What if a farmer planted his fields, watched it grow and mature into produce but never harvested it? What if he only contemplated how the seeds sprout and refused to enjoy the fruit until he understood?
A farmer doesn’t try to understand how his crop grows before he goes to harvest.
This would be one hungry farmer!
Jesus compared that situation to people trying to understand the kingdom of heaven. In Mark 4:26-29, Jesus points out that our farmer never has to understand completely how a seed sprouts. He needs only to complete the steps required by nature to make a crop.
When Nicodemus asked “How can these things be?” he became the hungry farmer. (John 3:9) Jesus’ rebuke shines light on those who hear the gospel but fail to respond. (John 3:10-15) Nicodemus, of all people at the time, should have understood what Jesus was teaching since he was a well-educated “ruler of the Jews.”
There are many that will fail to respond to the gospel because they do not understand everything the Bible teaches. Like Nicodemus, they will fail to respond to that first step of faith. Like the farmer that fails to harvest, their soul will starve.
Daily Bible reading for November 6
Psalm 97
2 Kings 6:1-23
Zechariah 10
John 3:1-21
November 6, 2013
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