Teaching On Seed Time and Harvest in the Bible

My Grandpa was a farmer, and I saw firsthand the hard work of real farming. The months between sowing seed and harvest were hard work, fretting over the weather, bugs, and disease. The Bible uses many examples of sowing seed and harvest time as illustrations of growing His kingdom and how His Word affects our lives.

Seed Time and Harvest in the Bible- graphic of 3 bible times farmers working in field of grain

We see the first mention of seeds in the Old Testament on day three of creation.

“Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth; and it was so.” Genesis1:11.

In the New Testament, Jesus’ parables helped the people understand a spiritual truth by comparing it to something familiar. He was preaching to an agrarian society based on producing and maintaining crops and animals. These Parables made the themes easier for them to relate to. 

Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:1-23

This parable (also called the parable of the four soils) focuses on the concept of planting seeds. The farmer sows the seeds and we see what happens to it when it meets the ground.

The good seed (the Word of God) landed on a hard path where the birds came and ate it up. The seed that landed on rocky ground sprang up quickly, but withered because the soil was shallow. 

Other seed fell among thorns, which choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a plentiful crop.

The Sower in the parable was Christ Jesus. His ministry was sowing Gospel “seeds,” hoping to harvest a “crop” of believers.

As in most agricultural endeavors, achieving a bountiful harvest can be difficult. The seed’s growth depended on the status of the “soil”- the nature of the receiver’s heart.

The theme this parable explores is the condition of the people’s hearts to receive God’s Word. Where does His Word land in your heart?  On good ground, where it can put down deep roots and bear much fruit? Or possibly on rocky soil or amidst thorns?

Parable of the Mustard Seed

A mustard seed is one of the smallest in the world, yet it can grow into a tree up to 20 feet tall and 20 wide!

Jesus told His disciples this parable in Matthew 13:31-32:

 “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

His point was to show that the kingdom of God may have small beginnings, but would grow and expand profusely.

In Matthew 17, the disciples became confused because they could not heal a demon possessed boy. Jesus states, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you.” Verse 20

Never underestimate what God can do with the smallest “mustard seed” sized acts of service, the weakest of prayers, or a few words of encouragement. Even the smallest amount of genuine faith can grow into “mountain moving” strength. 

Parable of the Growing Seed

Jesus tells this parable in Mark 4:26-29:

“This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself, the soil produces grain- first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

The good farmer plants the seed in the field, then relies on God to bring forth a crop. Although the process is a mystery to him, his faith in God is strong.

Similarly, God’s Word is the seed planted in our hearts. We might not understand His ways, but have faith He will work in our lives according to His kingdom plan. 

Do you have confidence in the power of the seeds you plant? Trust in His perfect timing and superior knowledge?

Grain of Wheat

Near the end of His earthly life, Jesus explains why He must die:

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth: unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:23-24.

He uses the metaphor of planting a seed in the ground where it dies before it becomes a fruitful plant. Likewise, Jesus had to die on the cross to bring about our salvation from sin and an eternal life with Him.

We must die to self- letting go of our selfish desires- to live and bear good fruit for Him. We reflect God’s love when we live and serve as He did.

Fallow Ground

The prophet Hosea often used fields and crops as illustrations.

“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea 10:12 ESV.

Hosea imagines a plowed field that is carefully prepared and reading for planting. To “sow righteousness” is to let the Holy Spirit lead you, obeying the Word of God, seeking His presence daily, loving our neighbor as ourselves, and serving in His Name (to name a few!)

We are to continue planting all kinds of seeds until the harvest comes!

Bible Study Lessons- Seed time and Harvest- The "seeds" of God's Word need fertile soil to take root in our hearts. We too are to plant seeds to further His kingdom
Pin me for later!

Reaping What You Sow

 The apostle Paul tells the Galatians: “A man reaps what he sows.” (6:7) A friend of Job’s conveys a similar message: “Those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.” (4:8)

In the literal sense, this means when I plant a fruit tree, I don’t expect to harvest tomatoes.  

If we sow bad seeds (sin), we harvest the natural consequences of them. We can’t expect to harvest a good, spiritually fruitful life by planting seeds of anger, pride, greed, etc. 

However, if we plant spiritual seeds, our harvest will be joy-filled and productive.

What sinful seeds do you plant?  We all sow some; none of us are immune.

Just like the weeds in our fields and gardens, sin spreads and creeps into our lives. Sometimes they even look pretty and we can’t decide if it’s a weed or not. 

Weeds are deceptive that way! We have to stay on top of pulling them out, otherwise, their roots grow deeper, they produce seeds for even more sin to grow, and spread into neighboring areas.

Make a habit of identifying and pulling the weeds out of your life.

A great companion verse to this theme is 2 Corinthians 9:6: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

I bought a packet of wildflower seeds one spring and planted them all. Why would I have held any back?

The same principle applies to our lives. Jesus has graced us with so many blessings (seeds). Sow them generously! It stems from how open you are to share and giving to others. We have a natural inclination to hold things back- to keep some of those “seeds” for later.

Think of the things God has given to you just today. He is such a generous giver! He promises us His gifts of comfort, grace, peace, mercy, strength, joy, wisdom- the list goes on and on! 

Sow these things lavishly and liberally onto others into God’s field and watch how He blesses you.

 How many seeds do you want to plant and nurture for a generous spiritual harvest? What seeds do you hold back? Why?

“Remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, ‘It is more blessed to give than receive.'” Acts 20:35.

Jesus also teaches about giving by using the example of measuring grain into a basket to ensure one receives the full amount due to them:

“Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38.

Planting seeds of generosity, grace, and compassion will come back to us with the “full measure” Jesus spoke of.

Planting and Harvesting

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” [your reflection of His character] 2Corinthians 9:10.

God gives us the resources we need to use and invest for him. We are to sow wisely and cultivate them to produce more crops. When we invest what He gives to do His work, He provides even more to give back. We can never give too much!

We might not always see the fruit of what we sow. Someone else may even harvest what we plant. That doesn’t take away from the need to be continually sowing.

God’s plan calls for some of us to be “planters” and some to be “harvesters.” 

 Paul talks about the Gospel ministry like this: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” 1 Corinthians 3:6. 

 Paul planted the message of salvation; Apollos helped the new believers grow stronger in their faith, and it was the Holy Spirit who guided them into His truth. 

He continues in verse 8: “The man who plants and the man who waters has one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.” 

We all have a part to play. We are equal team members but equipped for our own special role by God. God has planted you specifically where you are today for His glory.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38. 

Look around you. Are the words, actions, and attitudes you plant reflecting God?

What are you sowing in your family, neighborhood, job, and relationships?

What weeds do you need to pull out?

How is your harvest?

Blessings!

AnnMarie

All Scripture is taken from the New International Version unless specified otherwise.

Photo Credit: Canva

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top