The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - The Problem with Seedless Grapes: Pro-Life Messages in Scripture

Episode Date: January 24, 2020

Today is the March for Life and Jeff is focusing on the beauty and power humans have to bring forth life! Instead of resisting our God-given ability to have children, let’s celebrate this gift and take seriously our duty to plant a seed of faith in the next generation. Get Jeff’s Shownotes by texting “jeffcavins” to 33-777 or email us at: [e-mail]

You're listening to the Jeff Kaven Show episode 150, The Problem with Seedless Grapes. Hey, I'm Jeff Kavans. How do you simplify your life? How do you study the Bible? All the way from motorcycle trips to raising kids, we're going to talk about the faith and life in general. It's the Jeff Kaven Show. Hey, welcome to the show. I'm coming to you literally. on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee from a small town called Magdala. In fact, we're getting ready to have Mass. We're on pilgrimage in the Holy Land still,

and we're getting ready to have Mass right on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. McDala is the home of Mary Magdalene, and it is absolutely spectacular, the view. We are at a church that is recent, I mean, recently built. and it's on the archaeological site of an ancient synagogue on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee. I don't think there's really much of a doubt that Jesus came through this town, and here we are. We're celebrating Mass. We've got a great group. This is the second pilgrimage this January of leading people into the Holy Land, and I never get tired of it.

This is my 57th pilgrimage in the Holy Land, and I just can't get enough of it. I get my, as I said last week, my battery's recharged every single week. You know, as we're traveling through Galilee today, I am so reminded of the fruitfulness of this land. It is so fruitful. There's papaya, there's bananas, there's grapes, there's everything that you can imagine. And it's just a really a beautiful place, a beautiful place to be. And I'm glad I can be with you during this pilgrimage and spend a little time with you. and this is kind of a historic time in our country's history.

It was just two days ago, from the time at least of this broadcast, two days ago, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and of course that was a sad, sad day in American history where suddenly it's okay to reach into the womb of a mother and kill a child, and that is hideous. It's evil and just outright darkness. And so I think it's very fitting that I would talk about the problem with seedless grapes in our culture. And you can kind of attach this to the whole issue of abortion, birth control, and life in the culture that we're living in, which is basically living for pleasure and doesn't particularly want any responsibility,

doesn't even want to take the risk of having responsibility, having children and a family. could get in the way of a lot of things, you know. So we're going to talk a little bit about that, both the physical aspect of it, but also the spiritual aspect of the problem with seedless grapes as modern-day Christians, activated disciples, go our whole life and never reproduce as disciples, basically, seedless grapes. Wasn't that long ago, really, that the engineers found out a way to make seedless grapes, and, you know, it was so interesting. a number of weeks ago. My wife and I were out to eat, and they served grapes. And I bit into the

grapes and suddenly, wham, I hit the seeds. I wasn't expecting that, you know, and it wasn't just one seed or two seeds or three or four seeds or at least five seeds in this grape. And I seemed like I spent about the same amount of time taking the seeds out as I did enjoying the the meat of the grape. And it really got me thinking. And it was just earlier today, we were on Mount Carmel, and that's the place in First Kings 18 and 19, where Elijah takes on the 450 prophets of Bale. We were having lunch there, and I got some fish. And no kidding, just today, I took a, I took a lemon and started to try to squeeze that lemon out on the fish. And I must have had nine seeds pop out of that lemon and got all over my plate. And of course,

I was highly inconvenienced. I was trying to enjoy the fish, and I got a bunch of these seeds, and it further confirmed what I wanted to share with you a little bit of today about the problem with seedless grapes in our culture. You know, I have run into so many people where you ask them, you know, tell me about your family, and you're finding that there's a lot of people who are choosing simply not to have children or they look upon families that have four or five children, and they kind of have an attitude. Maybe you know what I mean, an attitude of, well, you think that's responsible, and you think that that's the right thing to do. And there's something that's overshadowing our culture that kind of pooh-pooes or looks down on

fruitfulness in families. And I think that that is a real problem, particularly in light of the fact that clear back at the beginning of the Bible in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 29, the very first command, actually, in scripture, they call it in Hebrew, Poo-Uru-R-R-Vu, be fruitful and multiply. And it says, clear back in Genesis 1-29, God said, Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed, which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit, you shall have for the... them for food. And so clear back at the beginning of the Bible, we see that there's almost this automatic built-in reproduction system in trees and shrubs and fruit and animals, and yes, human beings.

