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It's Not The Seed. It’s The Soil.
"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path...But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty" (Matthew 13:19, 23). 
In our Gospel passage this Sunday, Jesus’ main point is that the sower sows generously, but the difference is shown in the results of what it takes for the soil to respond positively and generously to the seed planted. To me, isn’t just the seed (the word) planted. It’s the bad soil (the heart) with lack of reception.
 
As a young lad who grew up in the church my entire life, one of the experiences I had was the opportunity of growing up in the remote villages in western Nigeria where my late Dad was a priest overseeing several parishes within his district. To support his family, he would encourage us to do farming from pieces of lands available within the proximity of the rectory location. I have seen various seeds grow in many hectares of lands with grains or vegetables of sorts, cassavas, yams or potatoes, cumbumber, garden eggs, onions, tomatoes, peppers of various species, even sugarcane right behind our rectory. I also have seen bad seeds on bad soils; as well good seeds on good soils. But one thing I observed during the planting season was to ensure we prepare the soils to be well nourished for them to receive whatever seeds we planted. To humbly put this, I have seen it all from seedling to harvest-time for several years from my elementary school through high school to higher education when I left the village life. As far as I could recall, one year alone we harvested tonnes and tonnes of cassavas, yams, vegetables, onions, peppers and countless garden eggs. Why? We planted on good soils ready and willing to absorb the seeds perfectly!
 
The parable of the sower and the seed reminds me and makes sense of what it means: when seeds under 'perform' growth or don't even germinate at all, something is wrong somewhere. Some of us Christians find ourselves exactly in this parable. We know when we are one of the 4 soils described in this parable:
  • Path - Seed eaten by birds (Matthew 13:19) - Lack of understanding.
  • Rocky Ground - Springs up fast, no root, scorched (Matthew 13:20-21) - Lack of endurance.
  • Thorns - Grows but gets choked  (Matthew 13:22) - Cares of life/Vainglory
  • Good Soil - Produces 30, 60, 100x  (Matthew 13:23) - This understands what it takes to endure, care less about worldly things and is willing to absorb faith, hope and love of God. 
So, on what soil is your seed of faith/hope/love planted? Is it on the path to be eaten by your own doubts? Is it rocky ground with no roots, no life and to be scorched by lack of purpose and meaning of your existence? Is your soil in the midst of thorns where your seed-growth is caught up with affairs of life that get you choked?  Or your seed is planted and well seated on the good soil that is waiting to be flourished. if not already flourishing? 
 
One thing we need to embody is to allow our faith in God to thrive in the world that is so full of negativities around us. Let your seed of doubt hang on to Jesus to plant you on good soil. Our faith journey explains that  it's not always the word (seed) that has the problem; it’s the soil (our heart) that refuses to yield to its goodness. "Stop doubting and believe," Jesus told Thomas after the resurrection debacles on the part of His disciples that left several of them dumbfounded as result of lack of trust in whom they were following. Instead  Jesus encouraged him: "...blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:26-29). Your good soil is waiting for you to grow your faith. So, grow, thrive, flourish, but don't choke! 
Blessings
Rev Wilson