the miracle of a hundredfold
"But some fell on good soil, grew up, and yielded grain a hundredfold." —Luke 8:8
The Lord promises we can receive His word to bear fruit a hundredfold. This is like saying $1,000 will turn into $100,000, which is an astronomical increase. Most Christians believe God's word will help, bless, teach, and even heal them, but few expect the hundredfold harvest.
If we took seriously the Lord's promise of a hundredfold, we would:
- tremble in prayer as we open the Bible,
- kiss the Bible before opening it,
- insist our pastors preach much longer,
- never miss our daily Bible reading,
- go to Mass more often than Sunday,
- daily read the Bible with our children and spouse, and
- encourage our children to seriously consider a lifetime ministry of preaching or teaching God's word.
When we expect the hundredfold harvest of the word, our entire lives are transformed. We receive the word not as the word of man but of God (1 Thes 2:13), "humbly welcome" it (Jas 1:21), and "act on this word" (Jas 1:22).
Prayer: Lord, may Your word burn in my heart (Lk 24:32).
Promise: "Just as we resemble the man from earth, so shall we bear the likeness of the Man from heaven." —1 Cor 15:49
Praise: The Korean Martyrs, some only catechumens, give witness throughout the ages to the "immeasurable scope of [God's] power in us who believe" (Eph 1:19).
Reference: (Bear fruit a hundredfold by having a ministry of the Word. For encouragement, order our tapes on the Bible Teachers Series. Our six-tape audio series starts with AV 117-1. Our three-part video series starts with V-117.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 25, 2008
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