TEACHING

Don Atkin

SEED TIME AND HARVEST

The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come. – Mark 4:26-29.

ABOUT PARABLES

There are a number of important truths in the verses immediately preceding this parable that will give us clues to understanding not only this parable, but also all others.  Jesus taught them many things by parables, using natural happenings to springboard them into more and more spiritual insight and understanding. 

On more than one occasion, He said to them, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.  It should be obvious that He was not speaking about the physical instruments that have been created on both sides of our heads in order to facilitate natural hearing.  Gathered with His smaller circle,

He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that

‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.

And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?”  - Mark 4:11-13. 

Surely, the kingdom of God is a mystery that must be perceived although not seen, understood although not heard.  This kingdom exists in its fullness in heaven, and is coming in the earth in the same manner.  It doesn’t come by observation, is not meat and drink, and cannot be inherited by flesh and blood.  This kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  We are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, having faith in His promise that, if we will seek we will find.

It is reasonable to understand that ~ if this kingdom is to be found in the spirit realm ~ then the parables of the kingdom contain spiritual truth.  While there is life within the seed, we must get beyond the shell to find the life.  It is my desire to glean/distill the eternal and universal kingdom concepts/principles from parables, and not make too much of the details.

SOWING, RESTING AND REAPING

Illuminated contextual study of Scripture can be very helpful in perceiving and understanding Jesus’ parables.  Before we go on, let’s look at the above parable to glean some good things that we can store in our hearts.

1. We can sow the seeds.
2. We then must rest.
3. Growth is a process.
4. Ripening precedes harvest.
5. We reap at the appropriate time. 

We don’t know how the seed sprouts and grows.  For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the grain in the head.  What is the mystery?  How does this happen?

God gives the increase!  Paul wrote,

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.  Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his labor.  For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field. – I Corinthians 3:6-9.

In this particular metaphor, the “seed” is the word of God sown by God’s fellow workers.  The “field” is the church.  Workers sow the seed, and then rest while God gives the increase.  The reaping of their reward by the workers is not tied to God’s harvest.  It is tied to their labors. 

The harvest does not belong to them.  Putting in the sickle and bringing in the harvest does not compute into ownership.  Jesus is the Lord of the harvest!  The increase belongs to Him.  (I am not speaking here about heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.  I am dealing with something much more foundational to our operational understanding.)

A variety of metaphors referring to sowing can be found in Scripture.  In another parable, Jesus spoke about tares being sown into the midst of the wheat.  Not risking damage to the wheat, the tares were to be allowed to grow together with the wheat until the end of the age.  This parable is often quoted to justify everyone and anyone remaining in the church.

The context clearly identifies the field is the world, not the church!  We are to grow together in the world ~ not in the church!  This wrong interpretation has severely hindered the growth and effectual fruitfulness of the body of Christ.   

Again let me say,  (1) illuminated contextual study of Scripture facilitates accurate insights into Jesus’ parables.  (2) Accurate insights into the parables are essential to understanding the mystery of the kingdom.  (3) This understanding is part of the inheritance intended for the saints, so that (4) we might demonstrate and proclaim this kingdom with heaven’s grace and authority. 

THE MYSTERY OF KINGDOM REAPING 

There are natural laws that are as certain as gravity.  Here is one such law: What you sow is what you reap.  You sow corn, you get corn.  You sow wheat, you get wheat.  You sow beans, you get beans.  (All of the above is predicated upon God giving the increase, of course.)   

There are occasions of crop failure.  Crop failure is sometimes a blessing.  For example, if you have sown corruption, you want to pray for crop failure!

This natural law operates in all arenas of this life, and cannot be avoided (as in the case of gravity) apart from the application of a higher law.  For example, the law of aerodynamics can overcome the law of gravity. 

God is in the business of intervening in the lives of believers, and often overturns natural laws by His divine will and providence. 

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9. 

Being renewed in the spirit of our minds (Ephesians 4:23), being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2), and having the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16), changes our perspective and releases us to embrace God’s higher thoughts and ways. 

God made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth (Ephesians 2:5-6; Colossians 3:1-2). 

We are exhorted to seek the higher laws of sowing and reaping, look for and desire the revelation of the mystery of kingdom sowing and reaping. Paul illustrated how this higher law of God causes  something sown to be changed in the resurrection (reaping) process: 

The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.  It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.  It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. – I Corinthians 15:42-44.

So, in the kingdom, what we sow is not always what we reap! 

MATERIAL THINGS AND SPIRITUAL THINGS 

There is an ongoing interchange between the sowing and reaping of material and spiritual things.  Both have substance, both are real.  Let me give you a few examples: 

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:19-21. 

The context seems to support that Jesus is referring specifically to finances, material substance.  We are to serve God, not mammon, with our material substance ~ trusting in Him to provide in this life, and having our investment in heaven pay royal dividends in eternity.  Surely, God translates our material commitments into the gold of heaven because of our hearts being in the right kingdom. 

On the other side of this ledger, we hear Paul’s defense in I Corinthians 9, in which he observes: If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things (verse 11)?   

So, according to God’s higher ways, material commitments may be converted into spiritual riches, and spiritual commitments may be converted into material riches.  The heavenly perspective does not dismiss the earthly responsibilities, but takes us to new levels.  God is establishing His kingdom in the earth as it is in heaven. 

Whether we are sowing spiritual things or material things, all things are under His loving Lordship and subject to His divine direction.  We do not always reap “after kind” according to the substance that we sow.   

We can count on reaping what we sow in the earth ~ corn for corn, wheat for wheat, beans for beans ~ in the natural realm.  But, sowing into the kingdom is a different matter.  We may sow spiritual things and reap material things.  Or, we may sow material things and reap spiritual things.  As we grow in the kingdom, 

We will sow where we do not reap.  We will reap where we do not sow. 

We will sow what we do not reap.  We will reap what we do not sow. 

Such is the mystery of the kingdom.  What is sown has everything to do with placement and degree.

Placement:  He who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. – Galatians 6:6.

Degree:  But, this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. – II Corinthians 9:6.

It should be pointed out that (1) sowing to the Spirit could be feeding and clothing an orphan, giving to a ministry, or any number of placement possibilities, depending upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  (2) Sowing bountifully could be the giving of the widow’s mite; sowing sparingly could be tens of thousands of dollars out of someone’s surplus. 

As sons and heirs, we get to participate in the harvest which belongs to Him.  We reap where He has sown!  Let us bountifully sow our very lives into whatever field we are placed, so that others may reap.  God will give the increase! 

God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.  As it is written:

“He has dispersed abroad,

He has given to the poor;

His righteousness endures forever.”

Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. – II Corinthians 9:8-11.