Stony Hearts

Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

Matthew 13: 5,6

Jesus, again, expounded on this parable to His disciples after they had asked for an explanation.

But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

Yet he hath not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Matthew 13: 20-21

And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

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.

Mark 4: 16,17

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

Luke 8: 13

These were those in the crowd that did not look like they seemed. The seed or Word fell on ground that had a little earth or was outwardly received. They were ones who appeared to immediately (or anon) receive the Word and rejoiced. They may have been vocal about what Jesus had to say. Beyond the miracles, including the loaves and the fishes, they seemed to follow because of what Jesus was teaching. They actually desired to hear the word unlike those with the way side heart.

They can be liken unto people today. They not only like to be called Christian but they also rejoice, outwardly, in the things of God. They may be the first one’s to testify in the services. They may have a song to sing. They enjoy the preaching of the word … and may even be preachers themselves. When they are in public, they appear to not be ashamed of their Christianity. They are excited to “talk scriptures” or at least talk about “spiritual” things.

Jesus likened these people to ones who had immediately received the word with gladness. However, they had no root in them. In agricultural terms, this ground had a thin, shallow layer of soil before you got to a solid layer of rock. This thin crust would warm quickly causing the seed to sprout instantly but without adequate rootage of moisture. Therefore, when the sun arose and there was little to no rain, these crops or sprouts withered away because they could not be sustained in the shallow soil.

How many times have you seen individuals come around the church who seem to have a lot of zeal and emotion for God? They truly are excited about the things that pertain to God and His kingdom. They show real excitement. They shed real tears. They love to sing. They love to testify. They love to tell others about Jesus. But its all on an emotional level. They have a lot of zeal for Jesus. However, that is before the real testing times come.

What happens when the bills get too high? What happens when they get sick? What happens when the job gets stressful? What happens when relationships go south? What happens when the “old man” rises up? What happens when temptations become unbearable? These are like the sun with no moisture. Emotions can’t bear under the pressures. Zeal cannot handle the stress.

What happens in these times is that the true heart of that man (or woman) is revealed. It doesn’t matter how sweetly saved you are. You are going to go through times where the sun will burn hot. And if we are honest, these are revealing times for all of us. However, this parable is talking about individuals who have their hearts revealed through this process and there is not enough character of heart to allow the revealing to foster growth in the heart. The heart, in this case, was actually hard. The way side heart was hard with apathy. The stony heart is hard with selfishness. The outward appeared to be soft and pliable. That outward layer showed emotion and zeal. However, inwardly, there remained a hard and a stubborn heart. How do you know? Because during the time of the sun’s heat, they were offended or they stumbled away.

Many times people with this stony heart condition have been around religion for awhile. They know all of the right things to say and do. They know how to appear as a Christian. They may go to Sunday Services, Wednesday Services, Thursday Small Group bible studies and can spout off all of the religious doctrines of their locations. They have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). This is a condition where when things go right, they are “on-fire” for God. However, in times of persecution, temptation or adverse situations, the inward begins to reveal itself. Most of the times it comes in the form of bitterness. Usually, when someone is bitter its because they were offended at one time or another. Ironically, the easiest target is the religion that they are (or were) involved in. They find all sorts of reasons to find fault with the “hypocrites in the church.” “Those people” are the reason why they were offended and ultimately the reason why they fell away. The truth is the stony-hearted individual is not offended at people, they are offended at the Word. They are offended at Jesus Christ.

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

John 6: 66

In Jesus’ day, these were the people that would only go so far. The truth was that all, in that day, had their limits. They all forsook Him. In John the 6th Chapter, Jesus had just previously fed the masses with the little boy’s lunch (John 6: 1-14). As He is teaching in Capernaum, He tells his disciples that He is the bread of life. He explains that if they wanted to see the Father and have life that they needed to “eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood” (John 6: 31-65). Jesus was not speaking of his literal flesh or his literal blood. However, He was talking about partaking of Him fully … as the Word!

Jesus further asks His twelve disciples, “Will ye also go away?” Simon Peter answers Him and states, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”

Those that fell away are much like those today, there was a point at which the seed or Word could not and will not penetrate. Once Jesus asks for a commitment to give all and partake of Him exclusively, it is hard for many to continue with Him. He, and his request, becomes offensive because hearts are committed to self and selfishness. It’s not about His way. It becomes about “our way.” The disciples who went back did not allow the seed or Word to penetrate their own ways, customs, ideas, thoughts and, yes, hearts. To commit to Jesus would have been a commitment of sacrifice. They saw how He lived. They saw the constant persecution that He was under from the established religious leaders. His words were beginning to turn the tide on His popularity. He was not there to win their votes. He was there to win their hearts … and it was necessary to speak penetrating words that would get to the heart of the matter. The psalmist says:

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Psalm 34: 8

Again, this is referring to partaking the Word wholly with a commitment to trust in Him fully. When Jesus asked the remaining twelve if they would also go way, Peter understood what that commitment was about. His answer showed that he understood the power of tasting and seeing that the Lord is good … and understood that trusting in Him had everlasting benefits. Those twelve, with all of their flaws, all understood what it meant to have the seed sown in the heart … all but one! However, they too had their time of falling away. They too had their limits. However, they fell away, not because of selfishness. They had allowed fear to motivate their falling away. How do I know this? Because they came back (except for Judas) and followed the Lord.

Again, where does this find us? Do we have a zeal for God and the things of God? However, when the sun comes up, do we wilt and die under its rays because there is no root? There is a remedy. Please stay with me as we go through this study.