Mark 4:26–29 (ESV) — 26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Seed Again

This little parable is only found here in Mark's gospel. In it, the seed shows up again and it is a picture of the kingdom of God (26). Slowly but surely, the seed sprouts and grows until a harvest comes (27, 29).

It is a fascinating way for Jesus to describe the coming of God's kingdom. He doesn't use majestic imagery. He doesn't compare the kingdom to the magnificence of a mountain range, the beauty of the dawn, or the power of a lion. Instead, he says the kingdom is like a seed. Almost anonymously, it goes into the ground. But, over time, a harvest comes from that seed. One seed has the power of generations of orchards inside it, and that's what the seed of the kingdom is like.

What does this mean? Well, consider the cross of Jesus. He died on a Roman cross outside the attention of the vast majority of humanity. He was flanked by robbers as he died in relative anonymity. It seemed any movement he was going to lead was now dead. Barely anyone on earth knew his name.

But the seed of that moment turned into the greatest movement in history. Just as the seed sprouts out of the ground, Jesus came out of the grave. New life is found in him. The quiet, obscure, out-of-the-way death of Jesus was actually the event that saved humanity! And, now, billions know his name. He has produced a massive harvest of souls.

Be Patient for God's Kingdom

The kingdom is growing and building. A harvest is coming. When Jesus said it produces by itself, he used a word from which our word automatic comes. Though the growth of the kingdom is sometimes hard to see, it is automatic. Though the growth of the kingdom is often slow, it is automatic. Though the growth of the kingdom seems impossible, it is automatic. It is imperceptible, constant, and inevitable. We pray, Your kingdom come, and it will.

One of my favorite toys my kids ever owned was an elaborate marble tower. Man, I loved playing with that toy with them. We'd get all the shoots, funnels, bridges, and tubes set up. Then we would drop in the first marble to test out our run. Would it make it all the way to the bottom?

Jesus inaugurated the kingdom. His death and resurrection provided the drop of the marble. It is rolling and rolling and rolling. And, one day, the full harvest will come. God will put in his sickle, and this humble kingdom will become a glorious and external one.

As believers, this parable should encourage you to patiently hope for God's kingdom to come. Sometimes it feels as if no one is listening, no one wants Jesus, and no one is being added to the kingdom. But this is untrue. And God's kingdom is building and growing, almost imperceptibly, to the point it becomes the final harvest.

Psalm 33:20 (ESV) — 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

Keep Putting the Word In

Jesus said the seed does its imperceptible work. In his first parable, Jesus said, the sower sows the word (Mark 4:14). And, in this parable, we learn that the seed does a long-range work in the universe, but also in us as individuals. Slowly, surely, and steadily, the word is working and producing fruit in those who have received its truth.

As you put the word in, good things will flow from your life. This is not a hard concept for us to understand. We can compare it to what we eat. I have no idea what a calorie—or what fats, carbohydrates, and proteins—actually look like. But I do know what I look like. And I can see the effects of each upon my body. What I put in has a way of manifesting itself.

In the wonderful and gracious plan of God, we can slowly grow as we allow the seed of his word to have its way in us. And God isn't looking for some rapid or artificial growth. Steadily, he is using his word to shape and mold us into the image of Christ. Though it might take decades, he is working a harvest in us.