And He was saying, "The kingdom of God
is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;
and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day,
and the seed sprouts and grows--how, he himself
does not know. The soil produces crops by itself;
first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain
in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately
puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
Mark 4:26-29
God answers those questions in verses 26-29, and His answer is...just as the process of the seed germinating and sprouting is unseen and unknown to the sower, so is the gospel that takes root and sprouts in the heart of man. The Scriptures don't tell us how and when the Gospel works, they just tell us that it does. When we share the gospel we don't know what kind of heart soil our gospel seed is falling into, nor can we see or understand how it works; but work it does.
There is a parallel here with the explanation Jesus gives to Nicodemus about being born again. We see it in John 3:7-8 when Jesus tells him, "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 do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of God." The work of God's Spirit and His word is unseen and mysterious, but real and tangible, just like the plant sprouting from the seed and the blowing of the wind; and, like both, is completely out of our hands.
What the Lord is showing us is He is providing the seed for sowing and He is taking care of its results. We can trust that in His good way and proper time the intended results will happen. Just as God causes the physical seed of the grass to sprout in Psalm 104:7, He causes the spiritual seed to sprout as well, as He is author and giver of all life.
When reading this section in Mark I thought back to a time in Dallas several years ago. My friend Don Conry and I were visiting people who had visited our church. That evening we spent over an hour with one couple sharing the gospel and answering questions. Almost two years later, after a church service, I had a man call my name and run up to me with his wife. It was that couple we had shared the gospel with. He remembered my and Don's name and told me how, after their initial visit to our church, they did not attend church for quite some time, but all during that time they kept thinking about what we had shared with them and explained to them, and finally they surrendered to its truth. He then thanked me, shook my hand, and told me that he and his wife were being baptized that evening.
For those who share the gospel, be encouraged that when you sow the seed of the gospel that God is at work. In ways unseen and mysterious God germinates the seed of His word in the heart of man so that it takes root and bears fruit. The Lord always honors His word and it does not return to Him empty or without accomplishing its purpose.
For those who have heard the gospel, follow the admonition, the call of James 1:21, receive the word that has been sown in you by believing what you have heard concerning your need for salvation and the remedy God has provided for you in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and then follow Him in the obedience of faith.
As providence would have it, this section of Scripture comes on the heels of the parable of the four soils in Mark 4:1-20; and I believe it is placed here to be an encouragement for those who are sowing the seed of the gospel. As you might know, the parable of the four soils deals with the sowing of the gospel, with the seeds that are sown being the word of God. It is in only one type of soil that the work of God, the gospel, takes a firm root and bears fruit. The questions that are not answered in this parable are when and how does the gospel actually take root and bear fruit. Is it immediately? Are there certain steps or procedures to be followed? What kind of process is it? How long does it take?
God answers those questions in verses 26-29, and His answer is...just as the process of the seed germinating and sprouting is unseen and unknown to the sower, so is the gospel that takes root and sprouts in the heart of man. The Scriptures don't tell us how and when the Gospel works, they just tell us that it does. When we share the gospel we don't know what kind of heart soil our gospel seed is falling into, nor can we see or understand how it works; but work it does.
There is a parallel here with the explanation Jesus gives to Nicodemus about being born again. We see it in John 3:7-8 when Jesus tells him, "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 do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of God." The work of God's Spirit and His word is unseen and mysterious, but real and tangible, just like the plant sprouting from the seed and the blowing of the wind; and, like both, is completely out of our hands.
What the Lord is showing us is He is providing the seed for sowing and He is taking care of its results. We can trust that in His good way and proper time the intended results will happen. Just as God causes the physical seed of the grass to sprout in Psalm 104:7, He causes the spiritual seed to sprout as well, as He is author and giver of all life.
When reading this section in Mark I thought back to a time in Dallas several years ago. My friend Don Conry and I were visiting people who had visited our church. That evening we spent over an hour with one couple sharing the gospel and answering questions. Almost two years later, after a church service, I had a man call my name and run up to me with his wife. It was that couple we had shared the gospel with. He remembered my and Don's name and told me how, after their initial visit to our church, they did not attend church for quite some time, but all during that time they kept thinking about what we had shared with them and explained to them, and finally they surrendered to its truth. He then thanked me, shook my hand, and told me that he and his wife were being baptized that evening.
For those who share the gospel, be encouraged that when you sow the seed of the gospel that God is at work. In ways unseen and mysterious God germinates the seed of His word in the heart of man so that it takes root and bears fruit. The Lord always honors His word and it does not return to Him empty or without accomplishing its purpose.
For those who have heard the gospel, follow the admonition, the call of James 1:21, receive the word that has been sown in you by believing what you have heard concerning your need for salvation and the remedy God has provided for you in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and then follow Him in the obedience of faith.
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