Esther and I bought our house in May 2019, and one of the things that came with it was a 10×10 garden in the back yard. Last year, we cultivated some very robust weeds in that garden. This spring, my Italian heritage boiled up strong and I borrowed a rototiller, dug rows, and planted seeds. It is now 2-months into the growing season and we have watered, we have weeded, and we have replanted. So far, we have eaten one strawberry that survived the squirrel assault, and one salad of home-grown lettuce. Good things are coming though, the pumpkins and zucchini are beginning to flower, and I can see the first pea pods and hot peppers starting to show.
I am not a farmer, but God has used the slow glories of our garden to amplify the truths of his Word. Here are my reflections from the garden in light of God’s Word.
Seeds Matter
Most of the plants in our garden started from seeds. The biggest surprise so far has been the pumpkins. Usually, I roast pumpkin seeds for a salty snack, but this time, I put those wide, flat seeds in the ground, and they have turned into massive leafy plants, with bright orange flowers, and their vines are slowly invading the rest of the garden. All that, from a single seed.
Jesus says in Mark 4:30-32,
“With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
The work of God starts small and grows to change everything around it. The critical first step for God’s work and a hearty garden is planting seeds. The parable of the sower in Mark 4:3 says, “a sower went out to sow,” and then later, Jesus explains this parable, “the sower sows the word (v.14).” Gardeners and Christians, as citizens of the Kingdom of God, both share the same foundational responsibility: sow the seed. Paul rephrases this in 1 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the Word.” Without seeds, the garden will be barren; and without the Word of God, our churches and homes will starve. We must be faithful to sow the seeds of the Word of God in all seasons.
Weeds Need to be Dealt With
As I mentioned, our garden patch was neglected for a few seasons before it was revived. This means that there were a lot of weeds. I tilled the soil, raked it clean and there were still more weeds than sprouts. I had some work to do.
So, I got my podcasts loaded, my work pants on, and spent most of the day pulling up weeds by the root. There was no other way to get ride of those invaders without that hard work. Jesus says a parable in Matthew 13:27-28,
“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.”
Weeds in our gardens are one thing. Weeds in our hearts are another. Weeds are the work of the enemies: Satan and sin. Weeds choke our joy in Jesus (Mark 4:18-19) and they must be dealt with or else we may find ourselves in the fire along with them (Matthew 13:13). Weeding should not be an every-few-months activity as it was for our garden. Sanctification is every day. We are commanded in Colossians 3:5, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you“. Weeds need to be dug up and disposed of or they grow up and produce death (James 1:15). We need to be with God every day. With him in prayer, confession, worship, and in reading his Word. We need to be with our fellow weed-pullers as well, to be encouraged that we are not alone. John Owen said it this way, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”
Growth is a Gift
The most comforting parable of Jesus’s garden parables for me is Mark 4:26-29,
“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
1 Corinthians 3:7
I am amazed at what has happened in our garden. From a bare patch of dirt to producing vegetables. Even though it has been revealed what happens under that soil through science and experimentation, it is still a miracle. Within that tiny seed is all the ingredients needed for a delicious summer BBQ. All that is needed is some sunshine and water; and of course a grill-master. And within your heart, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11). God gave you that power to be killing sin and digging up weeds in your life. We must never think that we can manufacture growth in our lives on our own – we need others and we need God’s power. God is for you in this task of becoming more like him. It is a promise,
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)”
Faithful Gardeners
Adam and Eve were placed in a garden to work and tend it together. I feel like I am participating in that original mission when I am in the garden. I am praying for a bountiful harvest. I pray that all of us will find that joy in our work of having dominion over what God has given us. This includes the garden of our heart and mind. The garden does not belong to Esther and I, it is the Lord’s, and I pray that all of us will tend our gardens faithfully. The words of 1 Corinthians 3:7 seem like an appropriate benediction for us,
