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Have you ever noticed how often Jesus used agricultural imagery in His parables? As He was traveling around Israel and teaching people about the Kingdom of God, He told lots of stories… About farmers sowing seed and bringing in the harvest. About vineyard workers pruning branches and gathering grapes. About ordinary people buying fields and searching for sheep and dealing with weeds and waiting for rain.

But why is agriculture such a common theme in the parables?

Like any good teacher, Jesus designed His lessons especially for His students. Most of the people in that time and place were very familiar with the agricultural lifestyle. They didn’t have grocery stores or fast-food drive-throughs. Instead, they were primarily living off the land—growing crops, raising livestock, catching fish, or trading with those who did. So Jesus used examples from people’s everyday lives to show them what God’s kingdom is like. Most of the time, Jesus was preaching outside, which means it’s likely He was literally pointing to a wheat field or a sheep pen or a grapevine when He told those stories. He turned ordinary, familiar things into tools for teaching the truth.

Within the first few years of the Early Church, the focus of Christianity had moved from the fields to the cities. Paul debated with philosophers in Athens, defended the gospel to government leaders in Caesarea, and preached under house arrest in Rome. So it makes sense that he talked more about athletes and soldiers than farmers and shepherds.

As we share the gospel with those around us, we should also use stories and examples that are easy for people to understand. If you live in a ranching community, people will probably understand what it means that Jesus left 99 sheep behind to find one that was lost. But if you live in a big city, the point of that story might get lost in translation. What illustrations would work best to reach the people in your community?