Luke 8:13

The Passion Translation

The seeds falling on gravel represents those who initially respond to the word with joy, but soon afterward, when a season of difficulty and harassment of the enemy comes to them, they wither and fall away, for they have no root in the truth and their faith is temporary.

Cross References

Proverbs 12:12

The cravings of the wicked are only for what is evil, but righteousness is the core motivation for the lovers of God, and it keeps them content and flourishing.

Proverbs 12:3

You can’t expect success by doing what’s wrong. But the lives of his lovers are deeply rooted and firmly planted.

Isaiah 58:2

Yes, daily they seem to seek me, pretending that they delight to know my ways, as though they were a nation that does what is right and had not rejected the law of their God. They ask me to show them the right way, acting as though they are eager to be close to me.

Ezekiel 33:32

As far as they are concerned, you are like an entertainer who sings a love song with a beautiful voice to a good musical accompaniment. They hear what you say, but no one will do it.

Mark 6:20

But Herod both feared and stood in awe of John and kept him safely in custody, because he was convinced that he was a righteous and holy man. Every time Herod heard John speak, it disturbed his soul, but he was drawn to him and was intrigued by his words.

Luke 8:12

The hard pathway represents the hard hearts of those who hear the word of God but the slanderer quickly snatches away what was sown in their hearts to keep them from believing and experiencing salvation.

Luke 8:14

The seeds that fall into the weeds represents the hearts of those who hear the word of God but their growth is quickly choked off by their own anxious cares, the riches of this world, and the fleeting pleasures of this life. This is why they never become mature and fruitful.

John 15:2

He cares for the branches connected to me by lifting and propping up the fruitless branches and pruning every fruitful branch to yield a greater harvest.

John 15:6

If a person is separated from me, he is discarded; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire to be burned.

John 5:35

“John was a blazing, shining torch, and for a short time, you basked in his light with great joy.

1 Corinthians 13:2

And if I were to have the gift of prophecy with a profound understanding of God’s hidden secrets, and if I possessed unending supernatural knowledge, and if I had the greatest gift of faith that could move mountains, but have never learned to love, then I am nothing.

1 Corinthians 15:2

For it is through the revelation of the gospel that you are being saved, if you fasten your life firmly to the message I’ve taught you, unless you have believed in vain.

Galatians 3:1

What has happened to you foolish Galatians? Who has put you under an evil spell? Did God not open your eyes to see the meaning of Jesus’ crucifixion? Was he not revealed to you as the crucified one?

Galatians 3:4

Have you endured so many trials and persecutions for nothing?

Ephesians 3:17

Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life.

Colossians 1:23

if indeed you continue to advance in faith, assured of a firm foundation to grow upon. Never be shaken from the hope of the gospel you have believed in. And this is the glorious news I preach all over the world.

Colossians 2:7

Your spiritual roots go deeply into his life as you are continually infused with strength, encouraged in every way. For you are established in the faith you have absorbed and enriched by your devotion to him!

1 Thessalonians 3:5

For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I sent our brother to find out if your faith was still strong, for I was concerned that the tempter had somehow enticed you and our labor would have been in vain.

Hebrews 10:39

But we are certainly not those who are held back by fear and perish; we are among those who have faith and experience true life!

James 2:26

For just as a human body without the spirit is a dead corpse, so faith without the expression of good works is dead!

2 Peter 2:20

Those who escape the corrupting forces of this world system through the experience of knowing about our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Messiah, then go back into entanglement with them and are defeated by them, becoming worse off than they were to start with.

2 Peter 2:22

They become illustrations of the true proverb: A dog will return to his own vomit and a washed pig to its rolling in the mud.

1 John 2:19

For even though they were once a part of us, they withdrew from us because they were never really of our number. For if they had truly belonged to us they would have continued with us. By leaving our community of believers they made it obvious that they never really belonged to us.

Jude 1:12

These false teachers are like dangerous hidden reefs at your love feasts, lying in wait to shipwreck the immature. They feast among you without reverence, having no shepherd but themselves. They are clouds with no rain, swept along by the winds. Like fruitless late-autumn trees —twice dead, barren, and plucked up by the roots!