“He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow”.
In the Spring of the year the season of
sowing, the sower would rise up each day for weeks and would take up the
baskets or sacks of seed and enter the fields and walk about sowing the seeds
around in the anticipation of a harvest in the late Summer and Autumn.
The work was long and at times would seem to
be producing little. Often birds would swoop down and eat some of the seed
which had been scattered. Other seed, would be blown away by the wind or washed
away be the sudden rains or even a lack of rain. Others seed simply failed to
gestate or take root, or if it sprouted would find itself on soil which could
not support it or choked by weeds.
For the sower, at times, this could seem
rather counterproductive and futile, but none-the-less this work was called for
and ultimately necessary and the people of Israel were very much of aware of this
truth and they knew that, with care and patients a harvest would come forth to
assure the survival of nation and the people.
This cycle of sowing and reaping could be long
and hard work out in the heat of the day, beginning early and ending late.
Often this waiting could involve what appeared
to be a failed harvest, or a particular field or seed type. For the sower now
turned harvesters, there was a period of waiting for the harvest to come where
little growth could be seen, but over time and with patience and with care
sprouts would emerge from beneath the Earth and grow upwards towards the
Heavens.
These small, but emerging sprouts would
produce fruit and sustain the lives of the people. Once the sprouts came forth
and bore fruit the harvesters would enter the fields and reap what had been
sown often in greater abundance than what had been anticipated or even better
quality than they had thought it would be.
Sowing and Reaping
Jesus Christ our Lord uses this familiar
yearly and centuries old cycle to teach his Disciples regarding the Kingdom of
God through one of his Kingdom Parables.
“He also said, "The
kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would
sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not
know how.
The earth produces of itself, first the stalk,
then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at
once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come."
He also said, "With what can we compare
the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard
seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on
earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs,
and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in
its shade."
With many such parables he spoke the word to
them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in
parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.” Mk: 4:26-34
Jesus’ Disciples would have understood the
cultural imagery which he utilized. They had grown up seeing this
sower-harvester cycle all their lives and knew it’s relevant to their lives,
Jesus used this to give his followers which were present with him and throughout
the ages understanding of the Kingdom of God and their lives as a part of that
Kingdom.
Entering the field
One of the Lessons for the followers of Jesus
is that there are seasons in each of our own lives in which we, like the sower,
enter the fields of other people’s lives into which we are scattering seed.
This means that every interaction with others is an opportunity to sow seeds
with the hope that ultimately a harvest will be produced and with God’s
blessings that harvest will be abundant and of good quality.
What sprouts, and hopefully fruit, which
emerge out of the soil of others’ lives will largely depend of the seeds which
we sow into them. If we sow kindness, understanding, patients and gentleness
along with godly love this gives the best promise of an abundant and good
quality harvest when that harvest season arrives.
It is true that there are times when we have
sowed with abundance with little or no fruit to show for it.
One Sows, Another Reaps
There are times when we enter the field of
another person's life and spend great amounts of time and effort and see
minimal results, and as it may happen, we might move on to other fields with
the impression that our sowing was in vain never seeing a sprout above the soil
of another.
But even as we enter other fields our God can
still remain in the life of others of whom we have long forgotten. Our God may,
for a season, bring us into fields of other lives for the purpose of sowing a
seed only to move us on and bring another who might reap a fruitful harvest.
St. Paul, addressed this very truth in his
Epistle to the Christians in the Greek city of Corinth. Speaking of his work of
preaching and ministering in the lives of believers.
“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is
Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned
to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been
making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is
anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one
who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their
own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field,
God’s building.” 1Cor:3:5-9
St. Paul is telling us that our Lord will use
us at times in this fashion brining us into the lives of others for a season;
we sow what seeds we may, only to have us move on while our God brings another
to tend the sprouting seeds which we have been used to plant into the lives of
others.
This should give us great encouragement at
times when we feel that our investments into the lives of others have been in
vain for our God can use others to water the seed and reap the harvest. No time
of sowing the mercies of God into others’ lives therefore waisted and will bear
fruit in its proper season through the providence of God.
This truth should help us in the ministering
the things of God toward others even when it seems fruitless and we are tempted
to quit, as St. Paul writes.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at
the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” Gal:6:9
It is true that St. Paul was speaking of the
harvest of our own lives but it still has appliance that there is nothing
wasted in the service of God that all things will come in its proper season as
God wills.
Solomon wrote of the seasons of life here upon
the Earth.
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens”: Eccl: 3:1
The Harvest Season
There will come a season of harvest for the
sowing which we have done through our lives here upon the Earth, it may be,
that in the purpose of God , that the true harvest of the sowing of our lives
will not be fully experienced this side of Eternity but in the fullness of the
Kingdom of God when all who have heard and accept the Gospel message about
Jesus are gathered together with one another and with God.
This is the great season of Harvest that all
the followers of Jesus are sowing seeds for that will produce an abundant
harvest of the highest quality all to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Benediction: May we each and all ever sow, with our
hearts set on that glorious season of harvest when the fruit of our
lives will be abundant, all through Jesus, today, tomorrow and
forevermore. Amen.
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Rev. Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma
“If
It's Not About Jesus, It's Not About Anything"
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