The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, Classic Version, 2015Sample

Sowing and Reaping

Walter Nishioka knew that the service was good at the Hawaiian hotel where he ate brunch on Wednesdays. But he found out just how good it was when he was offered something that was definitely not on the menu – one of the waiter’s own kidneys.

Mr Nishioka, aged seventy, was a local businessman. He was seriously ill with kidney disease and had been told by doctors that he needed a transplant urgently. He had almost given up hope of finding a matching organ until the waiter, Jose Rocasa, fifty-two, volunteered one of his own. Nishioka said: ‘I didn't have long to survive and the doctors said that it was unlikely that they could find a match in time. But with a good man here and a lot of help from above, now I am alive and well.’ 

In the twenty-two years that Mr Nishioka had frequented the hotel, Mr Rocasa had been his waiter, and recalled that he had always been kind and affable – and had tipped generously. ‘I just wanted to help him,’ he said. ‘For years, we have this friendship in which he comes to lunch and I do my best to make him very happy, and he is always good to me in return. So of course I say, “Don't worry – I can give you a kidney.” ’

Mr Nishioka sowed generosity and he reaped generosity! 

One of the most memorable talks I’ve ever heard was given by Louie Giglio (the American youth leader) in St Paul’s Cathedral, which was packed with young people. He spoke on the subject of ‘sowing and reaping’. His talk had three headings:

• You reap what you sow
• You reap later than you sow
• You reap more than you sow.

Mr Nishioka reaped later than he sowed and he certainly reaped far more than he had sown!

These principles are true in the natural world of farming, for example. They are also true in the Christian life. 

Psalm 58:1-11

1. Sow justice

Recently, Pippa and I watched a DVD about the trafficking of people for sex. Apparently, 800,000 people (mainly women and children) are trafficked every year in this almost unbelievably evil trade. There are now 29.8 million people in slavery. Other examples of injustice include the horrors of evil regimes and institutional torture.

The psalmist speaks out against this kind of injustice: ‘Is this any way to run a country? Is there an honest politician in the house?’ (v.1, MSG).

He cries out against rulers who do not speak justly (v.1), whose hearts devise injustice and whose hands ‘mete out violence’ (v.2). They are ‘cauldrons of evil’, doing ‘deals with demons’ (v.2, MSG) and they speak out lies (v.3). They ignore the cries of those who desire justice – both humans and God himself – for they are like ‘a cobra that has stopped its ears, that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skilful the enchanter may be’ (vv.4b–5).

Leadership is key in any society. A leader who sows injustice will reap terrible consequences. They are sowing poison: ‘Their venom is like the venom of a snake’ (v.4). They create an unstable society and will eventually be ‘swept away’ (v.9). When this happens there will be great relief all round. They reaped what they sowed. Likewise, ‘the righteous … are rewarded’ (v.11a). When we see this principle at work we say, ‘there is a God’ (v.11).

Often, the reaping will happen a lot later than the sowing. Even if we have to wait until the final judgment, this psalm reminds us that justice will take place. God’s judgment is a good thing. It stems from his love. God values each one of us so much that he cares how we treat one another. Ultimately, injustice will not triumph. Justice will prevail and the righteous will ‘be glad’ (v.10).

Lord, help me to do everything I can to sow justice in this world. Help me to fight against injustice wherever I see it. May I ‘loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke’ (Isaiah 58:6).

John 6:1-24

2. Sow generously

There are, of course, so many lessons to be learned from events in the life of Jesus. One of these is the principle that those who sow generously will also reap generously.

Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming towards him. ‘He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?” He said this to stretch Philip’s faith’ (vv.5–6a, MSG). ‘Faith,’ as A.W. Tozer wrote, ‘like a muscle, grows by stretching.’ 

In fact, although Jesus asked the question ‘he already had in mind what he was going to do’ (v.6b). This shows that it is all right to ask questions to which you already know the answer. (In fact, when I was practising as a barrister I was taught only to ask questions to which I already knew the answer!)

‘Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples … spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” ’ (vv.7–8).

This boy’s act of generosity will never be forgotten. Jesus is able to do a lot with a little. The boy gave generously all that he had. It was not very much – it was ‘a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this’ (v.8, MSG).

However, it multiplied in the hands of Jesus. At least 5,000 were fed and there was plenty left over. Jesus said, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted’ (v.12). If it needed a biblical basis, here is a biblical basis for not wasting food – it always seems a terrible waste if food is thrown away unnecessarily.

The world produces enough food to feed everyone. Yet 870 million people (1 in 8 of the world’s population) are suffering from chronic undernourishment. At the same time, around a third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year – approximately 1.3 billion tonnes – gets lost or wasted. Individually and corporately we need to act urgently on Jesus’ instruction: ‘Let nothing be wasted’ (v.12).

We see in this account that what we give Jesus, he multiplies. The apostle Paul wrote, ‘Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously … Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and … your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God’ (2 Corinthians 9:6,10–11).

Straight after this amazing miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, the disciples find themselves in a storm (John 6:18). Miraculously, Jesus walks on the water towards them. They were ‘scared senseless’ (v.19, MSG). Jesus says to them, ‘It’s me. It’s all right. Don’t be afraid’ (v.20, MSG). Following Jesus is not always easy. There are storms and other challenges of life, but Jesus’ presence with us is transformational. No wonder the crowd went ‘in search of Jesus’ (v.24).

Thank you, Jesus, that what I give to you, you multiply. Lord, help me to be generous with everything – with money, possessions, hospitality and time.

John 6:1-24

3. Sow loyalty

I have noticed, over the years, how those who sow loyalty to their leaders reap a high degree of loyalty when they themselves come into positions of leadership. On the other hand, those who refuse to come under another’s leadership and who stir up trouble, invariably reap the same attitude of disloyalty if they themselves come into a position of leadership.

In this passage we see the disastrous consequences of the disloyalty of Abimelech to his father and to his brothers. Abimelech sowed violence. ‘He hired some reckless, riffraff soldiers ... and killed his half brothers ... seventy men!’ (vv.4–5, MSG). Only the youngest managed to hide – the only survivor.

Again, we see this biblical principle at work: we reap what we sow. Abimelech sowed disloyalty and violence. He reaped disloyalty and violence. Initially, he was in cahoots with the citizens of Shechem (v.2 and following). But three years later bad feeling arose between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who had acted treacherously against Abimelech.

Abimelech reaped what he had sown. Shechem’s leaders ‘worked treacherously behind his back. Violence boomeranged: the murderous violence that killed the seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal, was now loose among Abimelech and Shechem’s leaders, who had supported the violence’ (vv.23–24, MSG).

Abimelech showed no loyalty to the people of Shechem. He used them when he needed them (v.2). However, he had no hesitation in wiping them out (vv.42–49).

Ultimately, they all reaped what they had sown, and Abimelech himself was ingloriously killed soon after (vv.53–54). The writer sums it all up: ‘God avenged the evil Abimelech had done to his father, murdering his seventy brothers. And God brought down on the heads of the men of Shechem all the evil that they had done’ (vv.56–57, MSG).

Lord, help us to be loyal to one another in the workplace, in our families and in our friendships. Help us as a community to sow truth and justice, generosity and loyalty.

Pippa Adds

Judges 9:1–57 

How sad to see the destruction of Gideon’s family (Jerub-Baal). I think he needed to have read The Marriage Book and The Parenting Book, and to have concentrated a bit more on those areas of his life.

Notes:
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.

Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture marked (MSG) taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.