Marcos 4

Marcos 4

William MacDonald - This parable is found only in Mark. It can be interpreted in at least two ways. The man may picture the Lord Jesus casting seed on the earth during His public ministry, then returning to heaven. The seed begins to grow—mysteriously, imperceptively but invincibly. From a small beginning, a harvest of true believers develops. When the grain ripens … the harvest will be taken to the heavenly garner. Or, the parable may be intended to encourage the disciples. Their responsibility is to sow the seed. They may sleep by night and rise by day, knowing that God’s Word will not return to Him void, but will accomplish what He has intended it to do. By a mysterious and miraculous process, quite apart from man’s strength and skill, the Word works in human hearts, producing fruit for God. Man plants and waters but God gives the increase. The difficulty with this interpretation lies in verse 29. Only God can put forth the sickle at harvest time. But in the parable, the same man who sows the seed puts in the sickle when the grain is ripe. (Believer's Bible Commentary) Adrian Rogers applies the truth of this parable in what he calls "the law of dissemination. The law of dissemination says this: You must sow, if you would reap. There can be no reaping unless you put seed in the ground.Now, in the laws of biology, we know there's no such thing as spontaneous generation. There can be no life without, first of all, sowing to produce that life. God's entire economy, in the physical realm, and in the spiritual realm, is based upon this principle: There can be no reaping unless we first disseminate—unless we first scatter, unless we first sow. As a matter of fact, the Lord Jesus said the entire Kingdom of Heaven is based on the principle of sowing and reaping. You might want to put in your margin, Mark 4:26. Jesus said, "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground" (Mark 4:26). He said this: "The whole Kingdom of Heaven is based on this, as if a man should cast seed into the ground." And so, what is the first law? It's the law of dissemination. What does it say? You can't reap unless you sow. Got it? Got it! Move to the second law of the harvest. (The Law of the Harvest) Inductive Bible Study - Analysis of Mark 4:26-29 by Irving Jensen (Mark - Do it Yourself) SETTING This passage continues Mark’s reporting of selected parables of Jesus. The setting is still that of Mark 4:10, which reports Jesus as alone with “His followers, along with the twelve [who are] asking Him about the parables.” 1. What work does the man do (Mk 4:26, 29)? 2. What does this statement teach about the kingdom: “he himself does not know” (Mk 4:27)? QUESTION - What is the meaning of the Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)? ANSWER - The first thing we notice about this parable is its similarity to the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:2-9. In some ways, this parable expands on Jesus’ teaching of how the “good soil” (a receptive heart) receives the “seed” (the Word of God). In the Parable of the Growing Seed, Jesus tells of a man who scatters seed on the ground and then allows nature to take its course. As the man who sowed the seed goes about his business day by day, the seed begins to have an effect. First, the seed sprouts; then it produces a stalk and leaves, then a head of grain, and, finally, fully developed kernels in the head. Jesus emphasizes that all of this happens without the man’s help. The man who scattered the seed cannot even fully understand how it happens—it is simply the work of nature. “All by itself the soil produces” (verse 28). The parable ends with a harvest. As soon as the grain is ripe, the sickle is employed, and the seed is harvested. This happens at just the right time. Jesus did not explain this parable, as He did some others. Instead, He left it to us to understand its meaning. Taking the seed to be the Word of God, as in Mark 4:14, we can interpret the growth of the plants as the working of God’s Word in individual hearts. The fact that the crop grows without the farmer’s intervention means that God can accomplish His purposes even when we are absent or unaware of what He’s doing. The goal is the ripened grain. At the proper time, the Word will bring forth its fruit, and the Lord of the harvest (Luke 10:2) will be glorified. The truth of this parable is well illustrated in the growth of the early church: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Just like a farmer cannot force a crop to grow, an evangelist cannot force spiritual life or growth on others. To summarize the point of the Parable of the Growing Seed: “The way God uses His Word in the heart of an individual is mysterious and completely independent of human effort.” May we be faithful in “sowing the seed,” praying for a harvest, and leaving the results to the Lord! GotQuestions.org Brian Bell summarizes Mark 4:26-29- We learn 3 other things from this also: (David Hewit, Mark, pg.71) It has Mysterious Growth – Sharing the gospel is never a matter of formulas & techniques. There is always another dimension…the mysterious working of God! It has Gradual Growth – The Sower needs patience. You can’t plant today & pick tomorrow! The seed needs to germinate & grow. James 5:7,8+ Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. When you sow…give it time to grow. Never expect a full crop of Christian graces immediately from them. But, you can water it with your tears & prayers! Ps.126:5 Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. It germinates, sprouts, grows & he did not know how nor could he explain it. Meaning it was w/o human intervention. It’s “Miracle Grow!” [God Grow] It has Certain Growth – The seed’s growth is inherent in the seed. Note by itself in (vs.28). Try to guess the Greek meaning αὐτόµατος. Used 1 other time in NT, in Acts 12:10 when the prison gate opened by itself automatically. When the word of God is faithfully sown it will grow…there will be a harvest! For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. Rom.1:16 “The world has more winnable people than ever before...but it is possible to come out of a ripe field empty-handed.” Alan Carr - There is a sense in which we are like that farmer. We have been called to sow seed. We have not been called to sow wheat seed into a plowed field, but we have been called to sow the Gospel seed into the hearts of other people. