New Testament · Gospel

Matthew 13:22

Secrets of the Kingdom

The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Matthew 13:22 · Berean Standard Bible
What It Means

Matthew 13:22, in plain English

The thorny soil is someone who hears the word, but the worries of life and the lure of money slowly choke it out. The faith becomes fruitless.

Why it's here

This is the most relatable soil for many people. It is not dramatic rejection -- it is gradual suffocation by everyday distractions and desires.

Who's speaking

Jesus explains the third soil.

Where it sits in the story

This might be the scariest soil of all, because it is so common. Your faith does not die in a dramatic moment -- it slowly suffocates under worries and the pursuit of wealth.

A Closer Look

The scholarly reading

The thorny-ground seed represents one who hears but is choked by 'the worries of this age' (he merimna tou aionos) and 'the deceitfulness of wealth' (he apate tou ploutou), rendering the word 'unfruitful' (akarpos).

Language and setting

Unlike the path (no reception) and rocky ground (no endurance), the thorny ground produces real but fruitless growth. The worries and wealth represent not overt sin but subtle competitors that gradually strangle spiritual vitality.

Voice

Jesus interprets the third soil type.

Significance

The thorns represent the subtle killers of faith: not overt sin but ordinary worries and the seductive allure of wealth that gradually suffocate spiritual fruitfulness.

In context

Matthew 13:20–24

20The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.

21But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

22The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

23But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”

24Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

Read all of Matthew 13 — A farmer scatters seed, a woman hides yeast, a merchant finds a pearl. Jesus teaches in parables — and not everyone is meant to understand.

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