18 Bible Verses about Sowing And Reaping

Do not be deceived; God will not be fooled. Whatever a person does with his life, he will reap [the results of it]. If he engages in things to satisfy his own sinful desires, he will be [spiritually] destroyed for such conduct, but the one who engages in things to please the Holy Spirit will receive never ending life [as a result].

[People who are] peacemakers sow [seeds of] peace and it produces a crop of righteousness [in the lives of others].

"Listen carefully A farmer went out to plant seed, and it happened, as he sowed [i.e., scattering the seed by hand], some of it fell by the side of the road and birds came and ate it. And some seed fell on rocky ground where there was not much soil, and immediately it sprouted up because the soil was so shallow.read more.
But when the sun came up the newly sprouted plants were scorched, and because they had no roots, [soon] withered away. And other seeds fell among thorns which grew up and choked them so that they yielded no crop. Then other seeds fell into fertile soil, and growing up to maturity, they yielded an ever increasing crop. They produced thirty, sixty and even a hundred times [as much as was planted]."

And He spoke many things to them in parables [i.e., brief stories to illustrate His teaching], saying, "Once a farmer went out [to his field] to plant grain. And some of the seed he sowed [i.e., scattering it by hand] landed along the side of the road and birds came and ate it. And other seed fell on rocky ground where there was not much soil and immediately it sprouted up because the soil was so shallow.read more.
But when the sun came up these tender sprouts were scorched and, since they had such tiny roots, they [quickly] withered away. And other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and [eventually] choked out the tender sprouts. And [still] other seed fell onto fertile soil, where some of it produced a crop of one hundred, some sixty and some thirty times [as much as was planted].

A farmer went out [to his field] to plant grain. And as he sowed [i.e., scattering seeds by hand], some of it landed along side of the road; it was stepped on by people and [eventually] birds of the sky came and ate it. And other [seed] fell on rocky ground and as soon as it started to grow, it [quickly] withered away, because it had no moisture. And other [seed] fell among thorns, which grew up with it and [eventually] choked out [the tender sprouts].read more.
And [still] other [seed] fell into fertile soil; it grew and produced a crop of one hundred times [as much as was planted]. As He said these things, He called out, "The person who has ears to hear with ought to listen [to this] carefully."

"Listen then to this parable of the farmer [who sowed seed]. When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one [i.e., the devil] comes to him and grabs away what had been sown in his heart. This is the person who was scattered to the side of the road. And the person who was sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the message and immediately welcomes it joyfully,read more.
but since he has such a shallow root, he lasts for [only] a short while. Then when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, immediately he falls away [from God]. And the person who was sown among the thorns is the one who hears the message, but the anxieties of the world [i.e., of life] and the deceptiveness of [material] riches choke the message and he becomes unproductive. But the person who was sown on the fertile soil is the one who hears the message and understands it. Truly, he produces a crop that yields one hundred, sixty or thirty times [as much as was planted]."

A farmer planted 'the word' [i.e., the message of God]. Some of the seed that fell along the roadside represents where 'the word' was sown [i.e., preached]. When these people have heard, immediately Satan comes and takes away 'the word' which had been sown in them. And in the same way, some [of the seed] that was sown on rocky soil represented those who heard 'the word' and immediately accepted it gladly,read more.
but [since] they had such shallow roots, they continued on for [only] a little while. Then, when trouble and persecution arose over [obeying] 'the word,' immediately they stumbled [i.e., and fell away from God]. And other seeds represent those who are sown among thorns. These are people who heard 'the word,' but worry [over things] of the world, and the deceitfulness of material wealth, and the evil desires for other things entered their hearts and choked [the effectiveness of] 'the word,' so that it did not yield a crop [in their lives]. Then there were those who were sown on fertile soil. These represent people who heard 'the word,' accepted it and yielded a crop of thirty, sixty and even a hundred times [as much as was planted]."

Now [the meaning of] the parable is this: The seed represents the word of God. And those people [represented by the seed falling] along side of the road are those who have heard the word [of God], but the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they do not believe it and receive salvation. And those people [represented by the seed falling] on rocky ground are those who, upon hearing the word [of God], accept it gladly, but since they have no root [system], they believe it for [only] awhile, and [then] in times of trial fall away [from God].read more.
And those people [represented by the seed] that fell among thorns are the ones who have heard [the word], and as they go about their business, they become choked by worry, by money and by worldly pleasures, and produce no mature crop. And those people [represented by seed falling] in the fertile soil are those who possess a good and honest heart when they hear the word [of God]. They hold on to it and patiently [continue until they] produce a crop.

[Then] Jesus told them another parable, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is similar to a person who sowed seed in his field, but while his workers were asleep his enemy came and scattered weed seeds throughout his wheat field and then left. But when the [green] shoots sprouted up and produced grain, weeds appeared also.read more.
The farmer's hired hands came and asked him, 'Did you not plant [only] good seed in your field? Where did the weeds come from [then]?' And he said to them, 'An enemy [of mine] has done this [to me].' The hired hands replied, 'Do you want us then to go and gather up the weeds?' But the farmer said, 'No, for while you are gathering up the weeds, you might root up [some of] the wheat with them. Let both of them grow together until it is time for the harvest; then at that time, I will tell the harvesters, "Gather up the weeds first, and bind them up into bundles to burn. But gather the wheat into my barn."'"

And Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is like a farmer who scattered seed on the ground, then went to bed and got up the next day to find that the seed had sprouted and grown, yet he did not know how it happened. The soil yields its crop, first the green sprout, then the ears of grain, and then the kernels in the ears.read more.
But when the grain ripens the farmer wields his sickle because harvest time has come."

And we should not become tired of doing good things, for eventually we will receive [never ending life] if we do not give up.

Are you not [always] saying, 'There are still four months before harvest time comes'? Look, I am telling you [disciples], lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white and ripe for harvest [i.e., people are ready to make a spiritual response]. Already the person who is harvesting [the crop] is being paid for his work, and is gathering a crop for never ending life, so that the one planting and the one harvesting [the crop] may rejoice together. So, the saying is true that one person plants and another harvests [the crop].read more.
I sent you [disciples] to harvest [a crop] that you did not work on; other people have done the work and you have reaped the results of their work." [Note: This is probably an allusion to the preliminary work of preaching done by John, the Immerser, with results occurring under the preaching of the apostles].

And I want you to be aware, brothers, of how frequently I [had] planned to visit you (but was prevented from doing so until now). I wanted to come in order to bear some fruit [i.e., make additional converts] among you, just as I have done among the other Gentiles [i.e., unconverted people].

After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? They are [only] servants through whom you believed [in Christ], with each one doing what the Lord gave him to do. I [Paul] planted [i.e., preached God's word], Apollos watered [it], but God made it grow. So then, it does not matter who plants or who waters, but [it is] God who matters, for He makes the seed grow.read more.
Now the person who plants and the person who waters have the same [purpose], and each one will receive his own wages, according to the work each one does. For we are all fellow-workers in God's service; you people are God's farm land; [you are] God's building.

For it is written in the law of Moses [Deut. 25:4], "You should not put a muzzle on an ox while it tramples over the grain." Is it the oxen that God is concerned about? Or, is He not really saying this for our sakes? Yes, it was written for us because the farmer ought to plow in hope [of planting a crop], and the harvester ought to thresh grain in hope of reaping a crop. If we have planted spiritual seeds [i.e., the Gospel message] among you, is it too much to expect to reap a material harvest from you?

Then another angel [i.e., the fourth] came out of the Temple, calling out with a loud voice to Him who was sitting on the cloud, "Use your sharp sickle to reap [a harvest] because it is harvest time, and the crop of the earth is ripe." And He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle onto the earth, and its crop was harvested. Then another angel [i.e., the fifth] came out of the Temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.read more.
Then another angel [i.e., the sixth] came out of the Altar. He had authority over [its] fire and he called out in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle [i.e., the fifth angel] saying, "Use your sharp sickle to gather the clusters from the vines of the earth, for its grapes are ripe." So, the angel swung his sickle to earth and gathered the [grapes from the] vines of the earth and threw them into the huge winepress of God's anger.

But someone will ask, "How are dead people raised up?" and "What kind of a body will they have?" You foolish person. The seed you plant does not come to life [i.e., grow] unless it dies. And what you yourself sow is not the plant that will [eventually] come up, but simply a seed. It may be a grain of wheat or something else.read more.
But God gives it the [kind of] body He wants [it to have], so each seed gets its own plant. All flesh is not the same [Note: The word "flesh" here refers to the material composition of matter, and in no way suggests anything sinful, as it does in many other places in Paul's writings]. But mankind has one [kind of] flesh; animals have another kind; birds have another; and fish [still] another. Also, there are heavenly bodies [i.e., stars and planets] and earthly bodies [i.e., men and animals]. But the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one [kind], and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another [kind]. The sun has one [kind] of splendor, and the moon has another [kind], and the stars [still] another. For [even] one star's splendor is different from another's. It is the same way with the resurrection of dead people. [A person's body] is buried [only] to decay; it is raised up never to decay again. It is buried in dishonor; it is raised up in splendor. It is buried in weakness; it is raised up in power. It is buried as a physical body; it is raised up as a spiritual body. If there is [such a thing as] a physical body, [then] there is also a spiritual body.

But [remember] this: The person who plants only a few seeds will harvest a meager crop. And the one who plants many seeds [Note: The Greek says, "plants with blessings"] will harvest a bumper crop. Each person should give what he has decided to in his heart, not grudgingly, nor out of a feeling that he has to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with abundant gifts, so that you will always have plenty of everything, and that you will also have plenty for doing every good deed.read more.
As it is written [Psa. 112:9], "He has distributed [gifts] widely; he has given to poor people; his generosity will last forever." Now God, who provides seeds to the planter and bread for food, will [also] supply and [even] multiply your seeds for planting, and will increase the harvest of your generosity. You will be made rich in everything so you can be generous in every way. This will result in people thanking God [for what you have done] through us.