GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 4:29
Harvest When Ripe
There are pictures of wheat harvest time in Iowa where giant machines, lined up one beside another, harvest acres of grain in huge western fields. Beside those pictures are others where traditional farmers harvest grain with a sickle, one bundle at a time. Both scenes represent a harvest when the grain is ripe, and the farmer knows when the grain is ready for harvest. There are tests for the grain’s moisture content and firmness, but the farmer knows when the grain is ready to be harvested by looking at and feel it. The important thing, however, is that the grain should not be harvested too early or too late.
After almost fifty years in college classrooms, I’ve noticed that many students leave school after the second or sophomore year. While some who drop out find success, others struggle to find their place. To use the farm analogy, the dropouts leave before they are ripe.
When Jesus summarized one parable about a farmer who planted seed, he said, “So when the fruit is ready, immediately he sends the sickle, because the harvest has arrived.” (Mark 4:29) Commentators interpret this parable and its conclusion variously. Some writers think this parable refers to sowing the gospel around the world, and that the harvest refers to the end of time. Others think the harvest refers to the Father calling an individual believer home when he is “ripe”—when he has fulfilled his mission. A third rendering sees Jesus referring to the employment of a believer in the service of the kingdom when he is “ripe”—mature in the faith. Placing too heavy a responsibility on a believer before he is ready—ripe, in terms of the parable—can lead to the failure of the assigned project and the individual believer. The work of the kingdom is demanding, daunting at times, and someone not adequately prepared can fall by the wayside. So when the believer is “ripe,” prepared for the work of the kingdom in any one of its many roles, employ him or her—“harvest” them—in the service of the Lord.
Another side of this parable is that the individual believer needs to see that they are prepared, “ripe,” for the Lord’s call to service. I read recently about a businessman who felt the Lord was calling him to a different vocation. So he sold his business and went to school to prepare for the work for which he was called. This man’s choice may be extreme, but such a choice is not uncommon. It also illustrates the importance of being ready—“ripe,” in terms of the parable.
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