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; Rom. 10:13-18) We have been sent into a lost and dying world to tell others about what Jesus has done for us. You may not be a preacher, a missionary or a Pastor; but if you are saved, you have a testimony. You have been saved by the grace of God and you have a story to tell. We should be like the great examples we find in the Bible, a get busy telling others about Jesus, Ill. Paul, 1 Tim. 1:12-15; The Blind man – John 9:25; The woman at the well – John 4:28-30. When we share the Gospel with another person, we have no control over the results. In fact, the results are not our worry. Our duty is to sow the seed; the results are in the hands of the Lord..... ILLUSTRATION - Modern science has made some amazing discoveries in our lifetimes. Scientists can even take a seed apart and analyze its structure and composition. They can also create a seed that is an absolute duplicate to a seed produced in nature. Their seed had the same size, shape and chemical composition. If you placed a seed made in a laboratory beside a seed produced in nature, you would not be able to tell the difference. But, when those seeds are planted, the difference becomes clear. Both seeds can be planted in good soil and both can receive plenty of sunshine and water, the seed produced in nature will germinate and grow. The seed produced in the laboratory will merely rot away. Why? Science has learned how to make a seed, but they have never learned to produce life! Only God can do that! The process involved in the transformation from seed to fruit is a work of God!..... When the Word of God is planted in a human heart, the Spirit of God uses that Word to produce conviction in the heart of the hearer, John 16:7-11. This process can be seen several times in the pages of Scripture. As Jesus talked to the woman of Samaria, she became convicted of her sins, John 4:7-26. She was saved! As Saul of Tarsus listened to Stephen preach the Word of God, and as he watched him die, Saul was convicted of his sinful condition, Acts 7:54-60; 9:1-6. He was saved! As Jesus spoke to a rich young man about his soul, this young man was convicted, Matt. 19:16-22. He remained lost in his sins. This is a secret process, John 3:8. We never know where and how the Spirit of god is working..... ILLUSTRATION - A pastor had served a country church for many years. He had faithfully preached the Word of God and had regularly visited and witnessed in the community. His ministry in that church spanned many years, but there was little fruit and very few conversions. Eventually the old preacher died. He went to his death convinced that his ministry in the little country church had been a failure. A while later the church called a new Pastor. He preached the same Gospel the old preacher had preached, but an amazing thing happened. People began to get saved. In fact, a revival broke out and many of the people in that community came to know the Lord. As they testified about their experiences, the people share on things in common. One new convert after the other testified and said that it was the faithful ministry of the old preacher that God had used to awaken them to their need of a Savior..... Many godly parents have spent their lives praying for and witnessing to their wayward children. Many of them have gone to Heaven without seeing their prayers answered. God, however, touched the seed that had been sowed in those hearts and He had saved multitudes because a mom or a dad dropped the Gospel seed in the heart of a child. Never give up! Never stop telling a lost world about a saving Lord! Never allow this world to silence your witness for Jesus! Keep telling them about Him and trust Him to do His secret work in the hearts and lives of men, women, boys and girls. (ED: MY FATHER PRAYED FOR ME FOR 20 YEARS BEFORE I ACCEPTED CHRIST! I PRAYED FOR MY OPIOID ADDICTED SON FOR 20 YEARS BEFORE HE ACCEPTED CHRIST AND WAS SET FREE FROM THAT HORRIBLE ADDICTION! SO DO NOT GIVE UP PRAYING BELOVED! - SEE My Testimony to the God's Grace) You never know, that barren life that you have been sowing seed into might just spring to life on day! You might go to school, to work, to church and see that person profess their faith in Jesus. You might just get to watch them push away from the earth, grow tall in Jesus and bring forth fruit to the glory of God.... There is a precious promise given to every child of God who faithfully sows the Gospel seed, Gal. 6:9-10; Psa. 126:5-6. Therefore, child of God, keep sowing, keep watering, in the Lord’s time there will be a harvest! ILLUSTRATION - There is power in the seed! Some time ago, archeologists dug into a pyramid tomb in Egypt. In that tomb they found several jars of seeds. These seeds had been buried with the deceased person 3,000 years earlier. Those scientists took the seeds they found and planted them in good soil. They watered the soil and waited patiently. After a time, those ancient seeds germinated and tiny plants pushed their way through the surface of the soil. Those tender plants matured and produced fruit. Isn’t that amazing? When that seed found its way into the right soil, a secret work took place and life came out of death. Such is the power of the Gospel we preach here today! If you have never been saved by the grace of God; if you have never trusted Jesus Christ to be the Savior of your soul, you need to know that the Gospel has the power to transform your life. If the Lord has been speaking to you about your spiritual condition and you know you need to come to Jesus, this would be a good day for you to be saved. That seed will germinate in your heart and the Lord will make your a fruitful plant for His glory. Still others need to get about the business of telling others about Jesus. This would be a good day for you to put aside all your excuses about why you can’t tell others about Jesus. This would be a good day for you to come before Him and make a commitment to be a witness for His glory. Others here are a little discouraged today because you think your prayers and your witness are in vain. