The Seed and The Fruit

Mark 4

2 Jesus taught them many things, using stories. He said, 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant his seed. 4 While he was planting, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some seed fell on rocky ground where there wasn’t much dirt. That seed grew very fast, because the ground was not deep. 6 But when the sun rose, the plants dried up because they did not have deep roots. 7 Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew and choked the good plants. So those plants did not produce a crop. 8 Some other seed fell on good ground and began to grow. It got taller and produced a crop. Some plants made thirty times more, some made sixty times more, and some made a hundred times more.”

I have read this passage many times. I've heard it taught in relevance to sharing the word, our jobs as Christians, and our responsibility among the church. However, I've recently perceived it different.

We are currently picking fruit from the trees planted by those that came before us. We are reaping the harvest they left for us. Both good and bad, we have to work with what was given to us.

The challenges we're fighting today are built on the seed they planted. The challenges they faced were from the generation before them. The world today may seem worse than ever to some. That, however, wasn't conjured up from their imagination. It was produced one generation to the next.

As we are now trying to repair the bad roots we were left with, so we are also collecting the good fruit. We now have incredible technology, ability to communicate, opportunity to go as needed, and much more. Our ability to be the feet of Jesus is easier than ever.

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With that same premise in mind, we also have the same responsibility to plant GOOD seed for the generations to come! Our job is now to scrap the bad seed and filter the good seed. Jesus left us with a responsibility to share the good news to the whole earth. How we do that is different for each, yet is expected of each.

The challenges of this day came from the struggles of yesterday. We must now maximize the ability for the next generation to tell others about the love of Jesus while also minimizing the difficulties we leave behind.

What does that look like for you?

Is it feeding the homeless?

Is it helping the abused?

Is it giving opportunity to orphans? Is it serving the widows? Is it reaching the masses? Is it speaking the truth? Is it giving to the needy?

Jesus has gifted us all with the seeds we are responsible to plant. He's also given us the wisdom to not influence it's growth. Our job is to plant the seed, not to manipulate it's potential.

What produced the corruption of the bad fruit we find today? Manipulation to the plant YOU think is most important. Jesus calls US to plant the seed, HE will send the rain and produce growth.