“Since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren’t we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink? If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.”
1 Corinthians 9:11-12 NLT
Paul was a seed planter. Not seeds that would grow into a cereal crop or a vegetable, but spiritual seeds, those that are the Words of God, that grow within a believer to produce spiritual fruit. Although Paul expected “a harvest of physical food and drink”, he never let a lack of this get in the way of his seed-planting mission, which was spreading “the Good News about Christ”. We know that Paul sometimes went hungry. He wrote to the Philippians, “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13).
There was a time when Jesus taught a large crowd of people, as He sat in a boat just offshore. He used the analogy of a farmer engaged in his husbandry, sowing seeds, an analogy that would resonate with the occupations of many of those present listening to Him. And they would have known exactly what Jesus was talking about, as He developed a picture of the different types of soils, and the effect these would have on the seeds planted in them. Jesus told His disciples that there were two types of listeners, as He explained in Matthew 13:12, “To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them”. And Jesus went on to repeat the writings of Isaiah 6, “This fulfils the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them’” (Matthew 13:14-15). But we pilgrims will know this parable very well.
There are two questions about the seed that apply to us pilgrims. The first is, are we listening? The Bible is full of “spiritual seed”, and to supplement it are the words from our leaders and preachers, as they expound God’s Word for our benefit, highlighting verses and passages as the Holy Spirit leads them. Unfortunately, sometimes we read a difficult verse and gloss over it, hoping it is meant for someone else. Sometimes, we sit uncomfortably in our pews, wishing the preacher had chosen another topic. And it is in these circumstances that we can perhaps relate to the poorer soils in Jesus’ parable, as we even allow the devil to snatch away what the Holy Spirit is trying to plant within our hearts. Thankfully, God never gives up on us, and He will try again when we are perhaps a bit more receptive.
The second question about “spiritual seed” concerns our mission of planting and sowing. Are we pilgrims sowing seeds in the hearts and minds of those living amongst us? When did we last share the Gospel with someone we know, or even with someone we don’t? All my friends and family know about my Christian faith, and I always try to keep before them the importance of believing in Jesus. We understand why Jesus came to this world, as He said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. Jesus made it clear that there are two choices before a human being, and that is to “perish” or to “have eternal life”. That is the seed that we must sow, and keep on sowing. Yes, it will often fall on stony ground, or it will founder in ears that have suddenly become deaf, but we keep on sowing. We must also not miss the opportunity to share the Gospel with someone that we don’t know, looking out for a random or chance encounter with a stranger. God will often bring people together in an apparently unplanned way, and we can sometimes look back and see His hand in the meeting. There is a man I know who collects trolleys from the car park of a local Tesco. He makes no secret of his faith and regularly and persistently shares the Good News about Jesus with staff in the store and even customers if he finds an opportunity. His job is to collect trolleys, but his mission is to sow “spiritual seeds”.
We sow “spiritual seeds” because God has asked us to. I always carry a few tracts in my pocket when on my morning prayer walks, and sometimes get the opportunity to share with someone about the love of God. Some mornings, the weather is inclement, but there are always dog-walkers or joggers, someone out and about. We can also encounter people in the local shops or cafes, in a bus queue or on a train. There are always social interactions available, and as we reach out to our fellow members of society, we will find people burdened down by loneliness, worry, family problems, the state of the world, and more. These people desperately need to hear about the love of God and receive a good dose of hope to brighten their lives and help them to make the right choice. Eternal life or eternal death. There is no other possibility.
Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for coming to this world to save sinners like us. We pray for opportunities to sow seeds in the lives around us, and we pray for receptive soils that will produce the fruit of eternal life. In Your precious name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 