The seed that fell on the stony soil did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth (it sprang up but no crop sprang up) and and because it had no root it withered away. (Mark 4:6) There was some motion and movement toward growth, unlike the seed that fell by the wayside, yet the condition changed from sprang up (although it did not yet reach it's desired goal) to withered away. The word was never firmly rooted and established from the start. People who do not hear the word with a good and honest heart and having "no root" and produce “no fruit” do not experience real salvation.
Now in regards to the 3rd soul, some people interpret “becomes unfruitful" (as read in certain translations) as "was fruitful but then later became unfruitful." Other translations make it more clear:
Bible in Basic English - put a stop to the growth of the word and it gives no fruit.
Complete Jewish Bible - so that it produces nothing.
English Standard Version - choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
New Century Version - So the teaching does not produce fruit in that person's life.
New Revised Standard - choke the word, and it yields nothing.
Revised Standard Version - choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
The Amplified Bible reads, "and it yields no fruit."
Luke 8:14 says "bring no fruit to maturity."
That is not the same thing as "was fruitful, only to later become unfruitful." Produces nothing, proves unfruitful, does not produce fruit, yields nothing, yields no fruit, brings no fruit to maturity, just does not equate to produced fruit but later stopped producing fruit.
In CONTRAST, to the rocky and thorny soil, we read in Matthew 13:23 - "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who INDEED BEARS FRUIT and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." *Only the 4th soil produced crops of any size.* I suppose the question still remains, "can this forth soil eventually become fruitless?" If this were possible, why didn't Christ include such a scenario before concluding? There is mention of a difference in the size of the crops, but no consequences or warnings are given to the lesser producers. Only the 4th soil was referred to as "good ground" and produced a crop (fruit) and there is NO MENTION OF CHOKING OR WITHERING THEREAFTER.
Now in regards to the 3rd soul, some people interpret “becomes unfruitful" (as read in certain translations) as "was fruitful but then later became unfruitful." Other translations make it more clear:
Bible in Basic English - put a stop to the growth of the word and it gives no fruit.
Complete Jewish Bible - so that it produces nothing.
English Standard Version - choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
New Century Version - So the teaching does not produce fruit in that person's life.
New Revised Standard - choke the word, and it yields nothing.
Revised Standard Version - choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
The Amplified Bible reads, "and it yields no fruit."
Luke 8:14 says "bring no fruit to maturity."
That is not the same thing as "was fruitful, only to later become unfruitful." Produces nothing, proves unfruitful, does not produce fruit, yields nothing, yields no fruit, brings no fruit to maturity, just does not equate to produced fruit but later stopped producing fruit.
In CONTRAST, to the rocky and thorny soil, we read in Matthew 13:23 - "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who INDEED BEARS FRUIT and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." *Only the 4th soil produced crops of any size.* I suppose the question still remains, "can this forth soil eventually become fruitless?" If this were possible, why didn't Christ include such a scenario before concluding? There is mention of a difference in the size of the crops, but no consequences or warnings are given to the lesser producers. Only the 4th soil was referred to as "good ground" and produced a crop (fruit) and there is NO MENTION OF CHOKING OR WITHERING THEREAFTER.
