Hebrews 12:2 ESV
[2] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
I read a “Sumerian Proverb” that stated:
How can a poor man who doesn’t know how to cultivate Barley manage to cultivate wheat?
And it immediately got me thinking. So, since I know nothing of farming or harvesting wheat or barley, I asked ChatGPT if Barley was harder to cultivate than wheat. This is what it sent me in response:
Barley is very hardy. It can grow in poorer soils, tolerates drought better, and can handle slightly more acidic or alkaline soils. Wheat, on the other hand, is sensitive to soil quality, moisture levels, and temperature extremes (especially some high-yield varieties).
Barley has a shorter growing season (about 90–120 days). This makes it faster to harvest and less exposed to diseases or extreme weather. Whereas wheat has a longer growing season (100–150 days depending on type), so there’s a slightly higher risk of crop failure if conditions aren’t ideal.
Barley is generally more resistant to common cereal diseases and pests. While certain types of wheat are highly susceptible to rusts and other fungal diseases, requiring more careful management.
But the pay out is greater from the Wheat Harvest. See, wheat typically has a higher yield per hectare and a broader market (especially for human consumption). Whereas Barley has a slightly lower yield, but easier to grow under suboptimal conditions and widely used for feed, brewing, and malt.
God created the Barley Harvest to take place before the Wheat Harvest. The Barley Harvest represents the biological descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Israelites. The Jews. The Wheat Harvest represents the Church. The Body of Christ. Believers. The Barley Harvest He made easier than the Wheat Harvest, as the Jews were easier to cultivate than the rest of the world. He chose Abram because he would teach his children and his children would teach their children and so on and so forth throughout the generations. This is the Barley Harvest.
They sacrificed a lamb for Passover and the blood of a bull for the Day of Atonement pushing their sins forward one more year, so that they didn’t have to answer for them in that day. No matter how hard nations tried to strip them of their identity, they never forgot who they were, their God, or the land He promised to them. But the Wheat Harvest took a bit more work.
God had to come to earth as a man, die, and rise back up on the third day to bring in the Wheat Harvest. It was no longer just animal sacrifice. God sacrificed Himself for the sake of the Wheat Harvest. So, that Jew, Gentile, anyone who was willing could come. No longer was it just outward actions, but inward actions. No longer just circumcision of the flesh, but the circumcision of the heart. The condition of the heart mattered. Animal sacrifice wasn’t enough anymore, now the spiritual sacrifice of yourself and your desires is demanded.
All for a greater reward. It was no longer just one nation the LORD was saving, it was now all nations. Any person who is willing to believe can be saved. No longer was it just passed down from generation to generation, but now people who have never heard, who had entirely different gods were being converted and saved. More work, but an even greater reward.
You are that Wheat Harvest. Harder to cultivate but worth every ounce of effort. God will never look at you and think, oh they’re just too much work. Oh, they’re just not worth the effort. No, He takes pleasure in knowing that you will be with Him for all eternity, so He gladly accepts the difficult labor.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be His Joy.