God As A Farmer
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesJesus told stories to his disciples. Everyone loves a story. They were mind stories or pictures of things, people, situations, which brought into focus real life problems. These stories or parables were teaching stories. He used them to explain in clear, simple terms what God wanted from His people.
One of the more interesting parables pictures God as a farmer (Matthew 13:3-23). God as a farmer goes out to sow seed at planting time. However, God the farmer throws the seed in different types of soil which in turn produces or does not produce the grain that the farmer desires. The implication here is that God’s kingdom is sown to all but does not necessarily take root in everyone’s heart.
After telling the story Jesus goes a step further and explains to the disciples the meaning of the parable. He used everyday illustrations to make a point and they don’t have to guess at this one. The key issue is their responsiveness or non-responsiveness to the God.
Are the people listening to the commands of God and are they producing the proper harvest? If the seed is the message that the kingdom belongs in the heart, is this generation of disciples taking the kingdom seriously? Is God’s kingdom being planted in the world? The word of God once planted in the proper soil results in a fruitful life of discipleship. The parable will cause the disciples to really think about their life in relation to what God expects of them.
So how does this parable relate to us?
Does our conduct and our relationship to God reflect the soil of our hearts? Disciples are ultimately known by their fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). Does our fruit bear witness to God’s activity in the world?
How are God’s farming skills reflected in your life?
—Barbara Hyland, guest writer