January 11 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

When Jesus told this story, there were many people who did not catch the meaning. In fact, only those understood it who had "ears to hear," and to whom "the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven" had been given. What made this story so hard to understand?

The people were all waiting to see the coming of the kingdom. John the Baptist had said that it was now very close. He had said that the Reaper was coming: "He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Jesus speaks of the same kingdom. But Jesus does not talk of the Reaper; he speaks of the sower or farmer. There is nothing spectacular about the work of the farmer. He sows the seed. He waits patiently. He knows that much seed will go to waste—at least in the type of field sown by the ancient Palestinian farmer. There are stones and rocks, there are thorns and thistles, and some of the seed is simply carried off by the birds. Yet there is going to be a crop. At harvest time there is going to be a good yield.

That's how the kingdom comes. That's how God gains back his world. Not by sending fire from heaven, not yet by sending the Reaper, but by sending the sower. If you have ears, you will hear. If it is given to you to know the goals of God, you will sense that the indestructible kingdom comes through the humble work of the sower.

As yet nothing spectacular has happened. The King has come—but in the form of a servant. Everything seems to remain as it has always been. But those who know the mystery of the kingdom are tense with expectation and multiply their prayers. Because a farmer went out to sow....

Reflections

What does this parable tell you about how the kingdom comes into the world?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.