Expert: Professor Noel Cox - 7/25/2011

Question
Professr Cox,
 Could you please explain Matthew 13: 22 for us and also; what would be a good theme for this scripture, if one had to do an over-view on it?
 I also liked your comments on a new earth. I remember in the Lord's prayer; it mentions: about God's will being done on earth as it is in heaven. And 2 Peter 3: 13 where it talks about a new heavens and a new earth.
 Thank you, Professor Cox.

Yours truly,
 Fred

Answer
Jesus Christ Himself explains Matthew 13:22 more fully in Mark 4:18-19,

"And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who
hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the
desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."

The seeds falling on thorns represent those who hear the word, and take it to heart,
but allow worldly concerns, such as money, to choke it.

This parable calls to our attention the fact that although the soil is not the way it should
be or the way that it can be, it can still be made into productive soil. That is the job of the
Spirit in our lives. We can relate the soil of our hearts to this parable and know that
change can begin to take place in spite of the shallowness of our experience.

The third type of soil is infested with thorny weeds. This represents the ground that has
not been thoroughly weeded of the thistles. The soil is good enough and deep enough but
other things draw the moisture and nutrients away from the plant, and it crowds and
starves the plant out. This speaks of the cares of the world coming in and choking out the
plants that are trying to grow making the plants unfruitful. Today in our society there are so many choices and these things use up so much of our time that only the leftover time
remains for spiritual things. If this is our patch of dirt, we need to think hard about what
is happening in our life that is infesting our spirit—whether it is a nettle, or a ragweed, or
a nettlesome friend. Our spiritual lives are being choked out so subtly that sometimes we
are not aware of what is even happening. Although there is some growth taking place
with a promise of a harvest, it never materializes.

What cares of this world are using up all your time. It could be lots of things and not
necessarily bad things. The deceitfulness of having many things means trusting in those
things or putting our confidence in them so that we are no longer trusting God very much.
When we allow thorns or weeds to take over our life, we don't allow the message of the
gospel to be a priority.

The theme I would use is an extended agricultural metaphor.

The theme of a new heaven and a new earth is found also in Isaiah 65:17,

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind."

If we regard the expression 'heaven and earth' as referring to God's covenant with mankind, then Christ tells that that once the Old Covenant is fulfilled it will be done away with and replaced by a new covenant. The kingdom of God would be with us now - we would be in a new earth. The Book of Revelation suggests that the new earth may be a physical one, but (as in other aspects of that Book), it should probably be read metaphorically. Thus the new earth is when the reign of Christ is established fully on earth.