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Why don’t you get down before the Lord and talk to Him about your concerns. Ask Him to let you see a few sprouts in your field. If He has spoken to your heart through this message, please let Him have His way in your heart and life.(Full message - Mark 4:26-29 The Parable Of The Growing Seed) ILLUSTRATION OF EFFECT OF SOWING SEED - The difference between building a house and growing a garden. With the house the subtle changes can be seen day by day and often hour by hour. With the garden, noting can be seen, often for long periods of time! (Note: So it is with the Gospel of grace! The witness can but sow the seed and then he must leave the results in the hands of sovereignty! You see, the Gospel has power, Rom. 1:16. God has placed within the Gospel seed everything necessary to being life out of death. And, when that seed is sown into a prepared heart you can rest easy knowing that God will produce His harvest in His time, Isa. 55:11. So, let us spread the Gospel seed around liberally, knowing that when God brings His good seed into contact with a prepared heart, the result will be the salvation of that soul!) (Note: Why doesn’t every witness produce a saved soul? Not all seed falls into good soil, Matt. 13:1-9! All the sower can do is sow the seed, the condition of the soil is not his worry!) (Alan Carr - Mark 4:26-29 Principles Of Kingdom Growth) Chris Benfield - Incapable, yet Faithful Mark 4: 26-29 Our text today once again deals with sowing and harvest. While the sower must put forth sufficient effort in preparing the soil and sowing the seed, he has no control over the harvest. He can faithfully cultivate the ground, keeping the field free of weeds that rob the plants of nutrients and hinder growth, but the Lord is responsible for the harvest. The sower is incapable of causing the seed to germinate in the ground, producing much needed rain at the right times throughout growth, or making the sun to shine on the field. While the sower does all he can, he must depend upon the Lord for a good harvest. Our work in ministry is guided by these same principles. We are called to share our faith, planting the seeds of the Gospel, but we have no control over the harvest. We can be faithful to plant good seed, but the Lord must prepare the hearts of those who hear and cause the seed to germinate and take root in their hearts. He alone is responsible for the harvest. As believers, this can be frustrating at times. We like to share our faith and see immediate results. While this can happen, most of the time it doesn’t. When we are met with immediate success while sharing our faith, very likely someone has already come before us planting the seed, and we have been used to water that which has been planted. We must always remember that the Lord is responsible for the harvest. We are not called or able to save anyone; we are called to present the Gospel. While we have limitations regarding the harvest, we must remain faithful to sow the good seed. Let’s take a few moments to consider the principles of this parable as we think on: Incapable, yet Faithful. I. The Activity in the Harvest (26-27) – In the opening verses we discover Jesus’ description of the activities involved in the growing process, leading up to the harvest. Consider: A. The Sowing (26) – And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground. Again Jesus reminded the hearers of the necessity for seed to be sown if there was to be any hope of a harvest. In order for the farmer to reap a harvest, he had to be committed to sowing good seed. This was foundational for the harvest. Apart from sowing seed, one could never expect to reap a harvest.  We will discuss several aspects of the harvest that are completely out of our control, but this principle will never change – if we ever expect to reap a harvest, we must be willing to sow good seed. This principle is true in the physical realm, as well as within the spiritual realm. A farmer can’t expect a harvest if he never takes the time to plant the seed. Likewise, we can’t expect those apart from Christ to come to Him in salvation if the Gospel is never presented. If we desire a spiritual harvest, we must be willing to sow the Gospel. B. The Waiting (27) – And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. Jesus revealed that following the planting of the seed comes a period of waiting. The farmer has done his part; he has prepared the soil and sowed the seed. Now all he can do is wait for the Lord to provide the harvest. There will be some work along the way to keep the weeds removed, but the farmer has no control over the growth of the plants or the yield of the harvest. Only time will reveal the abundance within the harvest. This is often the hardest aspect of sowing and harvest. Many of us lack patience. We desire immediate results. However, reaping a harvest never happens overnight. We must do our part, faithfully sowing the seed, and wait patiently for the Lord to provide the increase. C. The Hoping (27) – While the farmer waits for the plants t o mature and yield their fruit, he is required to depend on the Lord and hope for a good harvest. The amount of yield is totally out of his control. No doubt he tends the field as the harvest is producing, but he cannot cause the plant to produce her fruit. He must patiently wait, with hopeful anticipation for the harvest. This too is a difficult aspect for many who sow the Gospel seed. We must be careful not to pick green fruit. We have no control over the harvest. We lack the ability