One day a farmer on leaving for a long trip called his son and gave to him specific instructions. He told him; while I am gone I want you to reap the harvest and plant fresh seeds for the next harvest.
The son being an obedient lad reaped the harvest and planted the seeds.
As the farmer was returning to the farm, he noticed that the land was filled with weeds. In between the weeds he saw evidence of the crop. He was furious he could not believe that his son had allowed the weeds to take over the land. He hurried home to his son.
On arriving home and calling his son to report, he asked him
"Son did you do every thing that I asked you to do?”
“Yes dad,” the son replied, “The crop is in the field and the harvest is in the barn.”
The father was shocked "The harvest is still in the barn! You did not sell the produce. The crop is in the field, a field that is overgrown with weeds?"
“Yes dad,” said the lad “You told me to harvest the crop not to sell it and to plant the seeds not to tend it. I did what you told me to do.”
With that the father turned away from his son with tears in his eyes. The produce in the barn had long since rotted and the crop in the field could not now be saved.