Mark 4: The parable of the growing seed

Major Paula Haylett urges us to be patient in waiting on God’s timing.

Key text

Mark 4:26–29

Let me start with a confession: I thoroughly enjoy watching Clarkson’s Farm! Now, before you immediately move on, allow me to explain. It’s not just the interesting and informative farming content, nor the entertainment of watching would-be farmer Jeremy Clarkson’s naivety. For me, the most engaging part is observing what appears to be a huge transformation in the man himself. He seems to have changed from an abrasive, petrol-head journalist into someone who cares and who cries over his connection with piglets, crops and other living things. I don’t know how this change has been brought. It’s a mystery!

When Jesus told the parable of the growing seeds, his listeners would have had a direct connection to farming. The success of locally planted crops was vital for the community. Food was not transported thousands of miles, nor delivered instantly by Tesco Whoosh!

This short parable follows on from the longer parable of the sower. Jesus has already explained that the sower is the one who plants the good news of God, and that the good soil represents the hearts of those who are open to receive and accept God’s message, going on to produce a plentiful harvest for God’s Kingdom. After the various disastrous harvests mentioned in the former parable, here, Jesus talks about a planter who scatters seed, waits and watches, until finally there is a good harvest. Hurrah! The listeners will have been pleased to hear that end to the story.

However, the point of this parable is neither about the sower, nor the seed. Jesus is inviting his listeners to consider the mystery of the growing crop: that stage that can’t be explained or influenced by the sower. Whether he sleeps or gets up and watches, the plant grows. It reminds me of the children’s song that goes: ‘Not you, nor I, nor anyone know, how oats and beans and barley grow.’

Jesus paints an image of God’s Kingdom, growing from tiny beginnings planted in the heart. It grows unseen, inexplicably, miraculously, like a germinating seed in the dark earth. That tiny, dead-looking seed somehow matures into life and fruitfulness. Beyond the striving and achievements of mankind, it is the work of God. It reaches beyond our scope and expectations, and our lack of explanation draws us into a deeper sense of awe of God’s ways. It surprises us by growing goodness even in soil that we may have doubts about, perhaps like TV celebrity farmers.

The apostle Paul writes: ‘I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow’ (1 Corinthians 3:6 and 7).

Reflect and respond

When have you experienced awe at the mysterious working of God?
If God is doing what God does, then what is our role in this scenario?
How comfortable are you thinking about the mystery of God?

In this parable, Jesus assumes that the man is getting on with the business of scattering the seeds into good ground.

We are likewise entrusted with this responsibility. We can sow Kingdom seeds in our communities, workplaces, families and among the people we meet daily. We just have to be faithful with the sowing and leave the growing to God. Occasionally, we are privileged to witness the outward signs of inward growth.

Back in May, my corps held a Rogation celebration in the rural community. Rogation is an ancient tradition of gathering to pray for the success of crops being planted. It recognises that a successful harvest depends on many factors outside the farmer’s control, such as the heat and drought of this year. Rogation includes asking God for his protection and blessing on the growth.

Any gardener knows that planting from seed requires patience in the waiting. Similarly, we have to be patient in waiting on God’s timing when thinking about the growth of God’s Kingdom.

As sowers of Kingdom seeds, we must also follow the practice of Rogation prayer while we wait and watch for them to grow to their full potential. I once heard a wise person say: ‘Prayer is not the least, but maybe the most we can do.’

Pause and reflect

Where are you sowing seeds of good news?
Pray for the seeds that you or others sow for God’s Kingdom.

This summer, the roads and fields around me have been full of harvesting vehicles. Farmers have had a shorter time to wait for harvest because of the high temperatures and lack of rainfall.

Jesus doesn’t specify how long the sower must wait for the harvest. It can’t be hurried, forced or willed to happen. It just takes time for the full grain to mature. Any gardener knows that planting from seed requires patience in the waiting. Similarly, we have to be patient in waiting on God’s timing when thinking about the growth of God’s Kingdom. In our passion for lives to be full and free in Christ, we can be tempted to try to force the growth of little seeds, like people force rhubarb. But interfering with little shoots could mean killing off a plant in its early, fragile stage.

In the parable, harvesting only takes place when the corn has grown to fullness. We have to have patience – after all it is God’s Kingdom harvest, not ours.

Finally, I wonder if Jesus told this parable as a foretaste of his death and resurrection to come: a seed that dies and is placed in a dark tomb, a time of waiting and watching, and, finally, in God’s time, the mysterious and inexplicable resurrection to the glorious fullness of everlasting life. Hurrah!