Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was a masterful teacher of God’s Word when he walked upon the earth. His teachings were plain, yet sharper than a double-edged sword. So much so that those who were spiritually intelligent and mature could extract the deep meaning from the lessons he taught, and those that were not adept with spiritual knowledge could also understand him. The depth of his compassion, the charisma of his personhood, and the truth that is the very essence of his being, this and more drew people to him like a magnet. Large crowds of varying economic and social status gathered and followed Jesus wherever he went. It is very easy to see why he used parables and stories that were plainly spoken and relatable, he did this because he wanted to teach everyone about the Kingdom of God. One such story is in Luke 8:4-15. Jesus Christ uses the story of a farmer or sower that plants seeds. Jesus describes four types of ground where the seeds land, and this gives us all we need to know about having a heart of good ground, where God’s Word can take root and grow.

Even though Jesus Christ used simple stories and parables to teach people about the Kingdom of God, he told the disciples that even with plain stories, some folks just are not going to get it. He said in Luke 8:10(MSG), “Their eyes are open but don’t see a thing, their ears are open but don’t hear a thing.”  He then went on to explain the story more in depth to the disciples. Some of the seeds that were scattered by the farmer fell on the road. This seed was tramped down and the birds ate it. Jesus explained that the seed the farmer scattered represents the Word of God, and the seeds on the road represent people that hear God’s Word, but as soon as they do, the devil snatches the Word from their hearts, so they won’t believe it and won’t be saved through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some seeds fell in the gravel, lots of rocks, where the plant actually spouted, but soon withered because it couldn’t develop good roots. Jesus explained that the gravel represents those who hear the Word and at first, they’re very excited and enthusiastic about what they hear. But here’s the thing about not having deep roots, as soon as there’s a sign of deep trouble, the person is out of there. We see this sometimes with individuals that expect the Christian journey to be filled with skips through fields of daisies, and when things get real, they become disillusioned, not giving themselves time to spiritually mature in faith.

The seeds that fell among the weeds did in fact grow, but they sprang up along with the weeds, and the weeds ended up choking them out. These are the folks that hear the Word, but they let it be crowded out by all the noise of the world, as well as the people they refuse to cut ties with. Individuals with hearts like this find having one foot in the door and the other out of it very tempting. They are easily distracted by bright shining new objects, or tragically deceptive ones. They continue their habits of worrying, partying, and making more money, and sooner or later become consumed by these things.

Then, there are those seeds that feel on good ground. This good ground is fertile soil. It’s a heart that is humble, teachable, and surrendered to God through Christ. Luke 8:8,15(NLT) says, “8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. 15 And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.” God has an expectation of us, and it is that we produce a harvest, that we produce something pleasing to Him that shows our diligence to carry forth what He’s called us to do.

In Matthew 9:37-38(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” An expert farmer would not plant seeds without expecting a harvest from all his efforts. God has given us His most excellent, proven, and perfect Word. It’s a seed that is potent, effective, and achieves exactly the results our Heavenly Father wants. His Word cannot fail. Jesus Christ told us in Matthew 24:35 that heaven and earth may pass away, but God’s Word will never pass away. We have a sure seed that produces the harvest God intends. You and I are not in charge of the harvest. We’re in charge of allowing God’s Word to take root in our hearts so that we can produce good fruit for His Kingdom. We have been empowered to produce a harvest for God’s Kingdom, and we can be confident that in His perfect timing, we will receive a harvest of His treasured blessings.  ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

 “The Harvest” written by JMack, theChristianMan.com© 2021. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.