John 4:27-38
Planting Seeds and Harvesting Them
27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
John 12:23-26
A Single Seed
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
Jesus used the seed as a metaphor...A seed is small, yet powerful...Many things come from a seed...A seed might even be defined differently than just a regular planting type seed...Seeds can be different things and can be things that we plant that only show up later as something that we can see as our harvest...Or someone else might see the harvest after one has died...
A seed is something we must do...To plant a seed we must take action...If we want change, or a job, or something new -we must plant a seed...Often and most likely, from nothing we get nothing...So we must plant a seed of action...
Jesus told us that unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed...But if it dies, it produces many seeds...His death on the cross was a Great Action for mankind...Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life...Whoever serves Jesus must believe in Him; and where He goes, His servants will follow...God will honor the one who serves His Son...Jesus is talking about His resurrection and how He is going to be buried...Then He will have many followers...These followers will be the Christians of the future and will be His harvest from this single seed of wheat that has died and been put into the ground...His resurrection would produce many...And the Disciples would be around for some time to see the harvest and benefit from the fruits of Jesus' teachings and ministry...
This is what we need to do, we must plant seeds for others to see and to hear...Others will learn from the ones who follow Jesus, just like His Disciples and followers learned from Him...With our actions others can harvest what you have sown at a later time...Jesus is still the Great Sower...His initial seed of wheat still continues to produce...