to save. As much as we would like to see folks come to saving faith in Christ, the harvest is out of our hands. We must do our part, bathe our efforts in prayer, and trust the sovereign will of God for the harvest. II. The Mystery in the Harvest (27b-28) – As Jesus continued to share the principles related to sowing and harvest, He addressed the great mystery within the harvest. Consider: A. The Germination (27b) – And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. While the farmer was faithful to sow the seed, he could not control whether the seed would germinate and produce a plant or not. He was faithful to sow the seed, and in time the seed germinated and produced a plant. The farmer did not create anything, and he really can’t explain how it happened. He did his part and Lord did the rest. The principles related to sowing and harvest are quite miraculous. One takes a mere seed, places it in the ground, and with the right temperatures and moisture, the seed produces a plant. Sometimes seeds can lay dormant for extended periods of time, but eventually germinate and a plant is produced. The same is true regarding the sowing of the Gospel. As desperately as we would like our efforts to be fruitful, only the Spirit can prepare the heart and cause the seed to germinate, producing life. We don’t understand it, and we can’t explain it! Fortunately we don’t have to; we are not called to produce life, just plant the seed! B. The Growth (28) – For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. The mystery and miracle of sowing and harvest continues. Given the right conditions, eventually the seed will germinate, producing a plant. The plant will be small and tender at first, but eventually it will grow and mature, producing small fruits and vegetables. In time these will mature for the harvest. Again, this is a mystery to the farmer. Remember, all he did was plant the seed. The germination and continued growth of the plant were out of his hands. He planted the seed and God gave the increase.  I enjoy working in my garden and seeing the various phases of growth. I plant the seed, but the Lord provides the increase. As the plants grow, my excitement and anticipation does as well. Looking at this from a spiritual perspective, growth is possible and expected. We can encourage others in the faith, investing in them, but really their growth comes from the Lord. As one yields to the Spirit, He provides the spiritual growth necessary. C. The Gain (28) – For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. As the farmer patiently waits, eventually the harvest is received. What began as a tiny seed placed in the ground, produced a plant that yielded fruit. In time the fruit matured and was ready for harvest. In a good year, most of the fruit reaches maturity, but one never enjoys a 100% maturity rate. Inevitably, some of the fruit will not reach maturity. Again, the farmer has no control over the fruit maturing. That is the work of the Lord alone.  We can do all we can to nurture and equip young believers to be fruitful, but their maturity rests in the Lord. As much as we would like to see every believer develop into mature believers, this is never the reality. Again, this is not our responsibility. The maturity of fruit rests in the Lord. While many may become anxious and try to persuade a conversion, genuine salvation is never obtained until the Lord has prepared the heart and it is ready for harvest. III. The Maturity in the Harvest (29) – But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. Here Jesus described the field becoming mature and the harvest being reaped. Consider: A. The Patience Involved (29) – Jesus revealed the harvest is never reaped until the fruit is brought forth. It would do no good to pick the harvest early. The fruit would not be mature and the yield would not be what it should be. The farmer must wait until the harvest is ready before he decides to reap. We too must wait on the Lord and His timing. Trying to reap a harvest before the fruit is ready will not produce the yield desired. Someone may make a profession of faith, but lack the conviction and understanding for true conversion. Patience is necessary when seeking to reap a harvest. B. The Prudence Involved (29b) – But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. The time of patient anticipation eventually comes to a close. The fruit is mature and ready to harvest. A wise farmer knows he only has a certain amount of time to reap the harvest. Too much delay will result in the fruit becoming to ripe or drying out on the vine. Both situations would ruin the harvest, and the yield produced.  While we need patience to wait upon the Lord until the harvest is ready, we also need wisdom to reap the harvest when the time is right. If you are faithful to sow the Gospel seed, you will eventually encounter mature fruit. There will be occasions when the time is right for the harvest, and we must be committed to sharing our faith. It is impossible for us to know during the initial encounter, but the fields are white, ready to harvest! C. The Providence Involved (29c) – But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. The farmer’s faithfulness and patience eventually paid dividends. The Lord saw fit to bless his efforts and produced a harvest, ready to reap. Remember, all the famer had control over was the planting of the seed. God honored his faithfulness to sow and provided the increase. All glory for the harvest goes to God.  Nothing in this parable promotes or insinuates laziness on the part of the farmer. He was faithful to sow and labor in the field. However, the end result was out of his control. There is a measure of comfort in this parable for those who sow the Gospel seed. While the Lord does expect us to faithfully sow, nowhere does He reveal that we are responsible for the production of fruit. That is an act of His sovereign grace and providence. In His time, and according to His will, the Lord will produce fruit and superintend the harvest. We must ensure we are faithful to engage in the work He is already doing! Conclusion: I hope this parable has challenged and encouraged us to remain faithful to the Lord. We must be willing to sow the Gospel seed and trust Him for the harvest. If you are struggling to sow, seek the Lord’s guidance and help. If He is dealing with you regarding salvation, respond by faith with a repentant heart unto salvation! (Pulpit Pages) Brian Bill -I see two main encouragements in this passage. 