‘“God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,
and should sleep and rise night and day,
and the seed should spring up and grow,
though he doesn’t know how.”’
(Mark 4:26-27)
This statement comes from a parable unique to Mark’s gospel, although it’s similar to the parable of the sower, which is found in Matthew, Luke and at the start of this chapter of Mark. It’s almost like an extension of what’s said in that parable, focusing on the seed that fell on ‘“good ground… growing up and increasing”’(Mark 4:8), i.e. ‘“those who hear the word… accept it, and bear fruit”’(Mark 4:20). Both parables are set alongside other parables about ‘“God’s Kingdom”’, or ‘“the Kingdom of Heaven”’(Matthew 13:11,24,31,33,44,45&47) as it’s recorded in Matthew’s larger collection.
That phrase reveals something important about this Kingdom, which John records Jesus explaining: ‘“My Kingdom is not of this world”’(John 18:36). So its citizens are to regard themselves as ‘strangers and pilgrims on the earth’(Hebrews 11:13), looking to the ‘things that are above’(Colossians 3:2), because ‘our citizenship is in heaven’(Philippians 3:20), although ‘ambassadors on behalf of Christ’(2 Corinthians 5:20) whilst here.
Moreover, we’re all recruited from this world, ‘“the earth”’. This parable is about how that mysterious process happens.
First comes the casting of ‘“seed”’ on the earth, which is ‘“the word”’(Mark 4:14), ‘“of God”’(Luke 8:11). Some seeds land on this ‘“good ground”’(Mark 4:8&20) mentioned above, described elsewhere as those who ‘receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save… souls’(James 1:21), otherwise described as being ‘born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God’(1 Peter 1:23) or ‘truth’(James 1:18), through the mysterious inner workings of ‘“the Spirit”’(John 3:8).
So this spiritual seed is vital, the life-giving word that can germinate in our souls to become ‘“God’s Kingdom… within”’(Luke 17:21), ‘“words that… are spirit… life”’(John 6:63) and ‘light’(Psalm 119:105, cf. John 1:14, John 8:12, Matthew 5:14), which then shines out from us. That’s presumably why the ‘“lamp”’(Mark 4:21) is mentioned here, and that by receiving, growing, shining and scattering we’re sto(c)ked all the ‘“more”’(Mark 4:24&25).
So there’s a sense in which we actually become the growing seeds/plants, and a source of further seeds. As another parable puts it, ‘the good seeds are the children of the Kingdom’(Matthew 13:38) who here ‘“spring up… grow”’ and then can shine forth ‘as lights in the world, holding up the word of life’(Philippians 2:15-16), as if shedding light-seeds from ripened ears of corn! Even the whole Kingdom can be seen in this way, like a ‘“mustard seed, which, when… sown, grows… and puts out great branches”’(Mark 4:31-32).
Moreover, it’s important to note that we’re to cast this seed broadly. The image is one of scattering seed far and wide. This isn’t something to be done sparingly and painstakingly, person by person, and certainly not just amongst friends and family, but a broad casting, by every means available, as far as we can throw or shine. Then we’ll find that God’s life-giving word lands and takes root wherever He’s prepared ‘“ears to hear”’(Mark 4:9) – those who are ‘predestined’(Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:29&30) and ready to ‘“hear the word of God, and do it”’(Luke 8:21).
Knowing that God has prepared and placed ‘“many”’(Acts 18:10) such people out there, already ‘appointed to eternal life’(Acts 13:48), who will ‘listen’(Acts 16:14) and respond, should embolden and encourage us in the task. He’s in control of the process – the key point of this parable. Our job is to scatter the seed ‘everywhere’(Mark 16:20), then as we ‘“sleep and rise… the seed should spring up and grow”’. We don’t need to ‘“know how”’ exactly, let alone make it happen ourselves. No, we’re reliant on ‘Yahweh’s fire’(1 Kings 18:38), which will come like a ‘“wind”’(John 3:8), to light up and fan into flame the next generation of torches for His Kingdom, according to ‘His own will… by the word of truth’(James 1:18). This always ‘“will accomplish”’(Isaiah 55:11) that which He has sent it to do, amazingly even when thrown and transmitted by feeble hands, mouths and lives like ours.
Finally, we should note that spiritual growth happens like this too. Christian saplings ‘“spring up and grow… first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear”’(Mark 4:27-28) when tended by God. However, as with the scattering of seed, there’s work for us too. We’re to study, fill up with, then sprinkle the ‘living and active’(Hebrews 4:12) word, i.e. ‘scripture’(2 Timothy 3:16), like Apollos in his ministry, who ‘greatly helped those who had believed through grace’(Acts 18:27) in Achaia/Corinth. As Paul put it, ‘I planted. Apollos watered. But God…’(1 Corinthians 3:6).
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