““For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” (Matthew 13:12, NASB95)
What does Jesus mean by “the one who has more will be given and will have abundance” and by “the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away?” Jesus is speaking of the gospel that is given to people in order to provide insight leading to salvation. The gospel is given universally to all people, yet not everyone experiences the fruitfulness of the gospel unto salvation. Jesus is describing a person’s response to the gospel and their willingness or unwillingness to follow Jesus.
As in the parable of the soils, the sower cast the seed of the Word of God upon differing soils of the heart. Out of the four types of hearts, the gospel found root in three of the four hearts. The hard heart heard the gospel only for a moment, and then it was taken away by Satan. The gospel also found root in the heart lacking depth, only to be taken away by affliction and persecution. The third type of heart received the gospel but soon lost its impact due to the cares and worries of the world. All of these suffered loss when the gospel was taken away.
Finally, we see the good heart that received the Word of God, which not only found root but produced abundant blessings. This is the heart of a person who has received the gospel and experienced the growth and fruitfulness of the kingdom of God in their life. This is what Jesus meant by the person who has and will in the future have abundance.
Jesus’ disciples were blessed because God determined to deliver to them the mysteries of the kingdom of God. They were chosen by God to receive the Word of God so that the ministry of God would grow through them. Jesus warns against the danger of taking for granted the Word of God and its blessings, as did the religious leaders who had but lost them.
May we keep our hearts fertile and accepting of the Word of God, and may the gospel take root and produce abundant fruit in your life and the lives around you.
Pastor Cary