Multi-fold Bounty

Matthew 13: 8

And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

Mark 4: 8

Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

When narrating the Parable of the Sower, Jesus Christ saved the best for the last: the seed that fell on the good soil. He likens the seed that fell into good soil to a man who hears the Word of God, understands it, bears fruit and brings forth a bountiful harvest (Matthew 13: 23). In all the three Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus mentions that a man who hears His words, understands them and practices them is the one who bears fruit resulting in a multi-fold harvest.

As an amateur gardener, I’ve noticed that if a seed has all the right conditions when it is sown, then it grows exactly as I’ve anticipated. Ensuring a nutrient rich soil, well drained soil and optimum temperature, enables a seed to grow well and thrive. I’ve experimented with certain variety of seeds, trying to grow them in the wrong season but still providing the right nutrients. Despite my best efforts, seeds didn’t sprout in off season. Even if they sprouted, they didn’t grow well enough. God has ingrained in those seeds’ DNA when and how they must grow.

When God’s Word is firmly planted in our hearts, if the conditions are right, then the seed does sprout, grow and thrive. When we receive the Word, how we deal with it matters the most. If it isn’t received well, if the right conditions are not provided and if the necessary nutrients are not supplied, then, the chance of the seed surviving in our hearts are slim to none. However, if our hearts are receptive to the Word when we hear, then it does sprout and grow.

When we receive the Word, understand and thrive, then we are bound to bear fruit. Jesus likens our lives to fruit bearing plants. Not just bearing but bringing forth a bountiful harvest. It is interesting to note that Jesus in the Matthew’s Gospel talks of the harvest in a descending order while in the Mark’s Gospel in the ascending order.

Matthew’s Gospel: hundred-fold, sixty-fold and thirty-fold

Mark’s Gospel: thirty-fold, sixty-fold and hundred-fold

In nature, we witness plants/crops bringing forth initially more and slowly the harvest dwindles down as the growing season draws to a close. At the same time, some plants/crops initially bear little but as the season is winding down, they put forth a bountiful harvest. Either way, there is a bountiful harvest.

How are our lives? Has the seed that was sown in our hearts received the right conditions for growth? Have we been bearing fruit? Did we bear just enough fruit for the Kingdom or did our lives bring forth a bountiful harvest that our barns are spilling over? Plants, at the end of the growing season, tend to bolt, which means their main focus is to produce seeds. It is their survival tactic for the next season. Seeds if they fall to the ground, they remain hidden until the right conditions are prevalent. Did our lives touch others’ lives that through us the seeds of God’s Word sown in their hearts are also bearing bountiful harvests?

Just as Jesus promised, if His Word is sown in a good soil, we will have to bear fruit. Not just enough but a bounty that spills over. We, as believers of Christ, must ensure that we provide the right conditions for the seed to grow, which means, that we must be in the Word constantly, drawing the nutrients from God. The more we draw from Him, the more we bear fruit.

Dear beloved, hope this series of articles on the Parable of Sower has inspired you to be rooted in the Word of God. No matter our circumstances, our lives bear witness if we are being fruitful or not. As my pastor gently reminds us on a regular basis, we must be fruit inspectors. First inspect fruit that we are bearing and then inspect fruit of others. As we continue to thrive in His Kingdom, may we constantly be nourished by the Living Word, may we firmly be planted by the Living Waters so that irrespective of the season, we will be evergreen fruit-bearing trees for His Kingdom and for His glory!