SCATTERING THE SEED (1 OF 3)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23
This content is part of a series.
Scattering The Seed (1 of 3)
Series: Gardening Tips From Jesus
Jeff Strite
Matthew 13:1-23
OPEN: A man walked into a flower shop and asked for some potted red geraniums.
"I'm sorry," said the clerk in flower shop, "we are completely sold out of all of our potted geraniums. But I'd be more than happy to give you a deal on something else. Could you use African violets instead?"
Replied the customer sadly, "No, it was geraniums my wife told me to water while she was gone."
APPLY: You'd think that a simple task like watering the plants wouldn't be too hard for a guy. But speaking from experience, I can sympathize with this man. I realize there are people here that really like gardening, but I don't. Watering plants just doesn't make it for me. If I want some vegetables, I'll go down to the grocery store and get some.
But - of course - somebody had to grow that vegetable that I bought at the store. And our nation has some of the finest farmers that have ever walked the face of the earth. They have the finest tractors and plows and combines, and because of their skill and the tools they can use… America literally feeds the world.
Back in the days of Jesus, however, farmers had a lot less to work with. And the picture we see here in Matthew 13 is that of the common farmer. He doesn't have the tools to properly fit the ground and prepare for seed, so he simply reaches into his bag, takes out handful after handful of seed and flings it across the ground.
Because of the haphazard way he's throwing the seed…
• Some of it falls on a nearby hard-packed pathway
• Some falls amongst the rocks
• Some falls on weedy ground…
• But then, some of it falls on fertile ground and the seed takes root and gives a bountiful crop
Now Jesus is telling a story, and He's telling this story to illustrate how God intended to spread the Gospel across the land and bring people to salvation.
But there were a couple of things about this story that struck me as odd:
1st ...
Series: Gardening Tips From Jesus
Jeff Strite
Matthew 13:1-23
OPEN: A man walked into a flower shop and asked for some potted red geraniums.
"I'm sorry," said the clerk in flower shop, "we are completely sold out of all of our potted geraniums. But I'd be more than happy to give you a deal on something else. Could you use African violets instead?"
Replied the customer sadly, "No, it was geraniums my wife told me to water while she was gone."
APPLY: You'd think that a simple task like watering the plants wouldn't be too hard for a guy. But speaking from experience, I can sympathize with this man. I realize there are people here that really like gardening, but I don't. Watering plants just doesn't make it for me. If I want some vegetables, I'll go down to the grocery store and get some.
But - of course - somebody had to grow that vegetable that I bought at the store. And our nation has some of the finest farmers that have ever walked the face of the earth. They have the finest tractors and plows and combines, and because of their skill and the tools they can use… America literally feeds the world.
Back in the days of Jesus, however, farmers had a lot less to work with. And the picture we see here in Matthew 13 is that of the common farmer. He doesn't have the tools to properly fit the ground and prepare for seed, so he simply reaches into his bag, takes out handful after handful of seed and flings it across the ground.
Because of the haphazard way he's throwing the seed…
• Some of it falls on a nearby hard-packed pathway
• Some falls amongst the rocks
• Some falls on weedy ground…
• But then, some of it falls on fertile ground and the seed takes root and gives a bountiful crop
Now Jesus is telling a story, and He's telling this story to illustrate how God intended to spread the Gospel across the land and bring people to salvation.
But there were a couple of things about this story that struck me as odd:
1st ...
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