The Seed

The Seed: A Visual

The young man sat and listened to his father. I? Well, I was off to the side, watching this family farewell. Sad? No, I was not sad. I wasn’t losing anything. And so…I was telling you about this goodbye.
The young man sat and listened to his father.

“The seed, my son,” said the older of the two, “as you well know, brings forth life. Yet it is neither beginning nor is it the end. It is continuous. The seed is planted after being taken from the plant. But what good is the seed if it is not planted. It is neither dead nor alive. It just is.”
The man paused to look at the surroundings. Blue and purple streaked the sky above. The columns encircling them were glowing in the reflection of the crystal like sea. A single vine grew around them.
“And so, my son, I am sending you as a seed. You are not a seed, you are my son. But I am sending you like a seed. Like a seed because you are being planted in a rich garden. Like a seed because you will bring new life. Like a seed because you must choose to die in order to become the true vine. And I will be the gardener.”
A dry eye was not to be found in Heaven that day. The one and only Son of God was sent to Earth, willingly becoming one with the created to bring new life and re-establish the branches to the true vine.
And so, the seed was planted.

The Seed: In the Scriptures

John 12:24

Luke 8:5–8, 11–15

1 Peter 1:23

John 15:5

The Seed: In Use

Does this parable change how we look at these scriptures? I know this did not actually happen but it’s a great insight into the depth of Jesus’ teaching. The seed theme seems to have been on His mind a lot.
Can you imagine Him looking at His disciples, all of whom are staring at Him in disbelief as they just heard Jesus say that He is going to die? He looks into their eyes and takes in their feelings. His love for these men has never been greater.

“How can I comfort them?” He thinks. “Ah. I know.”
He steps back to address them all.
“I tell you the truth,” He begins. His familiar style brings relief already.
“Unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone.”
Peter turns to Andrew. “He said ‘die’ again.”
John leans over. “Peter, listen to the Master.”
Jesus continues, eyes on Peter. “But its death will produce many new kernels…”

The Seed: Thoughts

What can we glean from this? At least a few things:

1. We all die. We must choose how we live. Will we plant the seed of God’s Word? Are we willing to plant our own life seed in God’s will? Or will we remain alone?
2. Jesus practiced what He preached. He wasn’t just telling stories. He wasn’t just warning the disciples of His death. He was setting a new life example for them, willingly sacrificing himself so that many new lives would be possible.
3. Jesus spread the Word to all soil. He didn’t disregard those who weren’t the good soil. Do we? Do we count out the marginalized? Do we pass up those that differ from us or annoy us? Do we turn people away from the gospel because we are afraid that they don’t want it? Jesus didn’t.

The Seed: Put it in Action

1. Re read the scriptures above. Pick one and write it out. Find a commentary to see what other Christian thinkers have gleaned from the passage. I highly recommend Blue Letter Bible.
2. Pray that you would be willing to spread the Word of God to all soil. Pray that you be willing to plant your life in God’s will.

Originally published at heinspiredme.com.