The Beautiful Upset (S2): WK3 - MON
THE SEED THAT SEEMS WASTED
Mark 4:1–9 (NLT) "Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat in it while all the people remained on the shore. He taught them many things by telling stories in the form of parables, such as this one: 'Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants, so they produced no grain. Still other seed fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!' Then he said, 'Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.'"
In 2021 during the early months of the COVID lockdown, with no where to go, I tried my hand at gardening, I built raised beds, put up tomato cages, planted seeds, watered them, and stood back waiting. By day four, staring at bare dirt, my impatience kicked in. I was convinced I’d ruined the crop before it even started because I couldn't see immediate results. We panic when spiritual growth feels slow or hidden beneath the surface, but God’s Kingdom rarely operates on our frantic timelines. The Sower flings His grace generously, trusting the hidden work underground.
The Sower doesn't hold back. He throws the word liberally everywhere, to the hardened skeptic, the emotionally impulse-driven, the overcrowded schedule, and the receptive heart alike. Jesus doesn't pre-screen the soil before scattering the grace.
Here is the beautiful upset: God’s economy doesn't run on human efficiency or ROI metrics. Our worldly mindset demands immediate, guaranteed results before we invest our time, love, or truth into people. But the King we follow flings His mercy with extravagant, almost reckless generosity, knowing that while much of it will be rejected, the harvest that takes root will completely blow away expectations.
Mark 4:1–9 (NLT) "Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat in it while all the people remained on the shore. He taught them many things by telling stories in the form of parables, such as this one: 'Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants, so they produced no grain. Still other seed fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!' Then he said, 'Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.'"
In 2021 during the early months of the COVID lockdown, with no where to go, I tried my hand at gardening, I built raised beds, put up tomato cages, planted seeds, watered them, and stood back waiting. By day four, staring at bare dirt, my impatience kicked in. I was convinced I’d ruined the crop before it even started because I couldn't see immediate results. We panic when spiritual growth feels slow or hidden beneath the surface, but God’s Kingdom rarely operates on our frantic timelines. The Sower flings His grace generously, trusting the hidden work underground.
The Sower doesn't hold back. He throws the word liberally everywhere, to the hardened skeptic, the emotionally impulse-driven, the overcrowded schedule, and the receptive heart alike. Jesus doesn't pre-screen the soil before scattering the grace.
Here is the beautiful upset: God’s economy doesn't run on human efficiency or ROI metrics. Our worldly mindset demands immediate, guaranteed results before we invest our time, love, or truth into people. But the King we follow flings His mercy with extravagant, almost reckless generosity, knowing that while much of it will be rejected, the harvest that takes root will completely blow away expectations.
- Who in your life have you secretly written off as "hard soil" or a waste of effort?
- How does knowing God scattered His grace generously on you—even when your heart was hard—change how you share grace with others?
- What does it look like to extravagantly "scatter seed" this week without worrying about managing the outcome?
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