GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 4:16
Rocky Soil
A colleague talked about growing up in a small farming community in South Dakota. During the summer, he worked for a farmer carrying rocks from the field. According to his recollection, as the farmer plowed the field, he would turn up rocks. The boy’s job was to go behind the plow, pick up the rocks, and carry them to a rock pile along the side of the field. He described how difficult it was to walk behind the plow in the hot South Dakota summer sun. The way he described the job of picking up the rocks made me break out in sweat.
As Jesus explained his parable of the farmer sowing seed, he said, “And these are those sown upon the rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately with joy they receive it.” (Mark 4:16) This, according to William Barclay in The Gospel of Mark, was not ground full of stones but a narrow skin of earth over a shelf of limestone rock. Much of Galilee was like that. In many fields the outcrop of the rock through the shallow soil could be seen. This soil is not the hard-packed soil of the path in which the seed could not even take root. The seed sown on rocky soil did sprout roots and send up a tender stalk.
In Jesus’ parable, the rocky soil represents those who hear the Word, the Gospel, and receive it “with joy.” They make a wonderful start. There is joy over the new relationship with the Father. They receive the Word appropriately, “with joy.” Most travelers begin their journey with joy. There is the anticipation of a new adventure, new sights to see, and new friends to meet. I always enjoyed the beginning of a new college semester, for freshmen radiated excitement and anticipation. It may not be stretching the point too much to say they faced the new challenge with joy.
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