Harvesting A Bumper Crop

Harvesting A Bumper Crop
John R. Petrilli

In June, 2006, Israeli doctors and scientists successfully germinated a 2,000-year-
old date palm seed. The seed was tagged with the name “Methuselah” for the man with the oldest recorded age in the Bible. In addition to the challenge of awakening a long-dormant seed, the team also wanted to learn more about the tree praised in Scripture for its shade, food, beauty, and medicinal qualities.

God’s promise to bless the world through a descendant of Abraham also lay dormant for 2,000 years. That seed was Jesus the Messiah, and the story of His resurrected life is going out to every nation on earth. The miracle is now ours to experience. Time is not a factor, neither is the barren ground of circumstance. All that matters is that we allow our hearts to be the soil in which Christ is welcomed and worshipped. The Bible uses the imagery of a seed to describe the Word of God and the gospel in particular.

Isaiah describes the seed of the Word as “unchanging and eternal”. Peter calls the seed of God’s Word “living and indestructible”. Paul states that the gospel seed is “powerful and soul-saving”, and James says that when this Word is “grafted” into hearts, it results in salvation. It’s the privilege and obligation of every Christian to function as a sower of God’s Word. In the famous Parable of the Sower, we discover three principles for harvesting a bumper crop for God.

HARVESTING A BUMPER CROP BEGINS WITH PLANTING LOTS OF SEEDS. Matthew 13:3

Each year we enjoy a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends.
This season is a time to celebrate and give thanks to God for all the blessings the
year has afforded us. But all those wonderful vegetable side dishes don’t just appear out of thin air. They’re the result of a months-long process that began with the planting of a seed Jesus used parables or short stories to get important life truths across to his hearers. In the parable of the sower He teaches about the different responses people have when they hear God’s Word.

The first observation here is simple: If You Want A Harvest, You Have To Plant
Seeds. Four things emerge from this parable dealing with planting seeds. First, the sower scattered his seed widely. In ancient times a farmer would often throw the seed in wide swaths, allowing it to land on all kinds of surfaces. Christ has called us to sow the seed of the gospel widely, including every nation and every creature. Next, the sower scattered his seed generously. We don’t see him counting each individual seed and miserly tossing a little here and a little there. Paul says that those who sow bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Again, the sower scattered his seed consistently. He kept at it until the entire tract of land was covered with seeds.
Finally, he scattered his seed dependently. Like every farmer before and after him, he was totally dependant on God to send the rain and sunshine needed to germinate and mature the seed into a fruit-bearing plant. The Psalmist connects sowing, praying, and reaping this way: “The person who goes forth weeping, shall surely come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Just as we depend on God to water our gardens and farms with rain, so we express our dependence on Him by watering the Word with our prayers.

HARVESTING A BUMPER CROP REQUIRES PERSEVERANCE THROUGH DISAPPOINTMENTS AND SETBACKS. Matthew 13:4-7;19-22

Some have called this the parable of the soils because it’s more about the soils than it is about the sower. In farming, not every seed successfully takes root, and the same is true with the seed of God’s Word. The fact remains that not all types of ground yield good fruit. In fact, out of the four soil types in the story, only one of them produces fruit. Jesus is giving us a heads-up about this so that we know what to expect, and farm for the Kingdom with realistic expectations.

A. In Case Number One, the Seed Fails to Mature Due to Hardened Soil.

The first soil mentioned is called the pathway. The pathway likely represents one of the footpaths that ran around or through an ancient farm. Some of the seed accidentally fell on the pathway, but had no chance of penetrating due to the hardness of the surface. Consequently, birds swooped down and snatched up the exposed seed. Jesus explains that some people are like the beaten pathway. Their hearts are so hardened by sin that they are totally unreceptive and unresponsive to the Word as it falls upon their ears. Satan capitalizes on their closed minds and hardened hearts, and swiftly moves in to remove the Word from their awareness.

