“The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops” (2 Timothy 2:6).
We’ve already seen two vocational metaphors that illustrate the qualities of a God-honoring life here in 2 Timothy chapter two. The first involved a soldier who, in order to please his commanding officer, refuses to become entangled in the affairs of civilian life. In this analogy, God’s people represent the soldiers, and Jesus represents the commanding officer. Just as a good soldier remains focused upon his or her mission objective, Christians are responsible to do so as well.
The next illustration came from the field of athletic competition: “Follow the Lord’s rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize” (2 Timothy 2:5 TLB). This was more than just a general observation- it represented a genuine concern for Paul the Apostle…
“So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27 NLT).
The final illustration in this trilogy is that of a farmer here in 2 Timothy 2:6. Much like a farmer who labors throughout the summer to produce a harvest in the fall, 2 Timothy 2:6 tells us that a Godly man or woman labors now for future rewards later. To grasp the significance of this analogy, it helps to know something about the first-century agricultural process.
A New Testament-era farmer first began by clearing an area of stones and other debris. Following this, a farmer made use of an ox (1) pulling a crude plow to prepare the field for planting. After the crop was harvested, it was taken to a threshing floor where livestock repeatedly walked over the harvested grain until their hooves separated the kernels from their surrounding husks.
When that process was complete, the grain was “winnowed.” This involved the act of tossing the grain into the air so the breeze could take away the remaining chaff while the heavier grain fell to the ground. Finally, the grain was sifted to remove any remaining foreign matter and stored for later use.
There was nothing glamorous about these painstaking efforts but the farmer was rewarded in autumn for his hard work throughout the spring and summer. Thus, this passage reminds us of a fitting metaphor for life and ministry from the Old Testament book of Proverbs: “If you won’t plow in the cold, you won’t eat at the harvest” (Proverbs 20:4 TLB).
(1) If one was available. Otherwise the farmer had to pull a weighted plow himself.