In one of his most famous parables, Jesus compared the words of God to seeds sown by a farmer.

In Jesus’s time, farmers didn’t have gigantic farm equipment to plant their seeds. The farmers walked through their fields, scattering seeds by hand.

In his parable, Jesus compared the different kinds of ground where the word of God was scattered.

Jesus compared one kind of ground to good soil. The seeds that fell on this good soil “produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:8).

Jesus explained to his disciples: “[T]he seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23).

What kind of wise people live such blessed, bountiful lives? People who hear and see, understand and perceive, the words of God. (Matthew 13:9,13-16; Isaiah 6:8-10).

Jesus described these wise, blessed people at the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

   for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

   for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

   for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

   for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

   for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

   for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

   (Matthew 5:3-10).

These wise people live such blessed, bountiful lives because they say:

“Hear, O [Humanity]: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 22:37-38).

These wise people live such blessed, bountiful lives because they love their neighbors as themselves—doing for others what they want done for themselves. (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 7:12; 22:35-40).

These wise people live such blessed, bountiful lives because they sincerely pray:

“Our Father in heaven,

   hallowed be your name.

your kingdom come,

   your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

   as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

   but deliver us from evil . . ..”

   (Matthew 6:9-13).

These wise people will live such blessed, bountiful lives that they will fulfill God’s promise spoken through Abraham (centuries before the Law of Moses and the Prophets were given):

“all people on earth will be blessed through [these wise people]” so that those blessed will become as “numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on a seashore.” (Genesis 15:5-6; 22:15-18; Galatians 3:7-9,14,17-18; Romans 4:9-13).

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To learn more about the Parable of the Sower that is the basis for this blog, please read my blogs “Good Soil”, “Hardened Soil Along a Footpath”, “Shallow Soil in Rocky Places”, and “Thorny Soil”; and the chapters “Despite His Family’s Wishes, Jesus Continues His Work”, “Jesus Tells the Parable of the Sower”, and “Jesus Feeds Five Thousand People” in my book Hoping in the LORD (which draws upon all the Gospels), at pages 123-148.

To read more about being blessed with offspring as numerous as the stars, please read my blog “Getting Out of Your ‘Tent’” and the section “Abraham Believed God’s Promises” in my book The Promised Land, at pages 30-34.