And we reproduce according to our kind. And our sons and daughters are created in our image and likeness. This, if you really think about it, is an absolutely beautiful thing, isn't it? It's just a beautiful thing to think that the love between a husband and wife can produce someone created in the image and likeness of God. And inside of the woman are seeds, like the plants and the trees and the animals mentioned in the sixth day of creation. Inside of a woman are these precious seeds. And also inside of the man is seed, right? And in love and the the marital embrace, something very, very powerful takes place, a human being. But it's interesting that as time goes on, the more and more we see that there is an effort

to stop the reproduction of this seed. We want life without the seed. We want life without the responsibility. We want life without a 20, 30, 40-year commitment to other people. and we see it as kind of a burden in our lives. And I don't think that that is the spirit that the Lord intended here when we talk about life. And so we have vasectomies, we have birth control, and then the most hideous of all is abortion, that even if that seed were to be fruitful, we will take care of that, that human being.

And this is what so many people were marching really against and for life on Washington. And I commend them. And I think that this is something that we need to keep doing and keep this message before the public. And so I got to thinking about some of the scriptures about seed. And I want to read some of these to you in light of this, because we are a people of life. And I'm really dedicating this show to the March for Life in Washington and hopefully the overturning of Roe v. Wade and introducing into our culture really an attitude of appreciation for the seed.

And, you know, you go to the store. My wife and I have been to, you know, go to the store all the time. But in the produce section, you have great big signs seedless grapes. seedless grapes. And that's basically what people are buying now, and they figured out ways of growing these without the problem of, quote-unquote, you know, the problem of the seed. In 1 Peter chapter 1 in verse 23, it says, you have been born anew, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and abiding word of God. And so we see in scripture both the natural fruitfulness of seed in the love between a man,

in a woman, husband and wife, but we also see a spiritual dimension in that we have been born again of a seed. And we have to ask ourselves if the people that, if our parents, for example, or the people who have had an influence on your life have the same attitude about spiritual things as they do the physical, which is, I don't want seeds in my grape, I don't want seeds in my lemons, I don't want seeds and, you know, you name it. If we had the same attitude spiritually, we simply wouldn't reproduce. In fact, that could be part of the problem. I think sometimes, I think that modern Christians want a faith without any seeds. No responsibility to reproduce. No responsibility to tell anybody about Jesus. No responsibility to go deep into the Word of God and share this with

our family, our neighbors, the people at work, our friends. And so, in a sense, we have a seedless Christianity. I want to enjoy church. I want to enjoy my faith. I want to read. I want to listen to CDs. I want to watch TV. But I'm not going to reproduce. I want a seedless Christianity. And I think that this is one of the biggest problems that we face, to be honest with you, going forward. It was in Matthew chapter 13 that a parable is told by Jesus in verses 31 and 32, another parable he put before them saying, the kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its

branches. And so once again, we have, you know, this word from the Lord that speaks about the fruitfulness of seeds. And as a result of this mustard seed, which, by the way, I don't know if you've ever seen one, you can always Google it, it is incredibly small, a very, very small seed. But it's out of that seed that so much is provided. There's so much fruitfulness, not only fruitfulness, but shelter and protection, all from this teeny, tiny seed. And that's the way it is with human beings, too, that the small seed that is within a woman and within a man can create someone who literally can change the course of the earth. It is absolutely incredible, yet we devalue it in our culture. John chapter 12 and verse 23, and by the way, I'll put these scriptures in the show notes as always.

And if you're not getting the show notes, all you've got to do is text my name, full Jeff Kavins, no spaces in there, Jeff Kavans, and text it to the number 3-3-777. Just remember 3-777, and we will put you on that list to get the show notes going forward. John 23 in verse 23, Jesus answered them, The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth, and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. That is very, very powerful.

It talks about a seed, and if the seed dies, it's going to bear fruit. Much like our lives, when we die to our sins, we die with Christ and rise to new life as evidenced in baptism. there is fruitfulness in our lives. Fruitfulness. It says in 2 Corinthians 9.6, Paul says, the point is this, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. You see, you and I were created to be like God. Divinization, we were created to be fruitful and multiply and not be afraid of seed. And if we sowed sparingly, guess what? You're going to reap sparingly. And I think that has to do both physically, but also spiritually. But if you will sow bountifully, you will also reap bountifully. Now, you might

say, but yes, but there's all kinds of, there's all kinds of responsibility and everything with, you know, having children and seeing this seed to fruition. Yes, there is. But that's what life is about. That is what life is about. Life is not about things. Life is about people. Life is about those who are created in the image and likeness of God who are going to live forever and ever and ever. The best thing that you can do in life is invest in people. The best thing that you can do in life is to pray for and to live for that which is created in the image and likeness of God. but I'm afraid we are really promoting a society that wants seedless grapes, yes, but also a seedless Christianity. And that is, I think, in the long run, deadly and is going to leave us with no future,

