Manilla Vanilla Parable
This is a parable I have read many times. But, frankly, it has not caught my attention. I don’t think I have ever heard a sermon on it. It just seems manilla vanilla. But yesterday it caught my eye, and the Spirit spoke. Here is a synopsis of the parable:
Jesus said, “This is what the Kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.” See! Not really dramatic. I mean, Jesus said it, so it is obviously important. He is talking about the Kingdom of God. That is definitely important. But the comparison of a guy spreading seed on the ground is mundane. It does not provoke a lot of thought. Jesus goes on to say that the seeds do what seeds do. They grow in the soil. Where is the twist? The perplexing moment? Seeds get spread, and then they grow. Yawn.
The Lord of the Universe makes sure that we understand that it does not matter what the man does, “sleep or get up”, the seed still “sprouts and grows.” The man “does not know how” it happens. But it does. Jesus says that the soil produces grain “all by itself.” Come on! This is a parable about the Kingdom of God?! Seed is scattered on the ground, and it grows. I feel like there must be more to it.
We scatter seed throughout our lives in the Kingdom of God. Be careful what seed is sown.
There is. Our Messiah explains how the wheat grows - “first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel.” Once the “grain is ripe,” the man puts the “sickle to it” because “the harvest has come.” Ok. So that is the end of the parable. No explanation is given. Just a guy scattering seeds, and the ground and wheat doing what it does until harvest time.
Here is what the Spirit of God has to say about this plain Jane parable:
In the Kingdom of God, as we live our lives, we scatter seeds. We send seeds to the ground as we live out our lives. The seed we put in the soil grows. We do not understand why or how it does what it does. But it grows and produces fruit. Once the plant is grown and the fruit is fully ripened, we harvest the results of our scattered seed.
BEWARE: Good plants and weeds are grown in the same manner. The same soil can grow wheat and thorn bushes. Be careful what you plant in your lifetime, for what you plant is what you will harvest. If you plant love, you will reap love in return. If you plant grace, you will harvest grace. If you sow kindness, gentleness, mercy, and faithfulness, you will receive the same in return as fruit from the seed. But if you plant hate, you can expect to reap hatred in return. A harvest of bad and broken relationships will come from the sowing of seeds of distrust, deception, and bitterness.
Take care! Be vigilant to know the seeds that you sow. Remember, it is the enemy that sows the seeds of weeds. But the Lord of the harvest, the owner of the field, will command the harvesters to harvest both the wheat and the weeds. The wheat will go into his barns, but the weeds will be burned in the fire.