Welcome to 10 minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work.

I'm Jensen Holt McNair. I am not a farmer, but my grandfather is one, and I grew up hearing about

and watching him farm. Now being retired, he loves to talk and share about farming. My husband and I recently

visited my parents hometown and while we were there my granddad talked his ear off, showing him all the different combines and tractors they had.

He walked us through a field of his crops.

He talked about the weather and what it would mean for the harvest.

He could go on and on, and he did. He loves what he gave his life to and it's evident.

Now this wasn't the first time I had heard him talk about farming and I'm sure it won't be the last.

And if I've learned anything over the years, it's that farming takes hard work, but it also takes a lot of patience and waiting. It takes a lot of surrender to the weather and every season it

involves hopeful anticipation of harvest. I'm sure there are some farmers who

are listening today but I'm also sure that there are many of us in our modern

contexts who don't interact much with farming or gardening.

But that wasn't the case in Jesus' day and age.

You see, Jesus lived in an agrarian society, which is why many of his

parables often have to do with farming. In chapter 4 of Mark alone we see three

different parables that have to do with farming. The first, the parable of the

sower focuses on the importance of the soil that a seed is cast onto. Jesus uses the

example of good and bad soils to help the disciples understand that the people they share the good news with, the seeds they cast, will all be cast into different soil.

The people who hear the word of God will all experience it differently.

Some will be hardened to it. Some will seem energized by it, but won't let it take root in

their lives. Still there are those who hear and grow but

eventually become choked out by the trials and temptations of life. But then

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