The Good Soil
Matthew 13:8 & 23 (NIV)
Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! … The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!’
In a recent BEMA podcast episode, I listened to the speaker compare two types of trees which grow in the desert. The first is known as the Ar’ar bush. It’s a relatively tall bush with wide green leaves. Once mature, it quickly begins to produce plump, juicy-looking, grapefruit-sized fruit. Imagine being stuck in the desert and seeing one of these fruits! If you were to pick one, it would feel ripe in your hand, but when you opened it up, you would be met by nothing more than a puff of air and dust and some disappointing cobweb-like material. Not everything that looks fruitful truly is.
The other tree is the acacia tree. From a distance, it appears taller, more regal and impressive than surrounding trees, but, generally, when up close, you might be disappointed to find it looks dead. However, behind that trunk lies a hidden secret - the acacia tree can stay dormant for around a decade, but when the rains come, the tree suddenly bursts into bloom, producing green leaves and fruit, providing much-needed food and shade in the unruly desert climate - incredibly impressive.
As you can see from the text, even good, fertile soil produces different yields; ‘some one hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown’. The point here is not to focus on the comparison of yield but rather to notice that all fertile soil is eventually fruitful. That even in a dry season, like the acacia, we will be fruitful if we remain people of the Word, living lives for Jesus, prepared to change ourselves by listening deeply to the Spirit's teaching. If you’re unsure about your fruitfulness, find solace in the acacia tree and trust that God is both the producer and the Lord of the Harvest.
Prayer – Jesus, thank you for the journey you’ve taken me on this week. Help me to remain fruitful where I am already fruitful. May I not be dejected where I think I'm barren, but instead grasp the truth that you are still working in me to 'bear fruit.'