So far, in the second chapter of his letter to Timothy, Paul has illustrated his point with three images, that of a son, a soldier, and an athlete. With this week’s passage, he begins a fourth image, that of a farmer.

Take a look at the passage for yourself in 2 Timothy 2:6-7:

Paul’s use of imagery throughout this chapter is very effective, though brief. Most of his illustrations only last for a verse or two, and then he is on to the next idea. However, he packs a lot of punch into each of these perspectives.

The fourth illustration is one many of his readers would have been very familiar with, coming from the world of agriculture. Farmers are hard workers. I am acutely aware of this, since we live in an area that consists of a lot of farmers. Many of the people I know who work at farming do so from very early in the morning and throughout a long day. Whether it is farming for food, or with livestock, farming is difficult labor! And when Paul uses a word that is translated as “hardworking,” the idea conveyed is that there is a heavy weariness that comes from this hard work.

It’s interesting to note that this idea of a farmer, as well as the previous two, the soldier and the athlete, are all three illustrated in 1 Corinthians 9 as well. Paul really likes these ideas.

The farmer, just like the other examples, must endure hardship, and expend much effort. In the case of the farmer, that effort goes into the process long before any fruit or benefit is realized. A farmer must work long and hard preparing and maintaining before harvesting.

The same thing is true for believers. In order to reap a harvest from our efforts of sharing the gospel, we must work long and hard, often without even seeing any results at all. But the illustration gives an expectation: eventually a farmer will reap the crops. And eventually, our efforts for the Kingdom will result in God changing lives.

Paul states that the farmer receives a share of the crops. What does that mean for the believer, whether he is a minister or not? Does it mean that there may be a financial reward? Or is the reward completely spiritual? Is it the satisfaction of seeing God work in the lives of those we know and love? Or is it simply the love of seeing lives changed? Whatever the case may be, that which motivates us to work, to expend effort, to endure hardship, should be the goal.

Paul wraps up this with a brief encouragement to Timothy to consider these illustrations. Consider the solder. Consider the athlete. Consider the farmer. And then consider your own efforts. Don’t give up. Just like all of these take hard work, so does spreading the gospel. So, don’t give up.

And, just in case Timothy misses the point, Paul concludes by stating that God will provide the insight into all of this. When Timothy, or ourselves, for that matter, take the time to meditate on the Word of God, he provides understanding and illumination. Christ himself will give us the insight we need to continue steadfastly, enduring, working for the goal of spreading the gospel around the world.

Question: Of the four illustrations described so far: son, soldier, athlete and farmer, to which one can you relate the best? You can leave a comment by clicking here.