And the cares of this world and the deceptions of riches and the other desires, entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Here Christ describes those people who hear the word and, to some extent, receive it, yet it does not become the only ruling power of their life. Their heart is not closed, but it is not free either. It is already occupied with other things, which begin to grow together with the word of God. Here a more subtle and dangerous condition is revealed than the previous ones, because the word is not rejected at once or quickly withers, but is gradually choked. The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and other desires enter into a person’s heart and divide his attention and love. They promise security and satisfaction, but in reality they turn a person away from what is eternal. This influence is usually not sudden, but works slowly and unnoticed, until the word loses its power and becomes unfruitful. Thus Christ shows that not only open rejection, but also worldly attachments can hinder the fruitfulness of the word. This is a warning that a person’s heart must be free and undivided, so that the word of God may grow and bear fruit.