Larry Hurtado writes that "Jesus’ message is no easy pill to swallow and no mild word of spiritual uplift but a declaration of war upon the power of evil" – so on this Palm Sunday are we taking up the spiritual battle of following Jesus or not? This is the salient point that Jesus makes in his parable of the sower and the four different types of soil. It ultimately comes down to the nature of our discipleship – are we 'productive' or 'unproductive soil'? Is our seed of faith lost under the duress of life's challenges or do we persevere and produce an abundant harvest for the kingdom of God?
