Messiah in Yom HaBikkurim Chapter 32
Parable #13. Growing Seed (Kingdom of Adonai):
- The Thirteenth Mashal of Messiah
- Seven Observations
- Growth initiated solely by the Ruach Elohim Chayim
- Abundance beyond all that we can ask or think
- Blessings and growth that only come to us by Divine initiative
Today is Day #13:
1. Today is “Day #13” in the forty-nine day Countdown to Shavuot.
2. Today is Thirteen days in the Omer.
Today is thirteen days which are one week and six days in the Omer.
היום שלשה עשר יום, שהם שבוע אחד ושישה ימים בעומר.פ
Haiyom shloshah asar yom, shehaym shavuah echad veshishah yamim ba’omer.
“You shall count for yourselves — from the day after the Shabbat, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving — seven Shabbats, they shall be complete. Until the day after the seventh sabbath you shall count, fifty days.” (Leviticus). “You shall count for yourselves seven weeks, from when the sickle is first put to the standing crop shall you begin counting seven weeks. Then you will observe the Festival of Shavu’ot for Adonai Eloheinu.” (Deuteronomy).
“Blessed are You, Adonai Eloheinu, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to count the Omer.”
ברוך אתה, אדוני אלוהינו, מלך העולם, אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וציוונו על ספירת העומר.פ
“Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, melech ha’olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al sefirat ha’omer.
The Thirteenth Mashal of Messiah:
וַיּאֹמַר מַלְכוּת הָאֱלֹהִים הִיא כְאָדָם מַשְׁלִיךְ זֶרַע בָּאֲדָמָה׃ וְשָׁכַב וְקָם לַיְלָה וָיוֹם וְהַזֶּרַע יִצְמַח וְגָדֵל וְהוּא לֹא יָדָע׃ כִּי הָאָרֶץ מֵאֵלֶיהָ מוֹצִיאָה פִרְיָהּ אֶת־הַדֶּשֶׁא רִאשׂוֹנָה וְאַחֲרָיו אֶת־הַשִּׁבֹּלֶת וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן אֶת־הַחִטָּה הַמְּלֵאָה בַּשִּׁבֹּלֶת׃ וְכַאֲשֶׁר גָּמַל הַפְּרִי יְמַהֵר לִשְׁלֹחַ מַגָּל כִּי בָשַׁל קָצִיר׃
עוד אמר: כך היא מלכות האלוהים, כאיש הזורע זרע באדמה; וישן הוא וקם, לילה ויום, והזרע נובט וגדל והאיש איננו יודע כיצד. מאליה מוציאה האדמה פרי: בראשונה את הקנה, אחריו את השבלת ואחר כך את החטה מלוא השבלת. וכאשר בשל הפרי ימהר האיש לשלח מגל, כי הגיע הקציר. פ
[Markos 4:26] He (the Messiah) said to them:
“The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Seven Observations
Observation #1. Like the soils mashal this parable presents a comprehensive picture of the coming of the kingdom of Adonai (the LORD). There are three phases presented:
1st Sowing,
2nd Growing, and
3rd Harvesting.
Observation #2. In phase one the Sower scatters seed on the ground (THE SOWING).
Observation #3. In phase two the Sower appears but is not active. After planting the seed he leaves it and goes about his duties night and day without anxious thought for the seed. Meanwhile the seed germinates, sprouts, and grows in a way he did not know and cannot explain (THE GROWING).
Observation #4. The soil produces grain that develops to maturity in successive stages:
The soil does this automatically all by itself;
The soil does this without visible cause; and
The soil does this without human agency.
Therefore, this entire mysterious process is a work that is invisibly facilitated by our heavenly Father’s own Spirit.
Observation #5. The Spirit of the Holy One works into the soil His life-bearing Seed (spiritual DNA) that when planted in good soil; that is: soil that allows the plant to root and grow into the breadth (הרוחב), length (האורך), height (הגובה), depth (העומק) of God’s love—which makes it possible for us to grow and grow until the day of our perfection when we shall be sufficiently (mature, perfect) to dwell (forever) in the Presence of God our Father.