1. We can sow but we can’t make the seed grow (Mark 4:26­‐27). One of our tasks as Christ-­‐ followers is to sow the seed of the Word of God: “as if a man should scatter seed on the ground...” That is our responsibility and according to Spurgeon, “Holy seed sowing should be adopted as our highest pursuit.” We must get the seed of God’s Word into the souls of people because if Jesus is to be known, the seed must be sown! After the ground is prepared and cultivated and fertilized, the seed is sown but the sower can’t make the growth happen. He doesn’t dig up the seed to see if germination has taken place. He may water and remove weeds but he doesn’t touch the seed. We can sow but we can’t make the seed sprout. No matter if the farmer is sleeping or doing something else, the growth of the seed is in God’s hands: “and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow...” The farmer goes through his daily routines without exerting any extra energy into the plant to make it sprout. This past weekend some friends from Pontiac surprised us by coming to the second service. We went out for lunch afterwards and had a blast catching up with them. Wes is a farmer and I asked him how his crops were doing. He smiled and said, “I’ve done everything I can do. Now I just wait. It’s all up to God now.” When good seed goes into good soil, good things happen. When the seed takes root, there will be fruit. Friends, we don’t have to understand how things work in order for them to work. I don’t know how this microwave or iPad or Twinkie work, but that doesn’t stop them from working. According to the last phrase in verse 27, things grow but “he himself does not know how.” In Greek, the word order is quite lively: “How, he does not know.” Ecclesiastes 11:5 reminds us that the way God works is not always understandable: “As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything.” That verse, and many others, reminds me that God is growing life in the wombs of mothers all over the world right now...and those lives need to be protected. I celebrate the work of the Pregnancy Resource Centers in the Quad Cities and our family looks forward to joining in on the Walk for Life on September 21st. You can sponsor some walkers out in the lobby after the service. I sometimes hear people say that they don’t share Jesus with people because they think they don’t know enough. Listen: Our part is to sow; God’s part is to make it grow. After establishing the necessity of the new birth, Jesus told Nicodemus that there’s a sense of mystery about the Spirit inJohn 3:7-­‐8: “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” If someone were to ask you to explain exactly how thenew birth works, you’d probably struggle a bit. If anyone does ask you this, tell him or her that once they experience it, then they’ll know what it is. What’s true in an agricultural setting is true in the spiritual world. We can sow but we can’t make the seed grow. The beginning is often insignificant. What we see next is that spiritual progress is often imperceptible. 2. Growth is slow but it will eventually show (Mark 4:28­‐29). In verse 28 we see that something spontaneous happens when the seed is put into the soil: “For the earth yields crops by itself...” The phrase “all by itself” in Greek is where we get the word “automatic.” It’s the idea of being self-­‐acting or without visible cause. The only other time this word is used is inActs 12:10 where we read about the iron gate “which opened to them of its own accord.” We cannot make seed grow; we can’t even explain how it grows. This statement describes the organic growth that explodes underground leading to impressive growth above. Just like the seed germinates out of sight, so too, the seed of the gospel begins to grow before it will show. ILLUSTRATION - Martin Luther was spot on when he said, “After I preach my sermon on Sunday...I return home...and I just let the gospel run its course.” When someone was converted, he would give them two items – a Bible and a hymnal and would say, “Let them loose and like fire they will spread on their own.” ILLUSTRATION - I read recently that a seed that was buried in an Egyptian tomb was found thousands of years later and when it was planted in the ground, it grew! Why? Because there is life in the seed.I love what 1 Peter 1:23 says about the seed of the Word of God: “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” While germination is spontaneous, growth is always gradual. Look at Mark 4:28: “First the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.” Check out this time-­‐lapse presentation of how corn germinates and grows. [Show YouTube Video] Watching that video makes me marvel even more at the miracle of growth. An ancient Jewish prayer goes like this: “Blessed are you, O God, King of the world, who brings forth bread from the earth.” I don’t know much about how corn grows, but here are some “fast facts” about how faith grows. (See Mark 4:21-34 Unstoppable Growth) J D Jones - The Gospel According to St Mark - THIS is not a parable altogether easy of interpretation. In fact, scarcely two of the commentators I have consulted agree as to what is the real heart of the parable. And the difference between them becomes evident by the different titles they give to it. In our English Bible the parable is spoken of as the parable of the “Seed growing secretly,” and in that description of it, apparently, Bishop Chadwick and Archbishop Trench agree. That places the centre of gravity of the parable in verse 27, and makes the sentence “the