In this daily Bible reading is the account of Barnabas and Saul going to Cyprus to preach the Word of God. In Cyprus they met an intelligent pro-counsel, Sergius Paulus, who desired to hear what Barnabas and Paul had to say. However, a magician named Bar-Jesus tried to turn Sergius Paulus away from the Faith by opposing what Paul was saying.
There are many in this world who try to discredit the Word of God and turn people away from belief. Jesus’ parable about the seed falling in ‘various soils’ illuminates this fact.
The ‘seed’ in Jesus’ parable is the Word of God. People hear God’s Word with varying degrees of receptivity. People represent various soils in the parable.
The first soil represented people who are unreceptive to even hearing God’s Word. They are influenced by Satan and his followers who prevent the ‘seed’ from being planted. The ‘seed’ of God’s Word cannot even start to grow because it is rejected. How sad.
Indeed, there are some who will never believe, and Satan ensures that they will remain that way. Satan uses the world’s logic and rejection of God’s Truth to accomplish his purpose.
