Growing Seeds Mark 4:26-29

This post discusses the meaning of Jesus’ parable about growing seeds.

Growing seeds covers a common experience of farmers, Mark 4:26-29. “And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” This parable does not provide new information for the farmer. He plants, the earth produces the harvest. Then he reaps. The key piece of information given by Jesus— “he knows not how”—provides the reason for the parable. The farmer does not need to know anything about growing seeds. He just plants and then comes the harvest.

However, Jesus says that this growing seeds mimics the kingdom of God.

Growth occurs after the seed, the gospel, is planted. The gospel proclaimer doesn’t need to know everything about how it happens. He must simply preach the gospel.

The Apostle Paul described a similar result happening in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 3:5-6. “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” God gave the growth and received the praise, not men.

Note, Jesus told this parable after earlier parables on the Sower and the light hidden under a bushel. All of this information could help the disciples understand what to expect from their audiences as they proclaimed the word.

Jesus continued to teach about the nature of the kingdom of God by describing the kingdom as a small mustard seed but growing to be large, Mark 4:30-32.

Again, the gospel proclaimer doesn’t need to understand how God gives the growth. He must just teach the gospel.

So, what did we learn?

1.The proclaimer of the gospel doesn’t need to know how God provides the growth of converts and the church.

2.The work of the proclaimer is simply to continue to teach God’s word.

3.Harvest will come later.

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