seed should spring up and grow, he knoweth not how,” the salient and all-important sentence. Dr A. B. Bruce, on the other hand, calls the parable “The Blade, the Ear, the Full Corn,” and he maintains that the chief lesson of the parable is that of the orderly development of the Kingdom of God. Dr Salmond takes yet another point of view, and calls the parable the Parable of the Fruit-bearing Earth, and finds its central lesson in the statement, “The earth beareth fruit of itself;” and apparently Dr Glover agrees with Dr Salmond, for he says that the subject of the parable is the power of growth inherent in things divine. Now, when commentators differ so widely, it is perhaps presumption for an ordinary working minister to express an opinion. Especially, as all the truths which the different commentators maintain to be the central and primary truths are to be found in it. For the secret and mysterious growth of the seed is certainly here; and the orderly growth of the seed is also here; and the fruit-bearing power of the earth is also here. It is only a question, after all, of relative importance. It is only a question which of these various truths which are to be found in the parable is to be regarded as the central and primary one. On that question I side with Dr Salmond and Dr Glover, and believe that the lesson the parable is meant chiefly to emphasise is that there is a power of growth inherent in things Divine, “and that the Kingdom of God working, in quiet and without haste, through the moral forces deposited in human nature and society, is moving on to its assured end, by laws of its own.” The parable is meant to be a parable of encouragement and in that respect is a complement to the Parable of the Sower. The Parable of the Sower, from one point of view, was a discouraging parable. For it spoke of the disappointments and failures that attend upon the work of the man who sows the Gospel seed. It mentions three cases of failure to one case of success. In the case of the way-side hearer and the rocky-ground hearer and the thorn-patch hearer, the seed might just as well not have been sown, for it brought forth no fruit to perfection. Now, I say, that was a discouraging parable, enough almost to frighten any one from work attended with so much disappointment. This parable is meant in a way to counteract any discouraging effect produced by the former parable. For this parable speaks, as Dr Salmond says, of hidden forces beyond our knowledge or control, which secure the growth of the seed; it speaks of secret and prolonged processes, and tells us how seed which we have sown and almost forgotten, may at last issue in the full corn in the ear. This parable is the New Testament counterpart of that great Old Testament promise, “As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isa. 55:10, 11). Now let us turn to the parable itself. “So is the Kingdom of God,” says our Lord, “as if a man should cast seed upon the earth; and should sleep and rise night and day” (ver. 26, 27, R.V.). What is the meaning of this sentence about “sleeping and rising night and day?” Does it signify indolence or carelessness, or indifference to the fate of the seed? Not at all, but rather the consciousness that the farmer had done all he could do, and that he must just leave the rest to Nature’s processes. In connection with the seed and its growth, the farmer has something to do at the beginning, and he has something to do at the end. He has to do the sowing, and when the harvest is ripe he has to do the reaping. But all that lies between the sowing and the reaping is God’s part, and not man’s. No anxiety on the farmer’s part will help the growth of the seed; it depends now on the sunshine and the dew and the rain—things in God’s control, and not in his. There is a limit to what a man can do in the matter of preparing for a harvest. He can prepare the earth, and sow the seed in it. There is practically nothing else that he can do. Having done that, he may sleep and rise night and day, i.e., go about the ordinary duties of life, and pursue his varied avocations, for the future growth of the seed depends not upon him, but upon Nature and Nature’s God. And the Kingdom of God in its growth and development is much like that. There is a strict limit to what man can do. The growth of religion in the soul is not a human work, it is a Divine work. What can a man do? He can sow the seed. He can preach the Word. But having done that he has practically done all that he can do. Nothing that we can do can ensure that the seed shall take root and fructify. Nothing that we can do can ensure the thirty-fold and the sixty-fold and the hundred-fold. We have not the power to give a man a new heart, or to beget within him a new life. In a word, we have not the power to change and convert men. We can sow the seed, and we can take care it is good seed that we sow, but the question of fruitage and harvest we must leave entirely to God. The best and saintliest of men have to leave it there. Paul may plant, Apollos may water, but God giveth the increase. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6). This is a fact to be recognised with humility and thankfulness, says Dr Bruce. With thankfulness, for it relieves the heart of the too heavy burden of an unlimited responsibility. It would be more than flesh and blood could bear, to think that it depended upon us, and us alone, whether men were saved or not. But God relieves us of that heavy burden. We have to scatter the seed; to preach the Word, to declare the Gospel in all sincerity and earnestness. We must leave results and effects to God. Our business is to do the sowing; the harvest is God’s care. It is a fact to be recognised also with humility. For it teaches us that the real worker is God, and it drives us to a more humble dependence upon Him. We can oftentimes do more by prayer and humble waiting upon God than we can by fussy zeal. I am not sure whether we do not sometimes think we can manufacture a harvest of our own. I mean this; the