no future at all. And that's one of the reasons that I have so dedicated my life, and Emily has dedicated her life to teaching the Word of God, this seed, and in helping people to understand salvation history and encouraging mothers and fathers to plant that seed in their children. A seedless Christianity is a lifeless Christianity. A seedless Christianity is a Christianity that our children will not embrace and they will not continue with it. And the greatest seed that we can plant is the Word of God. Hey, I'm going to take a break when to come back. I want to talk a little bit more about this seed and share something with you that Jesus taught about this seed and what will happen if we plant it. And what are some of the obstacles that we

face both naturally and supernaturally when it comes to planting seed? I'm Jeff Kavens and this is the Jeff Kaven Show. We'll be right back. If you're looking for a way to learn more about your Catholic faith, I invite you to check out the Ascension Presents YouTube channel. You're going to find tons of free videos featuring Catholic presenters like Matt Frad, Leadero, Jackie Bobby Angel, and Emily Wilson. Go to YouTube.com slash Ascension Presents. That's YouTube.com slash Ascension Presents. And if you like what you see, please share and subscribe. Hey, welcome back. I literally am on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee right now. Little town called McDala. And we're getting ready to have Mass. And I just wanted to take a moment and

talk to you about this message of seedless grapes. Yes, we love grapes. Yes, we're surprised when we hit a seed. But you know what? When young couples get married, oftentimes, yes, they're surprised that they're pregnant. But that is going to mean blessing. And there's going to be a great reward and a great responsibility given to them due to the fact that we have been created in the image and likeness of God. You know, Jesus talks about a parable. There's a parable in Matthew 13, starting in verse 1. It's the parable of the sower, you know, the sower and the seed. And then chapter 13, starting in verse 18, he kind of gives a little bit of an explanation as to the problems with dealing with the seed, right? And I remember back in high school,

I was a running back. And I was very fast as a high schooler, naturally. I mean, it wasn't anything I really worked at. I can't take credit for that. I guess it's the genes and the family. But I was a running back and almost half of the plays or three quarters of the plays, I'm the one that ended up with the ball. And when I got the ball, wouldn't you know it, the defense wanted to absolutely drive me into the ground. Now, I could have gone over to the coach and said, you know, every time I get the ball on, I'm tired of this. Give it to somebody else. Every time you give it to me, it's like there's an attack on me. And you know what? That's what happens when you have the ball. That's also what happens when you have the seed. The seed of reproduction, the seed of the word of God.

Oh, yeah, you're going to get opposition. But we have to know that. And we have to go on the offensive. We have to walk with responsibility with that seed. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 13 and starting with verse 1. That same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea, and great crowds gathered about him so that he got into a boat and sat there. And the whole crowd stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables, saying, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil, and brought forth grains, some a hundredfold, some 60, and some 30. He who has ears, let them hear. And then we move forward to verse 19, and it starts off with kind of an explanation of the seed and the problem with sowing the seed.

And here's what I would ask you to do, to think with me as I read this about the two aspects of seed, the physical, natural, reproduction, but also the spiritual, the kingdom, the word of God. It starts off and says, hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. I'll pause there for a moment in verse 19. And what we see there is, if we look at this from a natural perspective, those who don't understand the power and the purpose and the plan of

reproduction. They don't understand it. And the enemy can snatch away the seed, vasectomy, birth control, abortion. Right? They don't understand it. And that's why one of the reasons we need to understand it and to teach people the beauty, the power, the plan of the seed that God has given us. In verse 20, he goes on and says, as for what was sown on rocky ground, this, well, let me go back for a second. And just let me pause there for a second. Verse 19, I explain the natural aspect if you don't understand. But if you don't understand the power of the Word of God, Scripture, then you're not going to be about sowing it into other people's lives.

And I think that's one of the problems we have is that people don't understand the power of the Word of God, that it is a seed, and therefore they don't learn it, and they don't pass it on to other people. but what you sow is what you reap, huh? Verse 20, as for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word,

immediately he falls away. I think this could be similar to, you know, for example, having children and not having any root, in ourselves. We endure for a while. We're excited. We receive it with joy. New child, cigar, you know, telling everybody. But with no root, persecution arises, troubles arise, and we fall away from guarding that which has been entrusted to us, our children. And I think it's true spiritually as well. You know, persecution arises. We have questions. People have all kinds of of questions about the church and so forth, and what do we do? We fall away. And then verse 22,

