Mark 4:16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
Recall that in the parable of the sower our Lord describes four different types of ground on which seed falls. He draws a comparison from this to four types of hearers of the word of God. He likens a certain class of hearers to stony ground, which receives the seed so that the seed immediately springs up. But because the seed does not have much soil in which to grow, it does not take root. It lacks depth. So when the heat of the sun lights upon it, it becomes scorched and withers away. Our Lord then compares this to people who hear the word of God and immediately receive it with joy. But they lack depth. The word does not take root. So when afflictions or persecutions arise because of the word of God, they become offended and give up their faith. They “endure but for a time.” And why do they cease to endure? Because they lack depth! They are not rooted in the faith. This explains why Paul gives us the following instruction:
Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
The person who walks in Christ as he has received Him, will be rooted in Christ and “stablished in the faith,” so as not to be moved from it. It is a matter of staying with your original faith and commitment, holding it fast and firm. It is as John put it:
1 John 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
It is good to constantly remind yourself of why you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ to begin with. The faith you placed in Jesus Christ is a reasonable faith. The gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is not a myth, it is an historical account. These events occurred in time and space as much as any other event of history and these events meet all the tests for valid history. These things really happened! The once dead and buried Jesus is now alive. It helps to constantly be reminded of this. Remember how you were convinced that you were a great sinner and remember how you found in Christ a great Saviour with great grace, greater than all your sin. Remember the joy that came when you realized that there was hope for such as you, hope for forgiveness of your sins and hope of eternal life? Committing your life to this Redeemer was the most reasonable choice you ever made. Don’t ever forget that. If you let what you heard in the beginning abide in you, you will stay with it, even when it costs you comfort, companionship, or convenience. You will realize that what you receive from the Lord Jesus Christ is worth far more than anything this perishing world can offer. In short, you will endure. I know this works for me when I am tempted to give up.
The problem with the stony ground hearer is that he has only had a superficial experience with the facts of the gospel. The gospel sounds good, so he receives it. But the influence of the gospel does not deepen in his life. He does not give it the place in his life that it ought to hold. His experience is more a matter of shallow emotions over something that sounds good. So whenever the pressures of following Christ exert themselves, he abandons his faith.
Over against the stony ground hearer, who does not endure, is the hearer who received the seed on good ground. Hear what Christ says of these hearers:
Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
For them, receiving the word is a matter of a well-considered commitment of faith to something that they have verified as truth, truth worthy of the full commitment of one’s life. They receive the word in an honest heart. An honest heart desires more than just a pleasurable feeling. An honest heart wants only what is good and right and truth, and it will not commit to something until it has verified that it meets these criteria. The noble Bereans are an example of good ground hearers.
Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.
The Bereans believed after having verified by careful searching that what they heard was so, that is was indeed the truth. Such hearers “keep” the word and “bring forth fruit with patience.” And as we have seen already in these meditations, patience is the enduring (of pain, trouble, or evil) with calmness and composure. In other words, good ground hearers endure.
How deep does the word of God go down into you? How deep is your commitment to Christ? How you endure affliction and persecution will tell.
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