The Field is the World
The field is world-wide; we must not narrow it down
Yes, the field is the world, and the “good seed” is not only “the Word of God,” but it is also “the children of the Kingdom.” And for a double reason. If the good seed of the Word of God is sown and scattered at all, the children of the Kingdom must be the sowers; and if the blessed harvest of souls is ever to be reaped, the children of the Kingdom must sow not only the Word, but themselves, in the soil of society! And so they of whom the world is not worthy, and of whom it contemptuously says that they “bury themselves out of sight among the heathen,” do indeed “bury themselves,” because seed never sprouts until it is buried in the soil! Like their Master, they dread most of all to abide alone, and, like Him, shrink not from Gethsemane and Golgotha, so that, dying, they may no longer abide alone, but dying, live, and, living, bring forth much fruit. And, because there are some who, as God’s good seed, are buried for His sake, this missionary age has its harvest-fields which give both seed for the sower and bread for the eater. The field is the world!* That, only, bounds missionary activity; and who dares remove the ancient landmarks which the Lord Himself hath set up! The field is world-wide; we must not narrow it down within a smaller circumference, nor select any portion of it as the exclusive or favorite spot for our tillage.
* Matt. 13:38.
Arthur T. Pierson, The Divine Enterprise of Missions (New York: Baker & Taylor Co., 1891), 111–112.
