Jesus’ Plant Parables

Thoughts From a Bible Reader

We looked the last time at the chain of events that eventually led to Jesus starting to teach by parables, instead of using them to illustrate points that He was making. Over the next few posts we’ll look at His parables themselves (of both kinds). And a number of Jesus’ parables that were saved for us talked about plants in one fashion or another. We’ll look at those today.

The Sower (Also found in Mark 4, Luke 8)

“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil. They sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep. But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered. Other seeds fell among the thorns, and they grew up and choked them. But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. The one who has ears had better listen!” (Matt. 13:3-9).

This, the first time that Jesus used a parable all by itself, not to illustrate some point that He had already made, caught His disciples by surprise. Later, when they were alone with Him, they asked Him why He was speaking in parables, and He replied that while they had been given the opportunity to understand the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, not everyone else had. But then He explained this parable to them clearly. If people hear about God’s kingdom, but don’t understand what they are hearing, then like with the seeds that fell along the hard, packed-down path, these words will just sit there until Satan comes and devours what they have heard, leaving nothing to grow and change their lives. The seeds on the rocky ground, He said, describe people who hear about the kingdom and it brings them joy, but there is no depth in their life for what they have heard to really take root, and so when trouble or persecution arises against them, these people fall away. The seeds that fall in the thorns, He said, are people who hear about God’s kingdom, and have a desire for it, “but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth choke the word, so it produces nothing” (Matt. 13:22). God’s kingdom does not matter to these people as much as their house, or their bank account, or their new car, and so they let the desire for God’s kingdom die in their hearts, choked out. The good soil is a person who hears about the kingdom, understands just what he is hearing about, and then goes out and shares what he has learned, contributing to bringing maybe thirty, or maybe sixty, or maybe even a hundred other people into the kingdom of God community as well.

Beyond Jesus’ explanation to His disciples, I would add the following. If you are thinking about this parable and wondering what kind of soil you are, any farmer can tell you that soil quality is not a fixed attribute. The packed-down dirt on a pathway can be plowed, loosened up, and reclaimed for farming. Rocks can be removed, giving the soil more depth. Thorns and weeds can be plowed under and killed. If you read this parable and are afraid that you’re the wrong kind of soil, simply pray to God to make you the right kind. Just be aware that such a path may not be an easy one, that there may be a lot of pain and hardships in your life reworking your soil. But if you don’t want to miss out on God’s kingdom, is it too much to ask?

The Tares

“The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed darnel among the wheat and went away. When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the darnel also appeared. So the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the darnel come from?’ He said, ‘An enemy has done this!’ So the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather it?’ But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the darnel you may uproot the wheat along with it. Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn”’” (Matt. 13:24-30).

The disciples, when they were with Jesus later, asked Him to explain this parable to them as well. His explanation was that “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world and the good seed are the people of the kingdom. The poisonous weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. As the poisonous weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears had better listen!” (Matt. 13:37-43).

You might think of darnel, or “tares” as other translations have it, as fake wheat. When young, you would have a hard time telling it apart from wheat. It is when they both produce fruit, when the grain appears, that you can see the difference. Satan has seeded fakes into the community of believers. That should really come as no surprise to any of us. But how do we know who the fake Christians are? Just like Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount, we just have to inspect their fruit (Matt. 7:15-20). “Now the works (fruit) of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!” These are what the tares look like. And the wheat? “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal. 5:19-23).

One other note here. Notice who it is who sows the good seed. It is Jesus Himself. Yes, you and I are to spread the gospel seed. But when we do, it’s really Jesus Himself, working through us, who is doing the work.

The Growing Seed

He also said, “The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground. He goes to sleep and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. By itself the soil produces a crop, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. And when the grain is ripe, he sends in the sickle because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)

When we share the good news of God’s kingdom, when we spread our seeds, spreading that seed is what our job is (even though it’s really Jesus doing it through us). What happens after that, the mystery of that seed’s growth, is pretty much out of our hands. So whose hands is it in, then? That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. (For more on what that entails, check here.) Paul also added a bit to this parable as well, writing, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow. So neither the one who plants counts for anything, nor the one who waters, but God who causes the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters work as one, but each will receive his reward according to his work. We are coworkers belonging to God. You are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:6-9). It is God who causes the growth. But we can plant seeds, and we can also water seeds that others have been planted. We can work to increase the harvest, but in the end it is the Holy Spirit who will take our efforts and do the things that you and I cannot do, like change hearts and minds.

The Mustard Seed (Also found in Mark 4, Luke 13)

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and nest in its branches” (Matt. 13:31-32).

