The Seed is the Word of God

"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God."
Luke 8:11

What does it mean that the seed is the word of God? Moreover, Jesus described the kingdom of God in such a way:

"And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come."
Mark 4:26-29

And we are born again by the seed:

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible, by the word of God,
which liveth and abideth for ever.
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.
And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."
1 Peter 1:23-25
"Those by the way side are they that hear;
then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts,
lest they should believe and be saved."
Luke 8:12
"For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.... For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
1 Corinthians 1:17,18,21

v17. "preach the Gospel"... v18. "preaching"... v21. "by ... preaching save them that believe"

"Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour."
1 Corinthians 3:5-8

kingdom of God... God gives the increase...

How do we plant the seed?

"And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."
Genesis 1:11

This was the picture that God gave us, how reproduction would occur. Paul writes to the church at Corinth:

"For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel:
not with wisdom of words,
lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."
1 Corinthians 1:17-18

Later in the same letter, Paul writes:

"I have planted..."
1 Corinthians 3:6

Therefore, it appears that "planting" means "preaching the gospel" and "preaching the cross".

"But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:"
Romans 16:26

Planting and harvesting is labor

Jesus said to His disciples:

"The harvest is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest,
that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
Matthew 9:37-38
"Jesus said unto them,
My meat is to do the will of him that sent me,
and to finish his work."
John 4:34

What is His work?

"Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together."
John 4:35
"He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap... In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good."
Ecclesiastes 11:4,6

We plant not knowing which seeds are going to come up.

"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."
Psalm 126:5-6

We don't need to be focusing on reaping, we need to be focusing on sowing.

"But the word of God grew and multiplied."
Acts 12:24

What does it mean that the word of God can grew and multiplied? The seed is being planted by those preaching the gospel, others watering, and then God causing the increase.

The parable of the wheat and tares

"When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received the seed by the way side."
Matthew 13:19

"word of the kingdom ... sown in his heart."

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then the end shall come."
Matthew 24:14

Homework

Pick three verses and write them on the tablet of your heart (Psalm 119:11).


Know the Truth