Articles
The Seed is the Word of God
I am impressed with how often the Bible uses gardening or farming as an illustration for life, but especially for the work of teaching and evangelism. Many of Jesus’ parables were grounded in the simplest facts of planting and growing (for examples, see the parables of the sower, the tares, and the mustard seed in Matt. 13). Later, Paul used similar ideas when discussing how God works through evangelist like himself and Apollos (1 Cor. 3:6-9). So, it seems that God wants us to view teaching His word and spreading the gospel in the same way we would view planting seeds for a harvest. Several observations can be made from this correlation.
There is power in the seed. This is the point of the profoundly simple parable of the seed (Mark 4:26-29)—a man sows seed, goes to bed, rises in the morning, and behold! the seed has sprouted—though, “how, he himself does not know.” The growth comes from the seed and soil itself, not from anything the farmer did (other than plant and water). Put another way, he has no control over the seed at all. The work of teaching is not dependent on how eloquently or persuasively we communicate, as long as we sow the gospel, “for it is the power of God for salvation” (Rom. 1:16).
The word will bear fruit in good soil. We may draw numerous applications from the parable of the sower, but perhaps this is the most basic: the seed is guaranteed to be successful as long as it falls on an “honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15). Do we waste our time sowing on other kinds of soil? Certainly not, for the faithful farmer scattered seed everywhere, regardless of where it might fall (and so did Jesus, by the way)! But we do waste precious energy fretting over people’s responses when their hearts are more like the roadside, rocky, or thorny ground. Instead, we would be better off to continue planting where we have opportunity and focusing especially on those who seem to be truly hungry for the word.
Sometimes we must be patient for the fruit. “The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient” (James 5:7-8). Recently someone made a point in Bible class about their father never having a successful garden because he was always re-planting the seeds when they grew too slowly. Teaching involves a lot of work—and also some waiting. If we are impatient, we may pass up other opportunities. If we are pushy or demanding, we may close a door. If we expect immediate results, we may end up looking for the wrong kind of fruit.
In some cases, the growth may be joyously immediate (like the Ethiopian); other times it may become evident years later (Nicodemus in John 3; 19:39?). It could be that we never see the fruit of our labors until eternity. That seems like a long time to wait, but won’t it be worth it? In the meantime, let’s keep sowing, praying, and working.
