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 PLANTING THE SEED OF HOPE (MARK 10:28-34)

Jesus gives hope to Peter and the other disciples about their decision to become His disciples. He speaks about His suffering, death and resurrection. 

REFLECTION

Planting the seed of hope is the theme for our reflection.  Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen. Planting a seed is an agricultural practice. Planting in its self is an activity of hope since the farmer has no control over the climatic condition over his farm, he only plants his seeds, prays and hopes that God will grant him favourable weather and a bountiful harvest. 

The main lesson of today’s message is that Jesus expects us to plant our lives like seeds into Him by following Him and becoming His faithful disciples. A careful observation of a seed that enters the soil leads to the fact that the original seed must first die to germinate into a new plant. In other words, a believer must first lose his or her old self to become a new creation in Jesus in order to receive the rewards of eternal life. Following Jesus is a journey of no return to the past and sinful life. To follow Jesus, we must be clear in our minds that we are living everything behind and like seeds allow ourselves to be planted into Christ who is our soil of salvation so that with hope, we shall germinate in the soil of salvation.  It is for this reason Jesus said to Peter to encourage him that “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:29-3). In other words, anyone who will respond to the call of Jesus with faith and hope and leave the world to follow Him will receive rewards that the world can never give him or her. The reward for having faith in Jesus and following him regardless of the persecutions or hardships you will go through in the hands of your superiors, family and enemies is eternal life. 

Jesus goes on to prove what he had told Peter concerning suffering in hope and the reward that comes from God. Jesus uses His own suffering, death and resurrection as the perfect example of planting the seed of hope. “Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles,  who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.” (Mark 10:32-34) This is a great encouragement to all faithful Christians that so long as Jesus went through the most inhumane and difficult situation of betrayal, denial, suffering to the point of death but at the end was resurrected on the third day, so we shall also go through whatever suffering or persecution the enemy may subject us to but we shall germinate like the seed of hope which never remains in the soil.

My dear friend in the Lord, I do not know the kind of suffering and persecution and humiliation you are going through in your marriage, workplace, society and family but today’s reflection is a great encouragement to you as you plant the seed of hope through suffering and persecution. Some people simply will hate you with passion because of the abundant grace God has been bestowed upon your life. Your progress and success is the source of someone’s bitterness. Your upright life in Christ which has made you incorruptible for which you will not take bribes or support evil or corruption is the very reason your enemies will persecute you and seek your downfall but be rest assured that the Lord who has called you is faithful. We are greatly encouraged in Psalm 126: 5-6 that “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” Beloved in the Lord, you are not alone in planting the seed of hope, the Holy Spirit is with you to protect you and see you through to victory. Shalom. 

PRAYER 

“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him. With long life,  I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. ” Amen (Psalms 91:14-16)

Jean-Paul Agidi (Rev)