The Lord Jesus taught us through the Parable of the Sower in
Luke 8:4-15 the different responses of the people to the Word of God, as a way to warn us about how we hear it. It is an exhortation to be doers, and a warning against things that can hinder bearing fruit (results).
This parable also shows us what to expect when we proclaim the Word of God. The seeds that fall on the wayside are those that reject the Word immediately. They will hear it, but there is a battle in their mind, refusing it. Then, there are the ones that fall on the rock. They will receive it, and even go to church, and start praying, but trials, and social pressure will hurt their ability to produce mature fruit. They love the acceptance of the peers more than God. Then, there are the ones that fall among the thorns. They will receive it as well, and will begin to produce fruit, but when it comes to haves vs no-haves, believing and obeying the Word of God will take a second place. Finally, others will receive the Word in faith, and with an obedience heart, and will produce fruit in spite of social pressure and the no-haves.
Skepticism is the behavior you see in the ones represented by the seeds falling on the wayside. However, not all skeptical attitudes are bad. The skepticism that is bad is the one that is basically a spirit of unbelief or disobedience. In
Acts 17:32, you can see an example of spirit of unbelief. Some of the people hearing Paul’s preaching began to mock him and despise his message when he talked about resurrection. They rejected Paul’s message because they could not believe that the Creator could do such a thing. In
Luke 16:13-14, you can also see an example of a spirit of disobedience. The Pharisees derided Jesus. They rejected his message, because they loved their sin too much. The message was too inconvenient for them to accept or consider.
A healthy skepticism is the one that is based on an attitude of prudence, and a true desired to understand the divine truth. You can see if the skepticism is good by looking at what they do after the truth is being presented completely and accurately. If they go and mediate on it and then embrace it and obey, then their original attitude was good. An example of this was the Jews in Berea, in
Acts 17:10-12. They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. As result many of them believed.
What you all think?
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