Mark 4:20 (NKJV) 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
Let us recap just a bit. The power in Word of God, especially the written Word, is that of a seed. Natural seeds contain the DNA that will produce any plant they have been designed to. The Word of God is a “seed catalog” that contains the spiritual DNA to produce everything God desires the church to be. The thing about all seeds is that they were designed to work by being planted in ground. Good seed in bad ground will not produce healthy plants. Bad seed in good ground will do no better. The seed of the Word of God is always good. The only variable is the ground.
As you may recall, there are only two types of ground. There is bad ground which is divided into 3 types so we can study them. Nevertheless, they are all bad. Then there is good ground. In Verse 20 Jesus begins teaching on the good ground. The first thing we notice is that good ground produces fruit.
If you are a Christian, you can be good ground. You may need to look at yourself objectively and deal with some things that have been hindering your ground, but you are, by nature, good ground. You have the potential to bring forth fruit from the Word of God. The devil will try and convince you that you are not capable. He may say you do not have the education. He may say you are not intelligent enough to understand the bible. He may try to overwhelm you with thorns. No matter what the devil may say, if you are born again, you are good ground for the word.
In this verse Jesus seems to indicate that, just as bad ground is divided into 3 categories, so is the good ground. Some good ground produces 30 times, some 60 times some 100 times. (That is what the term fold means here. Not 30,60 or 100 percent but 30,60 or 100 times.) 100 times what?
How much fruit do you get from one apple seed? The truth is there is no real number you can apply. If you cultivate the tree you will get as many apples as a tree is able to produce. We might say 100-fold or all that is possible. However, if the tree is not cultivated well you might get only 60-fold or 30-fold of what is possible. No matter what, you do not get one plant for one seed in most cases. I believe 100-fold is an expression of super abundance in the bible, not so much a number.
To even make the potential more powerful we must remember that those numbers are for as long as the tree is alive. The number of pieces of fruit can vary from year to year depending on how the tree is cultivated. When we think that all the fruit over however many years the tree produces, are a product of one seed, we get an idea of the continual power of a seed. The Bible is full of seeds that will produce as long as they are cultivated. The more seeds we sow the more fruit can be produced. That is the power we hold in our hands when we hold the Bible, the written Word of God.
What is Jesus saying when he says good ground produces at different levels. One view is that there are different callings and because of what God needs from a person he provides different levels of fruitfulness. To me, that is something that is outward. It may seem like some people are more important in the Kingdom of God than others, but that would mean God is a respecter of persons. That is not what the word says (Acts 10:34.) I believe God has different jobs for each of us. Sometimes one job seems far more important than another, but that is just how man sees things. I believe God created all of us for greatness in whatever place we serve.
Why does he say that some will produce 30, some 60 and some 100 times the potential in the seed? I believe the level of production is reflected by our level of dedication and effort, not by some pre-judged level God places on us.
I was called to pastor a relatively small church in a very small town for 30 years. The fact that someone else may have been called to pastor in a large city and have had much greater numbers is irrelevant to what “fold” I produce. I must give myself to the thing God gives to me. If I do, and if I sow and cultivate the Word, I can produce 100-fold. In man’s eyes my 100-fold may seem less than that of the big city pastor. In God’s eyes 100-fold is 100-fold.
If I plant smaller quantities of the Word and choose not to cultivate it as well, I may produce 60-fold or 30-fold. I believe the choice is mine. I do not believe that God gives some people a greater capacity for success than others. I believe we all can be 100-fold producers in the Kingdom.
Let me ask one more question. Is God displeased when we only produce 30-fold. God loves us. He is always going to encourage us as his children. However, the Bible is clear that part of that encouragement can be in the form of correction and even discipline. You are not going to get to heaven and hear God say, “You were only a 30-folder. You don’t get to go to the better part of heaven.”
Nevertheless, the bible is clear that there are rewards. I am quite certain that being in heaven and in the presence of God will be reward enough, but God does say there are other kinds of rewards. I know the most important reward will be to hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” That said, are there some who will not hear it? I do not know but I do know I want to strive for all God has for me.
Some will produce 30-fold, some will produce 60-fold, and some will produce 100-fold. I know God will not bring condemnation upon us no matter what we produce. I do know that I want to be a 100-fold producer. I also know that many times I have not been. Sometimes it seems easier just to settle for 30-fold. There is less risk that way. We are less likely to be disappointed.
Here is the thing. If all we are concerned with is being comfortable and not failing, 30-fold is not bad. I can be a 30-fold success, no problem. However, if I shoot for 60-fold and get 40, I may feel disappointed. I may feel the need to press in more to God. I may need to look at some things in my life and make some changes. I may even have to repent of my sins. That is true but is not 40 more than 30?
You see if I go for 60 and only get 40, I may feel bad. I may feel challenged to do better but I have also been more productive in the Kingdom of God. If I am satisfied with 30, I may feel better about myself, but I have been less productive. We tend to want the “good feelings” more, do we not?
I believe everyone that is born again can be a 100-fold producer in the Kingdom of God. That has nothing to do with the outward methods men use to judge and everything to do with God’s call and our walking in that call to the best of our abilities. If I try to be a 100-fold producer, I will fail. I will risk discouragement and disappointment. However, with each discouragement or disappointment I will get closer to my goal. 40 is more productive than 30 and 70 more than 60. If I never get to 100-fold but consistently make 75-fold, think of how much more I will have done for God in the end. In the process I will have become closer to him, known him better and been more conformed to his likeness.
What does it take to be a 100-fold producer? That is what we will look at next.
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