Matthew 13:13–15, 19–23 (CJB) “They look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding… because the heart of this people has become dull… so that I could heal them… Whoever hears the message about the Kingdom, but doesn’t understand it… produces nothing… But what was sown on rich soil… will surely bear fruit.” 

Jesus does not tell this parable to comfort people.
He tells it to expose reality.

Isaiah’s prophecy, which Jesus quotes, is still being fulfilled today. Many people hear God’s Word regularly—but very few are changed by it. They hear sermons, read Scripture, attend church, and yet repentance is shallow, obedience is rare, and fruit is minimal or nonexistent.

The issue Jesus identifies is not access to truth—it is the condition of the heart.

Jesus makes this unmistakably clear:
The evidence of true hearing is fruit.

Not emotional response.
Not religious activity.
Not church involvement.

Fruit.

So the question is not, “Have I heard God’s Word?”
The question is, “What has God’s Word produced in me?”

Jesus describes four responses to the same Word:

1. The Path – The Word is heard but not understood. The enemy removes it immediately. There is no repentance, no change, no obedience.

2. Rocky Ground – The Word is received with joy but without depth. When pressure, hardship, or persecution comes, faith collapses. There is no endurance.

3. Among Thorns – The Word is heard, but it is slowly strangled by the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth. God is not rejected—He is crowded out. Nothing grows.

4. Good Soil – The Word is heard, understood, and obeyed. Repentance is real. Roots go deep. Fruit multiplies.

Jesus is clear: only one soil produces fruit.

Paul tells us plainly:

“Test yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

So we must ask:

• Have I truly repented, or merely agreed with Scripture?

• Is my faith visible in obedience, or only in words?

• Do I fear men more than God, staying silent about Jesus?

• Is my life consumed with provision, comfort, and pleasure while God’s work goes undone?

• Is anyone coming to faith in Christ because of my witness?

• Is anyone growing in Christ because of my leadership, service, or teaching?

Fruit does not save us—but lack of fruit exposes false faith.

Good soil produces visible results:

• Lives reconciled to God through the gospel

• Disciples growing in obedience to Jesus

• A life increasingly shaped by God’s Word

• Time, resources, and energy oriented toward God’s kingdom

• Repentance that continues, not just begins

These men seek God through Scripture, hear His voice, understand His will, and do it daily—together with others pursuing the same King.

Jesus answers this for us.

Those who enjoy eternal life with the King of kings and Lord of lords are not merely hearers—but doers. They are the ones who loved Him first and most, proving that love through obedience.

Good soil is not accidental.
It is cultivated.

Run Today’s Play: Do not assume your soil—test it.

1. Examine your fruit. What has obedience to Jesus produced in your life this year?

2. Identify the choke points. Worry? Wealth? Fear of people? Comfort?

3. Repent specifically. Name what is crowding out God’s Word and turn from it.

4. Reorder your priorities. Schedule Scripture, prayer, and disciple-making like they matter—because they do.

5. Pursue fruit intentionally. Place yourself where obedience, witness, and service are unavoidable.

Good soil doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when men hear the Word, obey the Word, and refuse to let anything choke it out.