But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away.And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.and when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
3 sermons cite this verse
… Some fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow, but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew, and produced a crop, multiplying 30, 60, or even 100 times. Then Jesus said, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. Sounds careless, doesn't it? Sowing seed on the road and on an outcrop of rocks? My friend Louie is a farmer. He tells me that when a farmer is ready to plant, he programs into the computer exactly where he wants the seeds planted. For example, he programs in 24 rows with 30 inches between the rows. The computer and the GPS make sure that no seed is wasted. But Jesus was not telling this story about a careless farmer, but rather about the lavishness of God sowing his saving word. …
… because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched and because they had no root, they withered away. I think this perfectly describes what a fan of Jesus looks like. They're curious. They come. They want to be a part of it. And immediately they get excited. And it appears that they spring up with growth. And they're the most passionate, most emotional. They have their hands lifted, singing the loudest. But the second calamity and trials and the sun begins to scorch on their lives, they quickly fade away like nothing had ever happened. Now, the stony ground that Jesus spoke of, I want you to understand what it was. It wasn't like a pile of rocks. We all know if you drop seed on a rock, it's not gonna grow, right? Rather, what it's speaking of in the stony places, it's speaking of a layer of topsoil on top of bedrock. What happens when that occurs is there's a water table close to the surface because the water collects on the rock and then the layer of topsoil allows seeds to spring up quickly. …
… grateful for the gospel today. I'm so grateful for the gospel because Jesus makes it very clear, this parable in Matthew chapter 13, that here's the seed that's sown. And immediately what happens, immediately the seed is challenged. This is the great news for us. Here's the sower, right? Who's the Lord himself, who sows his grace on the world. Immediately as that seed is sown, it is challenged. Number one, the enemy comes along, steals it. Number two, you have this rocky ground. There's a persecution that happens. There's tribulation that happens and it just withers it. Number three, there's thorns that choke it. Worldly anxiety, lure of riches. Basically, Jesus is letting us know, like, okay, you have to get ready for this. You have to get ready for this. It's Sirach chapter two, verse one, which is one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible. My son, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trial. when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trial. …