“Produce A Crop”
Again
Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so
large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the
people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching
said: “Listen! A farmer
went out to sow his seed. As
he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and
ate it up. Some fell on
rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because
the soil was shallow. But
when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they
had no root. Other seed
fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not
bear grain. Still other
seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying
thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
Then
Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
When
he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.
He told them, “The secret of the
Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you
understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where
the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word
that was sown in them. Others,
like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
But since they have no root, they last
only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they
quickly fall away. Still
others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness
of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making
it unfruitful. Others, like
seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some
thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
Mark
1:1-20
Jesus explained how
people react to God’s Word. Just beware that the devil does not come and take
the seed away. Beware that the issues of life do not take away your own seed.
Do not wait for the seed to be pulled away. Act now. Do not procrastinate.
In all of our
witnessing we should pray that the Lord of the harvest will cause the Word to
take root in receptive hearts.
We plant
the seed; God gives the harvest.
Our Daily Bread –