On the same day Jesus went out of
the house and sat by the sea.
And great multitudes were gathered
together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude
stood on the shore.
Then He spoke many things to them in
parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. “And
as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured
them. “Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much
earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. “But
when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they
withered away. “And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and
choked them. “But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. “He
who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:1-9
NKJV
In the valley where I
live, Memorial Day weekend is traditionally the time when the locals plant
their gardens. Up until then, there is usually the possibility of a late
frost which would kill the young plants or flowers. Since I always have a
garden, this past weekend was spent as it usually is, tilling the soil and
planting the vegetables I hope to harvest. Although not large by many
standards, it still is a chore which entails a lot of work but in my mind is
worth it when the time to harvest comes in late August. That is, of course,
if I can somehow defeat those critters who hope to take the fruit of my labor
before I can. (Who knew raccoons like sweet corn anyway?) This verse from Job seems appropriate even
if it is taken out of context.
Because the hungry eat up his
harvest, Taking it even from the thorns, And a snare snatches their
substance. Job 5:5 NKJV
I suppose it is because I enjoy
gardening that I also enjoy and appreciate how the Bible uses farming terms and
illustrations when referring to the work done on this earth in regards to the
kingdom of Heaven. Jesus continually used these during His ministry here
on earth, and I am sure most of us can recall many of them from reading His
Word. The time came when Jesus began to teach only in parables, and most
of them used analogies to sowing, cultivating, and harvesting. The very
first parable Jesus taught was the Sower and the Seed, which today’s blog
begins with and one which I am sure most of us are familiar with. This
trend continued throughout His ministry and He even chose to use it at the very
end while referring to His own death and resurrection.
But Jesus answered them, saying,
“The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. “Most
assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and
dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
John 12:23-24 NKJV
Those who choose to believe in the
salvation given by Jesus’ death and resurrection become the “grain”, or fruit
of His labor. We in turn become the sowers who sow the seed to an
unbelieving world, spreading the good news of salvation to anyone willing to
hear. The Church, the body of Christ, produces the laborers Jesus uses in
the fields of this world. Has it ever occurred to you that when you
became a believer, no matter what your vocation, you also became a
farmer? It is our responsibility to sow the seeds of good news to an
unbelieving world.
Then He said to them, “The harvest
truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the
harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
Luke 10:2 NKJV
I was reading Paul’s letters to
Timothy this past week when I noticed a verse I had read before, but somehow
possibly not quite completely understood and it is what prompted this whole
train of thought I am sharing with you today. Paul is writing to Timothy
in his second letter and giving him encouragement by giving examples of the
character traits to be found in one who chooses to serve Christ. One of
these illustrations is that of a farmer, and I found it interesting especially
as I was contemplating my garden, and the possibility of once again losing it
to my nocturnal friends.
The hardworking farmer must be first
to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you
understanding in all things.
2 Timothy 2:6-7 NKJV
As I read this, my first thought was
how appropriate it was considering what I had been thinking about. Then
of course, I began to think about what Paul was trying to convey to Timothy,
and as I did, a thought occurred to me which I had not ever previously
considered. The idea of being the first to partake as a reward for hard
work seems appropriate, but then I began to think about where and when the
Church might expect to be rewarded and an interesting thought appeared.
Since Paul taught and affirmed the position of a pretribulational rapture of
the Church, is it possible this little verse to Timothy is saying the same
thing?
If you think about it, the fact that
the Church fulfills the role of the farmer sowing the seed, and the fact that
Paul says the farmer should be the first to partake of the harvest, does it not
make sense that it will occur at the time of the rapture of the Church?
It certainly seems possible that Paul was trying to convey that message to
Timothy and to us as well. It may be just coincidence, but I couldn’t
help but think that the current situation we as a world find ourselves in is occurring
during the spring, a season for planting. As we labor here on earth, and
especially in these times as it gets more and more difficult to do so with the
opposition and hostility we sometimes face, a little encouragement along these
lines seems refreshing and invigorating. The Church will soon be raptured
to spend eternity with the Father, and our reward for our labor is the
knowledge that as hard working farmers, we will go first!
If this year is the year the Father
decides to take us home, and a great many believe that it is, the harvest
season is right in front of us. Everyone is afforded a choice as to where they
will spend eternity, and if your desire is to spend that eternity in Heaven
with our Father, Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans exactly how to do
that.
“that if you confess with your mouth
the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
I pray you have, or will, make the
choice to accept the gift of eternal life offered to us all by the death and
resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Keep watching.