tendency of our time is perhaps to multiply our forms of activity, and to neglect prayer. But the limits of the good that any activities of ours may do are very quickly reached. No amount of activity on our part can make religion take root and grow in the soul. That is God’s work. And, if we want to see a harvest from the seed we scatter, it is to Him we should address ourselves. “My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him” (Psa. 62:5). The farmer flings his seed upon the ground, and leaves it there. He goes off to other work, to one or other of the varied duties of the farm. He sleeps and rises night and day; and what of the seed itself? The seed springs up and grows, he knoweth not how; quietly and silently. Here we are at that truth which our Authorised Version emphasises as the central lesson of the parable—the lesson of the quiet and steady growth of the seed. You have noticed how silently the very mightiest forces work. The law of gravitation that holds the worlds in their places makes no noise. The light that transforms the entire face of nature comes without tumult. The sunshine and the dew that cause the earth to bring forth and bud, visit us with absolutely noiseless tread. But there is no process more wonderful than the death and resurrection process, that takes place in the history of every seed planted in the bosom of the brown earth. God has, as Dr Raleigh used to say, His laboratory beneath the soil. He opens in every field ten thousand times ten thousand fountains of life. He kindles there ten thousand invisible fires; He never leaves the field. And by and by, for every seed he scattered, the farmer receives back thirty, sixty, and a hundred. This marvellous multiplying process has taken place in absolute silence and quietness. You can see and hear a building grow. You can mark its rise, brick by brick, storey by storey; but you cannot trace the growth of the seed beneath the soil. The child who plants the seed to-day, and then digs it up to-morrow, will not see the growth. It is a silent, quiet, unperceptible process, and it is like that, our Lord says, with the Kingdom of God. I think that possibly the original reference in the parable is not so much to the growth of religion in the individual soul, as to the spread of religion in the community. The disciples were expecting an outward and visible Kingdom. They wanted it to come at once. You remember their question, “Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6+). They did not see why it should not come suddenly, as the result of some great act of power. But “The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation” (Luke 17:20+). Men can never say, “Lo, here! Lo, there!” And yet quietly it is growing, ceaselessly growing, and grow it will till the kingdoms of the world become the Kingdoms of our God and of His Christ. (ED: APPLICATION) But though the primary reference may be to the Kingdom in its broadest sense, what our Lord says here is true of the growth of religion in the individual soul. Spiritual growth is mysterious in its beginning. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). And it is quiet and imperceptible in its development. God is quietly at work in many hearts unknown to us. We can see no signs of life or change, perhaps; and yet the seed is springing up and growing up. There is infinite encouragement and hope in all this. We soon come to the end of our little resources, and we grieve that we see no visible results. But when that is so, remember that God never leaves the field. He never ceases His work, and under His fostering care the seed we scattered, unknown to us and unseen by us, is growing up. Where we never see it, faith is in existence. Where we never suspect it, it has often made considerable progress. Think of God’s answer to Elijah, when he moaned out, that he alone in the whole of Israel was left to worship the living God. “Yet I have left Me seven thousand in Israel,” was God’s word to him,” all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal “(1 Kings 19:18). Think of God’s message to Paul, when he was cast down and almost broken-hearted, at the seeming failure of his work at Corinth. Our Lord appeared to him in a vision by night, and told him, “I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:10). The seed, that Paul thought had been scattered in vain had all the time been growing secretly. And so still in unsuspected places, and without any arresting sign, the truth takes effect. The minister sees nothing. Members of the family see nothing. Companions see nothing. Yet under God’s fostering care the seed is growing up. Shall I tell you a personal incident? When I was at Lincoln I preached a sermon on “Friendship.” It was addressed especially to young men. I remember feeling particularly discouraged after preaching that day. I kept company with Elijah under the juniper tree, and felt I had laboured for naught and in vain. But since coming to Bournemouth I received a letter from Australia about that very sermon. And this was what it said. The writer was in Lincoln the Sunday I preached it. He was a complete stranger, and quite casually, or rather shall we say providentially, he turned into my old Church. He went out to Australia immediately afterwards, and lived rather a rough and careless life; but the sermon he heard at Lincoln clung to him. In his wildest days he said he kept hearing the appeal to make a Friend of Him who sticketh closer than a brother. And at last, six years after the sermon was preached, he gave himself body and soul to the Lord. Who would have thought of what was passing in the heart of that young fellow during these wild and careless years? Let us be of good cheer. Let us scatter the seed. In the most solitary places, in the most stubborn and obstinate hearts, it grows and springs up we know not how. “For,” says our Lord, “the earth beareth fruit of herself.” This is not meant, of course, to exclude the Divine agency. What our Lord means to say is this; that when man has