Parable of the Sower: Stony Places

When I read the parable of the sower from Matthew 13, I usually think mostly about the one who receives seed among thorns. When seed (the word) falls on that kind of ground (or that kind of heart), Jesus says that the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things choke the word out, and it becomes unfruitful. This part of the parable translates really well for those of us living in the United States, as it is a direct challenge to our consumer mindset. But the part of the parable that is becoming increasingly interesting (or alarming) to me is the person who receives seed among stony places.

There seems to be a connection between this part of the parable and something Jesus spoke of regarding the last days in Matthew 24:

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. - Mat 24:9-13 NKJV

As I consider this occurrence in the last days (many being offended as a result of tribulation), it makes me wonder about the consistency of Christians' hearts in the last days. It makes me wonder about Christians in the United States. As of right now, we are free to read our Bibles, preach against sin, meet together openly, and do all those things associated with the Christian life. But what if something drastic happened to this country, and we no longer had any of those freedoms? What if people hated us to the point of persecution, actual, physical persecution? Would we stand strong (in the power of God's might, of course) in the face of that kind of persecution? Or would we retract and cower in utter fear? Would we be offended to suffer shame for the name of the Lord, or would we by joyful at that opportunity (see Acts 5:41)? Jesus clearly said we would be hated by all nations for His name's sake. As a matter of fact, Jesus said people would kill us for our testimony. Would we be willing to die for the Lord Jesus? I think these are legitimate questions that we must ask ourselves, especially here in the US, where we wallow in lukewarm "Christian" living.

I guess my question is, as it goes back to the parable of the sower, have we received seed on stony places? That is, do we have hard hearts? Jesus clearly said that in these people the seed springs up immediately, but it has no depth of root. So when the sun beats on us hard (we find ourselves in tribulation, temptation, or hardship), we shrivel up and wither away.

We need to pay attention to the consistency of our hearts. We also need to do what we can to throw down some deep roots (which should include prayer and study of God's word). I believe the time is coming soon when all the things Jesus mentions in Matthew 24 will start to take place. At that time, may we not be among the rank of those who will be offended, betray one another, hate one another. May we not be among the rank of those who wither away because the sun scorches us.

Now is not the time to be lukewarm.