撒种
若有人给你讲一个故事，故事的开头听来有点特别，你便被故事吸引了，你会尝试明白那人为什么会以这种方式讲这个故事。例如，农夫随意到处撒下他宝贵的种子，是不合情理的事；然而，有一个农夫果真这样做，实在是太浪费和愚蠢了。
耶稣邀请我们来关注这个农夫作为衪的比喻的开始。从务农的角度来看，撒种的人是太大意了，但在这里，耶稣不是在提供农耕的意见，衪乃是在举例说明神的道如何被传播，以及人们怎样领受这道。
在耶稣的比喻中，农夫撒种前没有判定泥土的品质。神的道被传扬出去时，传道者也没有假定人心灵的状态，在种子被撒下之前，有谁能预先知道泥土的状况呢？撒种的人只管把种子撒下，他是不会预先估计所冒的风险和结果的，他只是负责把种子撒下。
我们往往禁不住从责任管理、效率、投资风险、和盈利率的角度来衡量事物。然而，身为罪人，我们是耶稣所冒的极大的投资风险 － 但我们要感谢神，祂的道已临到我们了。
今天，神已经把衪的道赐给你了，你将会怎样去善用这道呢？
主啊，你冒了大风险把你满有恩典的好消息传扬给我，若没有你的道，我将会是何等无助。惟愿我一生都持守你的道，并在其上生根成长。阿们。
马可福音 4:1-9, 13-20
1耶稣又在海边教训人。有许多人到他那里聚集，他只得上船坐下。船在海里，众人都靠近海，站在岸上。
2耶稣就用比喻教训他们许多道理。在教训之间，对他们说：
3“你们听啊！有一个撒种的出去撒种。
4撒的时候，有落在路旁的，飞鸟来吃尽了。
5有落在土浅石头地上的，土既不深，发苗最快，
6日头出来一晒，因为没有根，就枯干了。
7有落在荆棘里的，荆棘长起来，把它挤住了，就不结实。
8又有落在好土里的，就发生长大，结实有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的。”
9又说：“有耳可听的，就应当听！”
13又对他们说：“你们不明白这比喻吗？这样怎能明白一切的比喻呢？
14撒种之人所撒的就是道。
15那撒在路旁的，就是人听了道，撒旦立刻来，把撒在他心里的道夺了去。
16那撒在石头地上的，就是人听了道，立刻欢喜领受，
17但他心里没有根，不过是暂时的，及至为道遭了患难，或是受了逼迫，立刻就跌倒了。
18还有那撒在荆棘里的，就是人听了道，
19后来有世上的思虑、钱财的迷惑和别样的私欲进来，把道挤住了，就不能结实。
20那撒在好地上的，就是人听道又领受，并且结实，有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的。”
Sowing The Seed
"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed . . ." - Mark 4:3-4
When someone begins to tell you a story and it sounds unusual, it draws you in as you try to figure out why the story is being told this way. For example, it wouldn’t make any sense for a farmer to be so careless as to scatter his valuable seed just anywhere. But that’s what this farmer is doing, and that seems to be wasteful and foolish.
It turns out that Jesus’ parable begins by inviting us to see something about this farmer. From an agricultural point of view, the sower is being careless, but Jesus is not giving farming advice. He is illustrating how the Word of God is spread and how it is received.
In Jesus’ parable the farmer does not prejudge the soil. The spreading of the Word does not make presumptions about the human heart, for who knows what the conditions are until the seed has been sown there? The sower simply sows, and he does not calculate the risks and results ahead of time. He just sows.
We often cannot help thinking in terms of responsible management, efficiency, investment risks, and rates of return. As sinners, though, we would be a very poor risk for Jesus to take—but, thanks be to God, the Word comes our way.
What will you do with the gift of God’s Word coming to you today?
Lord, it’s risky to spread the good news of your grace to me, but without your Word I would be helpless. May my life receive your Word and grow from it. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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