done with the seed, other forces begin to act upon it, forces inherent in the earth to which it is committed, forces of God’s own providing in the way of fructifying sun and showers. Thus the truth Jesus wants us to remember is, that there are other forces besides our own human efforts which make for the growth and development of the seed. The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, -- Hebrews 4:12+ First of all, there is an amazing life in the seed itself, “The Word is quick and powerful.” By itself and of itself often the mere Word seems to effect great spiritual changes. Then let us never forget that the heart of man is made for the reception of the Divine Word. We say that the heart of man is “desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9); and that is true. But we have to remember the truth expressed by Augustine in that well-known saying, “O God, Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee.” There are hearts described by our Lord as “good ground,” hearts favorable to the growth of the Divine Word. Is not Augustine himself an illustration of this. His mother’s prayers and teaching for years seemed wasted upon him, while he plunged into folly and excess and sin. But all the time the heart was retaining the Word, and bringing it to fruition, and then one day, to his mother’s delighted surprise, Augustine gave himself in glad surrender to the Lord. And then, in addition to the life in the seed and the capacity of the heart, there is the ceaseless ministry of the Spirit of God. He is continually working upon the souls of men, and in the most wonderful ways bringing the seed to harvest. And so my brethren we may venture to hope and trust; though we may see no sign of harvest, yet we may with patience wait for it. “The earth beareth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear,” (ver. 28, R.V.). Notice the progression. “First the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear.” This is the orderliness of growth. Through all these stages the corn passes, and you must give it its time. You must not expect the full corn in the ear in the springtime. It is the blade that you will see then. The full corn in the ear belongs to the golden and mellow autumn. There are similar stages in the development of the good seed of the Kingdom. There are the feeble beginnings, the enlarging strength, and the full maturity of Christian growth. There are some Christians who are in the infant class, engaged with the beggarly elements. There are some who are pressing on to perfection. John in his Epistle seems to refer to three distinct stages of Christian development. There are the little children who have had their sins forgiven,—the blade; there are the young men who are strong and have overcome the evil one—the ear. There are the fathers rich in experience, mature in knowledge, who have known Him who is from the beginning (1 John 2:12–14)—the full corn in the ear. The Christian life is a gradual and ordered growth. Sanctification is a lifelong process. And this ought to teach us patience and kindliness. You have no right to expect in the young beginner the rich experience of an old disciple. However crude the beginner’s religion may be, hope the best, and believe the best. When Dr Dale was a young man, many of the old saints in Carr’s Lane shook their heads over him. I daresay his preaching then was a little violent and ill-balanced. “Let him alone,” said John Angell James; “he’ll come right.” The blade with patience and kindly care will develop into the ear, and the full corn in the ear. In what stage are we? Some of us have been Christians for many years. Is our sanctification making progress? Are we getting to that stage of Christian life when our Lord is getting a rich harvest in us? When He sends forth the sickle, because the harvest is come, will He find us with full corn in the ear? Mark 4:27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and te seed sprouts and grows–how, he himself does not know. NET Mark 4:27 He goes to sleep and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. GNT Mark 4:27 καὶ καθεύδῃ καὶ ἐγείρηται νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν, καὶ ὁ σπόρος βλαστᾷ καὶ μηκύνηται ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν αὐτός. NLT Mark 4:27 Night and day, while he's asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. KJV Mark 4:27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. ESV Mark 4:27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. NIV Mark 4:27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ASV Mark 4:27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he knoweth not how. CSB Mark 4:27 he sleeps and rises-- night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows-- he doesn't know how. NKJ Mark 4:27 "and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. NRS Mark 4:27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. YLT Mark 4:27 and may sleep, and may rise night and day, and the seed spring up and grow, he hath not known how; NAB Mark 4:27 and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. NJB Mark 4:27 Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. GWN Mark 4:27 He sleeps at night and is awake during the day. The seeds sprout and grow, although the man doesn't know how. BBE Mark 4:27 And went to sleep and got up, night and day, and the seed came to growth, though he had no idea how. grows: Ec 8:17 11:5 Joh 3:7,8 1Co 15:37,38 2Th 1:3 2Pe 3:18 Mark 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE FARMER'S ROLE IS DE-EMPHASIZED There is no mention of activities a farmer might carry out to assure a successful crop - plowing, tilling, fertilizing, weeding, etc. Edwards - Jesus likens the kingdom of God to a process of growth. A seed is not spectacular, nor does its laborious growth attract attention. (Ibid) Paul Apple points out - Look at how this passage balances the teaching on God’s Sovereignty and Man’s Responsibility – here the emphasis switches back to the sovereign work of God. Dwight