his miracles to originate with Satan (see Matthew 12). This official rejection by the religious leaders caused the Kingdom he was offering to be postponed, so Jesus began teaching in parables. To explain this new phase of ministry and the varied reception the disciples would encounter, Jesus told the story of the sower. The question at hand was what the twelve disciples should anticipate as they continue to minister.

The parable of the sower and the soils illustrates different responses to the same message. The disciples, and we who share the good news of eternal life with others, can anticipate different responses to the same message. Luckily, Jesus interprets this parable for us. While the basic meaning is clear, the identity of the middle two soils remains a point of significant discussion among students of the Word.

Most Bible scholars consider the first soil to represent someone who does not accept the message of eternal life found in Christ and recognize that the fourth soil does, there is a debate on whether soils two and three are believers (i.e., Christians—those who have believed in Jesus alone for eternal life). One argument in favor of soils two and three not being Christians is that neither soil continued and the third proved “unfruitful.” For instance, Matthew 13:20-21 describes the second soil as “one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away” (ESV). The third soil is “one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22, ESV).

An alternative view, the one which I think is correct, sees soils two, three, and four as believers (i.e., those who have believed in Jesus alone for eternal life). To support this point, it is helpful to notice that both soils two and three demonstrate the presence of life, as opposed to the first soil. Luke clearly states that the second soil hears the word and receives it with joy. "But these have no root; they believe for a while…” (Luke 8:13, ESV). The third soil shows life, but “as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature” (Luke 8:14, ESV).

The issue the disciples can anticipate, and we should as well, is that as we share the message to trust in Jesus alone for the free gift of eternal life, which can never be lost, we will inevitably see different responses. Some may not believe, such as the first soil; some will believe for a time but, due to hitting hard times, will not continue in the faith like soil two; and some will believe but become preoccupied with temporal things such as the “riches and pleasures of life” like the third soil. And some, like the final soil, are “those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15, ESV). Understanding these different responses doesn't just settle a theological debate; it fundamentally changes how we approach our own mission today. If this is a new interpretation for you, I encourage you to study the Scriptures for yourself. As Christians, we are each accountable before God to know what the Word says. Be like the Bereans in Acts 17, who carefully examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul taught them was true.

Application

We will see a variety of responses when we share the good news of eternal life found in Jesus of Nazareth. It isn’t our job to lead people to Christ; only God can do that. Our responsibility is to present Christ to as many people as possible and leave the results with God. Like the sower in the parable, we are to throw the seed (i.e., share the message of eternal life) as far and wide as possible to all kinds of people. It isn’t our job to determine what kind of soil a person is before sharing. Just share the good news.

Likewise, we are bound to see a variety of fruitfulness, or productivity, among those who believe in Jesus. I imagine if I sat down with you over coffee, you could tell me of some folks you have in mind who believed in Jesus for eternal life, but they hit some hard times in life and stopped attending church. Or you know someone who believed in Jesus for eternal life but became preoccupied with seeking material goods (i.e., riches) and the pleasures of this life; therefore, spiritual things are no longer on their radar.

Does that mean these individuals are no longer Christians? Did they lose their salvation? No, I don’t think so, because even if a person believes in Jesus for eternal life yet doesn’t exercise a faithful spiritual life, God is still faithful; he will keep his promise to us (see 2 Timothy 2:11-13). If eternal life can be lost due to “bad” or sinful behavior, then it really isn’t eternal life, and it calls into question God’s character.

So, keep sharing the gospel—that we must come to God as a sinner, recognize that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead, and can be made spiritually alive by simply believing/trusting in Jesus alone for eternal life, then leave the results with God (see John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2; 15:3-5).

Book Recommendation

If you are interested in reading more about the earthly kingdom Jesus was offering during his ministry or a “How-To” book on evangelism, check out Thy Kingdom Come: Tracing God’s Kingdom Program and Covenant Promises Throughout History by J. Dwight Pentecost or Show Me How to Share the Gospel by Larry Moyer.