The mustard seed isn’t literally the smallest of all seeds. But it was most likely the smallest garden seed that was planted in Israel in Jesus’ day. But the mustard seed was also used by devout Jews as a measure to compare size to, as rabbis back then wrote that “the daughters of Israel were stringent with themselves; to the extent that even if they see a drop of (menstrual) blood corresponding to the size of a mustard seed she sits seven clean days for it.” And so, for the Jewish rabbis, “small as a mustard seed” was an accepted description of the smallest possible amount. And while mustard plants in Israel do not grow into actual trees, they will grow up to 12 feet tall, certainly the largest plant in most any garden, as well as large enough for birds to roost in. And so, with this parable, Jesus was saying that we can start with the smallest possible amount of God’s kingdom, and yet in the end what we may end up with can be something far reaching, as well as a blessing to others, for having had such a humble beginning.

The Servants Doing Their Duty

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” So the Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. Would any one of you say to your slave who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, ‘Come at once and sit down for a meal’? Won’t the master instead say to him, ‘Get my dinner ready, and make yourself ready to serve me while I eat and drink. Then you may eat and drink’? He won’t thank the slave because he did what he was told, will he? So you too, when you have done everything you were commanded to do, should say, ‘We are slaves undeserving of special praise; we have only done what was our duty.’” (Luke 17:5-10)

Although this isn’t just a “plant” parable, I included it here because of Jesus’ comment on having faith the size of a mustard seed, tying it to the last parable. The apostles want more faith. Jesus responds that it only takes the smallest possible amount of faith to call for a tree to come out of the ground and fly into the sea. And I am certain that He meant that literally, which really gives us something to think about as we consider our own faith. And then Jesus throws an interesting twist into this by going into another parable, a servant parable. Even if we have been out working all day in the fields, when we come back to the house we should not expect praise and special treatment. No, there’s still work to be done. And when Jesus calls on us, when He commands us, to act in faith and miraculous things happen as a result, our response shouldn’t be, “Look at me! Look at what I have done!” No, instead our attitude should simply be that, because we were doing what our master had ordered us to do, we realize that we deserve no special praise, because we were just following orders. We were doing our duty. There’s a lot there to chew on!

The Fig Tree (Also found in Mark 13, Luke 21)

“Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Matt. 24:32-35)

Jesus shared this parable while He was answering the disciples questions about when the temple would be destroyed (which only Luke answers), what the signs of His coming would be, and the signs of the end of the age. Jesus tells them that there will be false Christs, wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. Believers will be arrested, killed, hated, and betrayed. False prophets will arise, lawlessness will abound, and the love of many will grow cold. Then the abomination of desolation will stand in the holy place (the temple rebuilt?) and great tribulation will happen. Then false christs will appear and false prophets will do wondrous signs. And then the sun will be darkened, the moon as well, stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And THEN, after all of this, Jesus will come back with a trumpet blast, sending His angels to gather His people from the earth. These are the signs that Jesus said will mark His return, signs that we should look for, just like seeing leaves on a fig tree heralds the coming of summer. So don’t let anyone convince you that He has returned if you haven’t seen these signs, because I don’t think that there will be anyone on the earth who will miss them.

The True Vine

“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit. You are clean already because of the word that I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and are burned up. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. My Father is honored by this, that you bear much fruit and show that you are my disciples. (John 15:1-8)

I have shared this parable again and again in my writings, as I think that it is central to what it means to be a Christian. Jesus had just previously told His disciples, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him. The person who does not love me does not obey my words. And the word you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me” (John 14:23-24). Bearing fruit and remaining on the vine, instead of becoming fruitless and being pruned away from the vine to be burned, all depends on obeying what Jesus told us to do. Forgive. Don’t judge. Don’t condemn. Bless even our enemies. Love and treat others as we love ourselves, as we want ourselves to be treated.

The Unfruitful Fig Tree

Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, ‘For three years now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue to deplete the soil?’ But the worker answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it. Then if it bears fruit next year, very well, but if not, you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6-9)

Giving this to you right after the parable of the true vine, the unfruitful part of this parable should make sense to you, that God does not want the unfruitful. But the point of this story is that, if we are unfruitful, God is still willing to give us an opportunity to become fruitful. But we also need to realize that He won’t give us forever. But Jesus told this parable right after being asked about a group from Galilee who, apparently, Pilate had killed while they were sacrificing at the temple, as the people were wondering if they had suffered their fate because they were sinners. Jesus replied that they were no worse than any other, nor were the 18 who had recently died when a tower fell on them, but any person who did not repent of his sins would suffer similarly. And He goes right from telling people to repent to telling this parable, which says to me that Jesus expects for fruitfulness to begin with repentance. That is, if your life is lacking in spiritual fruit, then the necessary first step is to repent of how you have been treating others. If you never read my post on repentance, you might want to check it out.

That’s it for Jesus’ plant parables. Next time we’ll look at some more of His parables. Until then, God’s blessings on you!

Do you have questions or comments that you would like to share with me? Feel free to drop me an email (stevesuterfaithandfruit@gmail.com).

My posts come from my observations in reading the Bible literally dozens of times, always hoping to understand it a little bit better. If you want to go back and read more of what I’ve observed in my reading, click here.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® https://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved