The parable of the sower is one of Jesus’ most famous. It describes a farmer who sows some seed. The seed represents God’s word—in short, the message of and about Jesus.
Some of the seed falls on a path and some birds quickly eat it up. Some of the seed falls on rocky terrain and doesn’t have the soil to grow. Some of the seed is choked out by thorns.
Lastly, we hear this: “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times” (Mark 4:8). Later Jesus explains what it means: “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 4:20).
Considering that a 2- to 5-fold yield would have been normal, that is astoundingly exceptional!
Let’s be clear: Three of the responses to God’s message lead to nothing, but one leads to everything. Which one would you prefer? Me too!
On October 6 I offered Part 1 in a new series: “Crop: What Jesus says about growth, what matters, and what you leave behind.” The teaching was called “Cherishing the seed.”
In it, I take us through Mark 4:1-20, and underscore three insights we can apply to our lives today. They key word is “cherish,” but you’ll have to watch or listen to find out why.
You can watch the YouTube video of the message below, and underneath that is the link to the audio-only version. Enjoy!
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