Mensa Otabil - Some Fell by the Wayside
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We’re continuing our study of the parable of the sower, and we’re in verse 4 of Matthew 13. As he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them. In this parable, Jesus is using the method of seed broadcasting to illustrate the point of sowing. There are different ways of sowing seed, but broadcast seed is when the farmer has seed in his bag, which he picks and throws on the ground, and that’s the method the farmer is using. It was usually employed for sowing wheat and barley in the days of Jesus.
The first soil that Jesus mentions, where the seed falls, is what the passage refers to as the wayside or the pathway. The farms in the days of Jesus had roads in them, similar to modern farms, and these would be roads or paths that people walked on through the farm, some to go to their own farms and some to go to other parts of a town or village.
So, the farms had these paths, and the pathways were places that people walked. As people walked on them, they hardened, and although they are termed wayside, they are not wayside in the city but rather wayside on the farm. This wayside is where the seed falls. The farmer throws the seed onto the wayside, the pathway in the farm, and because the pathway is not tilled—it’s kept as a pathway—every seed that lands there does not find a place to settle. Consequently, it lies on the surface, and others who pass by will kick it up, and pretty soon, a bird will notice it and come to pick it. Jesus says that this is the attitude some people have toward the Word of God. The Word of God is preached; they hear it, but they don’t allow it to settle in their hearts.
Just like the seed, they treat the Word of God casually, and it doesn’t penetrate deeply. Eventually, the enemy comes to steal the Word of God from their hearts. God wants us to cherish His Word; He wants us to pay attention to it. Frequently in the Bible, we are admonished to pay attention to the Word of God. In other words, whether we’re reading the Word of God privately in our devotion or hearing an exposition of it, we must give it our full attention. If we don’t give it full attention, it becomes like the seed thrown in the farm but landing on the pathway, and then our problems come to steal it. Many times, God speaks His Word to us, and it could be a word that redeems us, delivers us, blesses us, lifts us, or encourages us. But because at the time the Word comes, we are occupied with something else, we never allow the Word of God to take root in us.
Jesus says the people who are like this hear the Word of God but do not understand it, and it’s true: if you don’t pay attention to what you’re hearing, how are you going to understand it or make meaning out of it? So when the Word of God comes, we must pay attention, think through it, allow it to settle in our hearts, and begin to attach meaning to it, so the Word of God speaks to us in a direct way—not in a casual way where we just shout «Amen!» or express enthusiasm but do not genuinely engage with it. When we do that, we treat the Word of God with what the passage calls a wayside attitude, and I pray that none of us will have a wayside attitude toward the Word of God.
Pay attention to what you hear; focus on it, grasp the Word of God with your heart, and let your faith anchor onto it. Let the Word of God bear fruit in your life. Let’s share a word of prayer; say with me: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your precious Word. Give me a heart and mind that retains Your knowledge. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen. Well, thank you so much for sharing this. Stand with me; I will continue tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.