Matthew 13, 23
Something to read
But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.
New Revised Standard Version
To read the King James Version, click here
Something to think about
As an employee of Christian Aid, when reading this parable I cannot help but think about food and harvests for the hungry or people in poverty.
Jesus’ message may not have been primarily about food but his audience would have associated growing seeds with bread and with plenty to eat. That association is less natural to those of us living in Western nations today. Most of us see nothing of the way wheat is made into bread.
Because we are detached from the way our food grows, we tend to read this parable in the abstract. Why is growth and production of ‘fruit’ a good thing? Because it feeds people and improves their lives – not because of some other-worldly holiness or salvation that is symbolised by seeds and fields.
Our Father wants people to be well fed and to live abundantly. Jesus’ story links eating well with the fruits of the Spirit.
Something to do
Make a loaf of bread and share it with somebody who you think would really appreciate it.
Something to pray
Thank you that there is food in abundance in your world, although it does not grow in all places equally.
Thank you that Jesus was a real person who enjoyed eating and drinking, who responded to practical needs as well as speaking truth to us.
May the fruits that grow in our lives be used to distribute your abundant gifts – the edible and the spiritual - more fairly in our world.
Amen.
Today’s contributor is Anna Potts, Christian Aid’s Regional Co-ordinator for Wiltshire.