B. In Case Number Two, the Seed Doesn’t Mature Due to Thin Soil.

Unlike the pathway, the seed that falls on the rocky soil actually germinates. It’s highly likely that this seed fell on a rocky ledge where a thin layer of soil covered the rock. When scorching heat of the day down on it, the plant had no water supply to withstand the heat, and subsequently died. Jesus says that some people’s hearts are like thin soil. They initially receive the Word, but it doesn’t get deep enough inside their lives. This lack of root depth proves its undoing when the pressures of persecution hit. Like a promising plant drowned by torrential rains or snapped by driving winds, the shallow faith of the professing Christian is lost in the storms of spiritual adversity.

C. In Case Number Three the Seed Fails to Mature Due to Infested Soil.

This third type of soil is described as being infested with thorns. Nobody likes to see weeds and thorns appear in their garden. While they don’t spell a quick end to a plant’s life, if unaddressed they will spell eventual demise. Jesus says that some people start out well by receiving the good news, but over time, they allow the pressures and temptations of daily life to choke the life out of their fledgling faith. Like thorn bushes, the desire for wealth and pleasure wrap around their hearts, leaving no room for faith to grow. No one has ever succeeded in serving God and money, and this type of person makes the wrong choice, resulting in spiritual suffocation. All that’s left standing is a barren life, with no lasting fruit, and no signs of spiritual life. Having pictured the catastrophic results of sowing in poor soil, Jesus now turns the corner to illustrate the tremendous outcome of sowing seed in good soil.
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HARVESTING A BUMPER CROP HAPPENS WHEN SOIL CONDITIONS ARE OPTIMAL. Matthew13:8, 23

There are two words that are music in the ears of the professional farmer: “BUMPER CROP!” If that’s the case, the state of Kansas was filled with music in 2007. That year its farmers experienced a bumper crop of corn. According the Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service, the corn harvest is 43% above last year’s yield. But Kansas isn’t alone.

Farmers in Texas also have something to sing about as 2007 has sent them a bumper crop of cotton. With a forecast for 8.1 million bales of cotton, Texas will provide a solid 43 % of the nation’s projected harvest for 2007. Farming experts attribute such record high yields to a number of factors including ideal harvest conditions. Above normal temperatures and abundant rainfall were two major contributing factors. But when it comes to crop success, there’s no substitute for high-quality soil.

A. In Case Four, the Seed Matures into a Bumper Crop Due to Nutrient-Rich Soil.

The principle in this part of the parable is this: Soil quality determines the success and size of the harvest. In contrast to the first three soil types, this last type of soil has an opposite and rewarding outcome. With the right surface texture, adequate root depth, and freedom from thorns, the seed has a chance to take root and bear fruit. And bear fruit it does, to the tune of a 3,000 to 100,000 percent yield! Now that’s what I’d call a bumper crop! Jesus explains that this is the kind of harvest we can expect when our seed is sown into the lives of people with receptive hearts and open minds. All the plowing, planting, and praying are well worth it once the results come to fruition. Unlike the seed that took no hold in the rocky soil, or the seed that took superficial hold in the thorny soil, this seed fulfills its God-intended purpose, to become spiritual fruit.

I have a small, framed picture on my desk. It’s a reproduction of a huge stained-glass window that graces the main lobby at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. It features a beautiful, multi-colored picture of a man sowing seeds. Often when I see the picture, I’m gently reminded of my responsibility to sow the Word into the lives of those around me. As one commentator puts it: “The practical question is, ‘What amount of increase is your life and mine yielding?’ Are we giving back thirty fold, a fair return; sixty fold, more heartening to the [Divine] Sower; or a hundred fold, a striking, wonderful, and God-honoring return?” During this Thanksgiving season, let’s renew our commitment to participate in harvesting a spiritual bumper crop for our Lord and Savior. Happy Thanksgiving, and Happy Harvesting!