Sow Those Seeds, My Friend

(Photo: Lightstock)

In Mark 4, Jesus goes super agro. 

He rattles off three consecutive parables about sowing seeds.

If we consider these three parables through the lens of evangelization, Jesus gives us a simple model that we can all follow.

For the sake of this column, I’ll work backwards from the order in which Jesus delivered them.

You’re likely familiar with the Parable of the Mustard Seed. It’s a Bible School classic, the “Sweet Caroline” of parables. To quickly recap: the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds that eventually grows into the largest of all shrubs.

If we look at this evangelistically, we can find great solace. The Lord can use the smallest of our efforts to bring about the greatest results.

We don’t need to have a Master’s Degree in Christian apologetics. We don’t have to give an epic keynote at a conference. We don’t have to create a video that goes viral.

The Lord can simply use a conversation we have with someone to fuel their conversion. He can use a small act of kindness we give a friend to lead them into a deeper encounter. He can use a smile we offer a stranger to lead them into seeking answers to life’s big questions.

St. Teresa of Calcutta taught, "Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” A small act done with great love can lead to infinite results! Evangelization doesn’t have to be an elaborate process. In fact, a biblical case can be made that evangelization is most substantial when it’s smallest and simplest.

The second parable of Jesus’ seed-saga is another simple one: the kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground and has no idea how it grows. What he does know, though, is that when the grain becomes ripe, he harvests it.

Looking at this through the lens of evangelization, we can find another assuring lesson. We’re not in control of the results; we’re simply in control of whether we respond to God.

The farmer did his part in sowing seed, and then he let nature take its course. When it became clear that he needed to take action, he took action. As long as we play our part in doing small things with great love, we can let God take his course, and when God makes it clear that we need to take action, we simply take action. It’s really that simple. There’s nothing more that needs to be added.

Pope St. Paul VI put this lesson beautifully in his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Nuntiandi:

“It must be said that the Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelization: it is he who impels each individual to proclaim the Gospel, and it is he who in the depths of consciences causes the word of salvation to be accepted and understood” (EN 75).

The Holy Spirit is the one who impels us to evangelize, and it is the Holy Spirit who stirs hearts. All we have to do is remain attentive to his voice.

And in the final (first) parable, the Parable of the Sower, Jesus talks about a farmer who scatters seed everywhere. Literally everywhere. He scatters seed on a path, amongst rocks, with weeds, in good soil. He’s the most uneconomical farmer of all time, because he gives everywhere a chance to bear fruit.

Jesus’ lesson is clear: when we evangelize, we should give everyone a chance to bear fruit. Put another way, we shouldn’t silo out our evangelization efforts to this group or that space or that day of the week. Our mission field is everyone, everywhere, at all times.

We should scatter seeds (read: do small acts with great love) at home, at work, in school, on the train, and yes, even at our automobile dealership that always takes an inordinate amount of time to fix something actually quite simple. 

Everyone, everywhere, deserves to encounter the Lord through you at all times. Even those clueless car mechanics (confession: I can be better).

In a 2015 message for World Mission Day, Pope Francis said, “The mission of the servants of the Word — bishops, priests, religious and laity — is to allow everyone, without exception, to enter into a personal relationship with Christ.”

You are a servant of the Word, a sower entrusted with limitless seed.

So sow those seeds, my friend. Do small things. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Trust that God will do his part. Give everywhere a chance to bear fruit, because the fruit is ultimately not up to you, and even the smallest of your efforts can yield the greatest fruit.