Putting in the Sickle.

Mark 4:26-29 (ESV) And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. [27] He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. [28] The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. [29] But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." “He puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” The seed being scattered, the metaphor of wheat growing, taking root, Jesus uses them often to talk about the Kingdom of God. There is something mysterious about plants growing from seed. Scientists think they have explained it all when they talk of germination and so forth. Really they have just labeled the process, they have explained nothing about how it is even possible in the first place. I don’t know, it is woeful to me as of late, I decided to read some evolutionists to see if I just had their arguments wrong, if they really did make sense. I’m finding I was being to charitable. They want to be right so bad, they can’t see the holes, they can’t see alternative explanations, they can’t see just why it is that their explanations aren’t explanations, a lot of smoke screens and mirrors. But people buy it, and they let the argument rest not on coherency, not on it’s own merits, but on authority. Some evolutionist gave another evolutionist a PHD, so now he is an authority and it doesn’t matter if his arguments make sense, if they are pure speculation or not, we are to bow to his authority, he’s a scientist! Oh well get off topic there a little bit. Forgive me. They label what they observe, if that, they don’t explain it. It’s a mystery how life is possible, what really makes it tick. How it even came about. We see the grain growing in the field, or perhaps Tomatoes, Grapes, Raspberries. But we just don’t really know how is that it all happens, but when it’s ripe, we claim our gifts, we put in the sickle. Yes, those tomatoes, are gifts, straight from God. Ask anyone who grows tomatoes, giving them the proper soil, the proper sunlight, the proper water, does not guarantee a crop. So the kingdom of God. I like to think God is talking to pastors here. Jesus gives us this parable. Scatter the seed. It’s all a pastor can do. Scatter, plant, water, and then every once in a while you actually see it become ripe, and you know not how. It’s time to put in the sickle. Are the field’s ever white for harvest? Perhaps there is a field here and a field there, but they are always ready for seed. And just as the farmer rejoices at the harvest, to see his wheat crop come in, so the pastor jumps for joy as he swings that sickle.