The Engrafted Word

[Michael Collum]

The Engrafted Word

"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. " (James 1:21)

The following illustrates that all parables of Jesus are interconnected in meaning .

Mark 4:13-20 (New International Version)

13Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?

The following illustrates that the seed of the kingdom . is sown in conditions that can make it unfruitful .

14The farmer sows the word. 15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

Matthew 13:18-23 (New International Version)

18"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

The following illustrates that trees that come from bad seed bear bad fruit . and trees that come from good seed bear good fruit . so it is not always the heart . but the "seed" implanted in the heart that produces the bad fruit .

Matthew 7:16-20 (New International Version)

16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

The following illustrates who planted the bad seed . so since a seed is considered "a word" then there are good words and bad words .

Matthew 13:36-43 (New International Version)
36Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." 37He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Jesus illustrated through His parables what "the good word" produced . and likewise through His conversations with the Pharisees what "a bad word" would produced . A "word" is constructed using the scripture . keep in mind . Jesus and the Pharisees were using the same Torah and resource texts . but the interpretation provided to someone early on is the seed that causes them to grow into either a child of God . or twice the child of hell the person who discipled them was . this can be applied to bible commentaries . verbal messages . teachings and because translations of the bible involve human interpretation . even those . (and you may have a different opinion on this matter, that is fine . agree to disagree) but in the end of the matter .. what is important . . . is how the heart interprets what is written taught and spoken .

I was taught a lot of bad stuff by a lot of teachers . i know this by the fruit of what i was taught and how it grew . a lot of what i am discovering now is finding corrective for what was "engrafted" into me back then to replace it . so i can be a completely productive tree bearing fruit in every season . and faithful in all His house .

"receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. " (James 1:21)

Father, as we live in you through your indwelling Holy Spirit, may you engraft into us good things . and toss away all the bad . until all are one in you . in Jesus' name . Amen .