as for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. Wow, this hits it square on, doesn't it? Doesn't it hit it square on? Is that we get all caught up in the delight in riches and the cares of this world. And we say, you know what, I can't have it. any children. I can't have more children. And I want to buy this. We want to get that. We want to retire early. You know all of the reasons that people give for not having children. But I'll tell you what, when you're in heaven, you're not taking the cabin with you. When you're in heaven, you're not taking the car with you. You're not taking your 401k with you. But as in the words of one of the

ladies on our pilgrimage said to me one time, my goal is, I want to dance with my children in heaven. My friends, that's the reward. That's the beauty. That's the plant. That's the power of the seed. That is really, really powerful. And it's also true, spiritually speaking, with the Word of God, is that God has given us the Word, but we're so caught up in the riches of this world and the cares of this world that we don't give ourselves time to go deep into the Word of God, much less share these seeds like Johnny Appleseed, you know, scattering the seed all around us. Verse 23, as for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it. Oh, that's beautiful, isn't it? Naturally speaking, you understand what life is about. You understand

the theology of the body. You understand the fruitfulness of the marital act. And he, in deeds, bears fruit. When we talk about bearing fruit, we're not just talking about having children. We're talking about contributing and also cooperating, that's the word I'm looking for, cooperating with God in this world, in bringing forth life and celebrating life. And that person yields much fruit. In one case, 100 fold, and another 60, and another 30. That's beautiful. And it's true as well when we sow the Word of God. You know how many times I've heard people say, yes, I've been a part of the Great Adventure Bible study, and I shared that seed with our children, and our children shared it with their friends, and wouldn't you know it? Someone's in seminary today.

Somebody's marrying, and they're experiencing a fruitful marriage. marriage. You see, the seed of the Word of God multiplies in so many ways in so many dimensions. It's just incredible. And so I wanted to take this time today to share with you on the two days after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and with the March for Life in Washington. And also, by the way, many places around the country, I just wanted to share with you, I don't see a problem with seeds in grapes. Because every time now that I run into one of those seeds and my grapes, I'm reminded of fruitfulness and responsibility. I'm reminded of the beauty of reproduction and coming to the Lord in prayer when I face obstacles in my life. But in the end, I want to say that I live more

like Christ, fruitful. In the end, I want to do what God called us to do. Clear on back in Genesis, Poo-U-Ravu in Hebrew. Be fruitful and multiply. Be fruitful and multiply. So do me a favor. For the next week, anytime you run into a seed and what you're eating, just take a moment and say, thank God for the potential in this seed. Thank God. Thank God. for the potential in what I'm looking at. I almost kept those seeds from the lemon today, and just as a little reminder, but I think I might do that next time I run into a lemon with eight, nine seeds in it, because each one of them has the power to make so many more lemon trees.

There's a saying in Israel that if you save one life, you save the world. if you save one life, you save the world. Why? Because of the potential of the seed. Yes, our society has a problem with seedless grapes, but we're different. We're different. Let's always speak positively about the power to have children and always celebrate with our brothers and sisters. And let's pray. Let's pray for all of those who don't understand this beauty and this, this potential, that their eyes would be open. Let me shift gears for just a moment. As long as I'm in Israel, let me remind you coming up this June,

Father Mike Schmitz and I will be back here for a tremendous pilgrimage to the Holy Land. And you can find out all the information on my website, jeffcavins.com. And we have Andrew and Sarah Swofford from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, along with amazing singers like Taylor Tripodi and Ali Ali Aliah and Brother Isaiah. In fact, we're going to have a concert just about a mile from where I'm at right now on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee, and we're going to have a tremendous concert in Jerusalem. That's coming up in June. It's going to be a pilgrimage like none other, and we're calling it 2020 Vision.

We're running out of time for people to sign up. I hope you do. Maybe you want to give a gift to your young adults. to anybody right now. We're going to fill this up, and we're really excited about it. Let me pray with you as we conclude this 150 the show on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord, I thank you today for giving us life. Oh, Lord, thank you for giving us life, and thank you for giving us your word. May we as stewards and activated disciples, may we step up to the plate with a renewed sense of

responsibility, a renewed sense of value, and a renewed sense of mission in sharing with people not only the news about the beauty of marriage and reproduction, but also the power of your word to make spiritual disciples. Thank you for this, Lord, and thank you for the opportunity to follow you and to be a part of sharing in your divine life in your family. the church. We thank you for this. Mary Magdalene, pray for us today in Jesus' name. Amen. The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, I love you. I'm praying for you on this pilgrimage. And please continue to pray for Emily and myself as we are literally walking the northern shores. God bless you.

Thank you.