The Sower, Part 4—Fruit of the Word | Mark 4:8, 20
8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced
grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a
hundredfold. …
20 But those that were sown on the good soil are
the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and
sixtyfold and a hundredfold.
One can talk about faith in parachutes, but faith is knowing
where one is, putting it on, and jumping from a falling aircraft. Similarly, as He closes this parable, Jesus gives
us three verbs to contemplate in relation to Scripture. Only when all three describes you can you have
hope of bearing fruit.
Those who bear fruit
must first hear the Word. Nothing happens
within a soul without the Bible, for “faith comes from hearing, and hearing
through the word of Christ” (Rm 10:17). This
is why joining a church that reads and teaches the Word of God is important and
why being daily in Scripture grows spiritual lives. You must have
the Word of God for it to work!
Second, those who
bear fruit must receive the Word. The
second verb in v. 20 is “accept” or “receive.”
As examples of its usage, the same speaks of the accepting
customs and practices as one’s own (Acts 16:21) and God receiving us as
sons (Hb 12:6). This term carries the
idea of your embracing the Word. As such, it’s not enough to simply have Scripture in your life; you must confess and believe it to be true.
Third, those who bear
fruit must, well, bear the fruit of the Word.
This may seem to be circular, but it comes back to your will—one can hear and receive the word
without following it. One can’t have a merely academic faith—affirming
the truth without applying it. Biblical
faith affirms that Christ saves and grants divine power, and it moves believers to “make every effort to supplement” their faith
(2 Pt 1:3–5). False faith lacks
motivation within the heart of the believer.
When these three verbs describe a confessing believer’s
interaction with the Word, he’ll bear fruit.
At some times and in some lives, the fruit may seem less than others—but
it’s there, by the grace of God. You may
have only bore the fruit of the flesh before, but now, you’re able and free to
bear the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:19–24).