מי שאינו אוהב אינו יודע את אלוהים, שכן האלוהים הוא אהבה.פ
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Observation #6. In phase three, we see the Sower’s ultimate objective come to fruition (THE HARVESTING).
Observation #7. When the grain is ripe (in the future) the Sower-Farmer immediately sends forth (lit. sends forth the sickle) the reapers for the harvest has come (lit. stands ready).
Growth initiated solely by the Ruach Elohim Chayim:
The growth that leads to the ultimate eschatological harvest that will be experienced during the one thousand years rule of Messiah, speaks of the coming of the Kingdom of Adonai that arrives solely by the (mysterious) sovereign work of the Spirit of the Living God (Ruach Elohim Chayim). The emphasis here is given to Divine providence. The complexity and greatness of this ‘last day’ abundant growth and fruitfulness of the Grace of Adonai is beyond our ability to comprehend.
Abundance beyond all that we can ask or think:
משום כך כורע אני על ברכי לפני האב אשר קרא שם לכל משפחה בשמים ובארץ; שיתן לכם כח, כפי עושר כבודו, להיתחזק על-ידי רוחו באדם הפנימי שלכם, כדי שישכן המשיח בלבבכם על-ידי האמונה ותיהיו משרשים ומיסדים באהבה; כך תוכלו להבין יחד עם כל הקדושים מה הרוחב והאורך והגובה והעומק, ולדעת את אהבת המשיח הנישגבה מידעת, למען תימלאו בכל מלוא האלוהים. פ
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Mashiach (the Anointed One) may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love (משרשים ומיסדים באהבה), may be able to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of the (risen) Messiah which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Blessings and growth that comes to us only by Divine initiative:
How can the Holy One who is morally perfect, upright, and righteous in all His ways love a defiled and lost humanity?
He loves us (the entire race of Adam) for what He originally made us to be. He loves us because it is in His nature to love us. In His boundless compassion He knows that there is none to save us but Himself. Who else can deliver us from the evil that exists within and without us? Certainly we are incapable of delivering ourselves. Are we not? Therefore, the road to deliverance from a past and present way of sin to a future way of righteousness must be paved by our Father of Mercies (Avi HaRachamim). It is solely by Abba Avinu’s own gracious acts of mercy and compassion that we are delivered from our sin unto His righteousness. The Seed of Life (זרע החיים-God’s own Spirit Indwelling *us) is the Father’s heavenly gift that He gives to us through the Messiah of all of the world. This gift of a new Unfailing Heart is the only means available for us to inherit eternal life.
*Jew and Gentile together.
This Seed of Adonai’s loving Presence must first be planted, take root, and grow in the seedbed of our hearts (spirits). It is the will of Avinu Shebashamayim (our heavenly Father) that we be permanently (supernaturally) changed by Him from the Inside-out; not (naturally) changed from the Outside-in through our rigidly following the mental inventions and traditions of mere men.
At the time appointed the Life of God our Father that at the first was conceived in our hearts will break out into the extremities of our mind, will, emotions, and behavioral life. Then will His invisible Presence—His goodness, righteousness, and truth—that was at the first beyond our ability to see and understand, will be made fully known.
Therefore, the Thirteenth Mashal (Parable) of Messiah is a picture of the supernatural growth that comes only by the Divine Initiative (Grace) of Adonai Avinu (the LORD our Father). This is the work of the Holy Spirit whereby: He personally facilitates all of the growth that is to exist from the time of Messiah’s first proclamation of the Besorah (Gospel) of the Kingdom of Adonai to the ultimate last phase of the harvest: When the Messiah, the Harvester, will return to earth (modern Israel) a second time on Yom Kippur (Jubilee) to establish His messianic kingdom of the Father. Then will the age of the great harvest begin!