Scripture Reference: Mark 4:1-34

The Kingdom Keeps on Growing

In the remainder of this section (Mark 4:26-34), Jesus tells two more parables on the “people are plants” theme, and then Mark neatly closes the section on the parables by telling us that Jesus told many other parables besides. Mark has shared only a small selection. Jesus continues to speak in parables, and “spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it” holding out the opportunity for people to come and find out more, until they will listen no longer. The parables continue to divide the people Jesus is calling to Himself from those whose minds are closed to His message. So He tells these parables about God’s kingdom, and then He gives the full explanation to the disciples, His own inner group.

At this point we might wonder, ‘”If only the disciples got the explanation, how can we know the true meaning of the parables except in the rare cases where the explanation is actually recorded? How can you be sure,” you might ask, “that someone isn’t just reading in whatever they like into the story Jesus told?” This is a valid and a very good question. The answer is that, from where we stand now, we can see the big picture much more clearly than those crowds by Lake Galilee. Thanks to the inspiration and anointing of the Holy Spirit, we have the full record of Jesus’ life and death; we have the whole New Testament to give us the big picture of what Jesus came to do, and the themes we see in these parables are part of the story that runs through the whole Bible. These little stories are not the only place where the message is given. So we understand these stories just as we read any small part of the Bible, in the light of the whole book. That is why it is so important to read the whole Bible and not just cherry-pick our favorite passages!

Therefore, let’s look at these final parables. Notice one difference from the parable of the sower. Whereas that first parable was about the message of the kingdom and how it is received, Jesus opens each of these parables by saying explicitly that this is what God’s kingdom is like.

First there is the parable of the growing seed (see Mark 4:26-29). This parable, instead of describing different responses to the seed, zeroes in on the crop growing in the good ground and focuses on what goes on there. Once again, someone is out sowing seed and the seed begins to grow. In a parable we need not worry about every minor detail. The mention of night and day, sleeping and getting up, is just to put it in a familiar setting. The point is that time is passing. All through that time, this mysterious process of growth is going on. Of course, there are actions the farmer can take that help the seed to grow. He can water it; he can make sure it is fed with all the nutrients it needs to grow successfully. But he can’t make it grow. The basic miracle of growth is just that, it’s a miracle. A living seed has all that potential within it, “the earth yields crops by itself,” to it’s fulness. Finally it is ready for harvest. All this sowing and planting and rooting and growing has been for a purpose, because there is a harvest to come from it.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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