One of the best-known parables of Jesus is the Parable of the Sower. The story is about a sower who went out to sow seed, which Jesus identified as representing the Word of God. Some seed fell by the side of the road, some among rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil. The seed was the same, and it was good seed. The outcomes, however, were very different. The seed that fell on good soil yielded a great harvest, but none of the other seed yielded a harvest at all. There is much to be learned from studying the things that keep a harvest from being realized.
The Enemies
The first enemy of the harvest is the devil. The seed that fell by the road was eaten by birds, which Jesus said represented the devil immediately snatching the seed away. We must realize there is a real enemy and a real spiritual battle going on. Seed must be sown in prayer and we must be involved in spiritual warfare if we are to see a great harvest, because the devil will surely try to snatch away the seed of the Word.
The next enemy of the harvest is spiritual superficiality. The rocky ground represented those to whom the Word sounded good, but it was a superficial receptivity, rather than a genuine, deep, transforming reality. It would be akin to a “consumer Christianity,” which lasts only as long as “this Christian thing is working for me.” When hardships arise, their “faith” is discarded.
Another enemy of the harvest is a divided heart. This is represented by the seed among the thorns. When the thorns grew, they choked out the fruitfulness of the good seed. A divide-heart means Jesus is not truly pre-eminent in one's heart. When the desire for the things of the world are stronger than the desire for the things of God, there will be no spiritual harvest.
The Greatest Enemy of All
There is one other enemy of the harvest that is actually the deadliest enemy of all. It even has an impact on the good soil. When the seed is not sown, there can be no harvest. There is no hope of a harvest unless the sower sows the seed. This parable begins with the simple declaration, “Behold, the sower went out to sow. Jesus explained that the sower was sowing the Word of God. The greatest enemy of the harvest of God is when those who have the seed, do not sow.
THE GOOD SOIL
There is, of course, the seed that feel on the good soil. This seed yielded a great harvest, thirty, sixty, even a hundred-fold! When we wage war against the devil and the spiritual forces of wickedness, when one receives the Word of Grace deeply, so it can truly change their life, and when one truly place Jesus as the priority of their life, then the good seed of God’s Word will produce a harvest that will go beyond our expectations! Sowers, let us sow the good seed of the Word of God.
As broken people, sometimes we try to fix the small things here and there, when in reality, we need Christ to make ALL things new! Read how Christ wants to be the Master Builder for your life..