Mother Stories from the New Testament | Page 5

"Lord, let it alone this year also,
till I shall dig about it and manure it. And if it bear fruit then, it is well;
but if not, then, after that, thou shalt cut it down."
In this parable the vineyard means the world, and the fig-tree ungodly
people whose lives do not produce good works--do not produce fruit in
the service of God. The Lord of the vineyard, that is, God, would
destroy such people, but Christ intercedes in their behalf, that time for
repentance may be given. "He is not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance." Christ came and sought to change
men's hearts, and make their lives fruitful for God. The warning has
been given, and when the Lord of the vineyard comes again to seek
good fruit the unfruitful trees shall be destroyed.
Am I a barren tree, dear Lord? A cumberer of the ground. Oh! give me
grace to fruitful be, And in Thy work abound.
[Illustration: THE UNFRUITFUL TREE.]

SOWING THE SEED.
A sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed some fell by the
wayside and was trodden down, and birds came and devoured it. And
some fell upon a rocky place, where there was not much soil, and as
soon as it sprang up it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And
some fell among thorns and weeds, and they sprang up with it and
choked it. But other fell on good ground, and sprang up bearing ears,
some with thirty, some sixty, some a hundred seeds.
When Jesus had told this parable, His disciples asked Him to explain it
to them. He said that the seed is the Word of God. The wayside
signifies the people who hear the Word but do not understand it, and
Satan comes and takes all thought of it out of their hearts as quickly as
the birds devour the seeds. The rocky places without much earth denote
those who, when they hear the Word, receive it with great joy and
profession of faith; but it never takes deep root in their hearts, and
when they are tempted they fall away and the good seed in their hearts
is withered up. The thorns and weeds are the pleasures and riches of
this life, which root so deeply and strongly in men's hearts that the good
seed has no chance, and is soon killed off.
But the good ground is the hearts of good people, who remember God's
Word and try, every day of their lives, to do as He wishes us to do, and
to live holy and useful lives. The seed falling upon their hearts becomes
strongly rooted and grows up vigorously, bearing good fruit.
What shall be said of your heart, my young friend? Is it like the
wayside? the rocky place? the thorny ground? or like a good field that
has been well prepared for the seed?
[Illustration: SOWING THE SEED.]

THE ENEMY SOWING TARES.
A certain man sowed good seed in his field, but in the night, whilst men
slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his

way. When the wheat-blade had sprung up and showed the ear, then
appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came to him
and said, "Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? Whence then
come these tares?"
He said unto them, "An enemy hath done this." Then the servants asked,
"Shall we go, then, and gather them up?" But he said, "Nay, lest whilst
you gather up the tares, you root up the wheat with them. Let both grow
together until the harvest, and in that time I will say to the reapers,
'Gather ye together first the tares and bind them into bundles to burn
them, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
Jesus' disciples asked Him to explain this parable to them, and He said:
"The field represents the world, and He that sowed the good seed is
Christ Himself. The good seed is the Word He preached; the wheat
plants are the good people who believe in Christ and do as He teaches.
The enemy who sows the bad seed is Satan, and the tares that spring
from them are wicked people who follow the promptings of the evil
one in their hearts. The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers
are the angels of God. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in
the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world with wicked people.
Christ shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His
Kingdom all things that offend and them that do evil, and shall cast
them into a furnace of