• This parable is actually unique!
• Its claim to fame is that only Mark in his gospel records this parable.
• Matthew, Luke & John take no notice of over it.
• And because it is short in content;
• Just 4 verses; in the N.I.V. just 80 words.
• Many a Christian has taken no notice of it;
• We tend to concentrate on the more popular parables contained in this chapter.
Note:
• Now Jesus did not invent parabolic teaching;
• There are plenty of parables in the Old Testament.
• And to teach using parables;
• Was a common form of instructing amongst Jewish Rabbi’s.
Ill:
• Parable means, ‘Alongside’.
• i.e. ‘Para’ is a Greek prefix and means ‘alongside’;
• e.g. parachute – parallel bars – parallel lines - paramedic.
• Parable – an everyday story;
• And alongside that everyday story there is a deeper hidden meaning.
• This parable in Mark’s gospel;
• Is about sowing seed and harvesting.
Ill:
Things I have learnt from gardening:
• Nothing ever looks like it does on the seed packet.
• Your lawn is always slightly bigger than your desire to mow it.
• Whichever garden tool you want is always at the back of the shed.
• The only way to ensure rain, is to give the garden a good soaking.
• Weeds grow at precisely the rate you pull them out.
• Autumn follows summer, winter follows autumn, drought follows planting.
• Evergreens go a funny shade of brown in the winter.
• The only way to guarantee some colour all year round is to buy a garden gnome.
• However bare the lawn, grass will appear in the cracks between the patio paving stones.
• "Annuals" mean disappointment once a year.
• When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
TRANSITION:
• Our passage this morning has to do with planting seeds.
• And reaping a harvest.
• Whether you plant seeds as an amateur gardener on your own patch of land;
• Or you do it commercially to make a living - the principles are the same.
(1). What is the seed?
Answer: if we connect this parable with the others surrounding it
• Remember, in verse 14,
• Jesus told us that the “seed” was the Word of God.
• And from the teaching sheet your leaders gave me that is how they understand it;
• Quote: “How the Word of God grows in us”.
Note: A few thoughts regarding ‘seed’:
(a). A seed is alive: it contains life.
• Our physical senses are incapable of judging whether a seed is alive or not.
• We cannot see, feel, hear, smell, or taste the life in a seed.
• There is only one way to prove a seed is alive - plant it.
• Then wait and see the various stages of life;
• i.e. Germination, emergence, growth, flowering!
(b). A seed does nothing until planted.
• Seeds do not grow in the packet;
• Seeds do not grow on the shelf of your shed.
• Seeds do not grow by you reading gardening books or watching gardening programmes;
• They must be planted in the proper place.
Ill:
• The National Geographic website reported;
• That the oldest plant ever to be regenerated has been grown from 32,000-year-old seeds.
• It is a plant native to Siberia, (Silene stenophylla),
• That had probably been buried by an Ice Age squirrel near the banks of the Kolyma River.
(c). A seed is much smaller than the plant it produces.
• ill: Mustard seed may be a very tiny seed;
• The plant that comes from that seed reaches a height of 10-12 feet in a few weeks;
• ill: The problems you may be facing in life may seem huge.
• In comparison, a sermon or a scripture quotation may seem very small.
• But actually when planted,
• That Word will grow in you and help you to overcome or work through the problem.
(d. A seed always produces after its kind.
• ill: If you plant sunflower seeds then expect sunflowers!
• If you plant corn seeds then expect to grow corn!
• ill: What’s true physically is also true spiritually:
• Galatians chapter 6 verse 7: “…for whatever a person sows, that also will they reap”.
• Quote: “Too many Christians are planted the wrong seeds and then praying for a crop failure!”
Quote: Clyde Francis Lytle
• “Unless we know the difference between flowers and weeds,
• We are not fit to take care of a garden.
• It is not enough to have truth planted in our minds.
• We must learn and labour to keep the ground clear of thorns and briars, follies and perversities, Which have a wicked propensity to choke the word of life”.
(2). The Human side.
• What is the human side of the growth of the kingdom of God?
• Jesus explains in verse 26:
• “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground”.
(1). we are to sow the seed of God’s word.
• The ‘man’ of verse 26 can be understood as either Jesus in His lifetime,
• Or the followers of Jesus (including you and me);
• And it is our responsibility to sow the seed.
Ill:
• The New Testament records tell of forty people,
• Each suffering from some disease, who had been healed by Jesus.
• Of this number,
• Thirty-four were either brought to Jesus by friends or Jesus was taken to them.
• In only six cases out of forty;
• Did sufferers find their way to Christ without assistance.
• The point being if we don’t tell them;
• They are not going to be helped!
Our responsibility, then, is to ensure that others hear the word:
• According to verses 15, 16 & 20:
• That ‘seed’, that ‘word’ is received through ‘hearing’.
• That happens of course as we read God’s word, preach God’s word,
• And echo God’s word in our prayers, and sing songs that are filled with God’s word.
(2). we are to gather the fruit of God’s kingdom.
• Skip down to the last verse.
• Verse 29:
• As soon as the grain is ripe, he…”
• Note: The ‘he’ of verse 29 is the same ‘man’ in verse 26, and ‘he’ of verse 27.
• “…puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
As workers for Jesus – we are his agents, sowing the seed and then reaping the harvest.
Quote: John chapter 4 verses 37
New International Version:
“…even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.”
New Living Translation:
“…the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!”
• We are to sow the word.
• Those in whom the word takes root & bears fruit are then to the gathered into the church.
• It is not enough just to sow good seed;
• We must also bring in the harvest!
Ill:
• Salesman was explaining his poor sales figures to his boss;
• He used the words; “Well, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink!”
• His boss replied:
• “Your job is not to make it drink but to create a thirst!”
• To change comparisons:
• We are not called to simply “fish”;
• We are called to “Catch fish!” To have a tangible, visible end result.
• Back to our original metaphor:
• It is not enough just to sow good seed;
• We must also in time bring in the harvest!
(c). the divine side:
(1). Jesus emphasizes human passivity.
• Verse 27: “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows,
though he does not know how”.
• Verse 28: “All by itself…”
• What does the sower do after he sows the seed?
• He ‘goes to bed.’
• He is responsible to sow.
• The seed is responsible to grow
Ill:
• Farmers cannot grow large crops by themselves.
• They can plough the ground.
• They can water and fertilize the soil.
• They can even plant the seeds.
• But unless the sun shines,
• Diseases stay at bay and the seeds germinate below the ground;
• There is nothing more that the farmer can do.
The parable is very clear:
• The farmer does not make the seed grow.
• In fact the farmer does not even understand how it grows.
• The seed has the secret of life and of growth within itself.
Notice verse 28 says, “ALL BY ITSELF the soil produces grain…”
• Jesus uses the Greek word ‘automate’ we get our word “automatically” from it.
• The farmer doesn’t dig up the seed every day to see how it’s doing.
• No! He lets it alone, and AUTOMATICALLY it starts to grow.
Ill:
• The first Protestant missionary martyr in Korea was Robert Jermain Thomas (1839-1866).
• A Welsh missionary with the London Missionary Society,
• In 1863 he went to Beijing and there met two Korean traders;
• Who told him about the Catholic converts who had no Bibles.
• Thomas became an representative of the Scottish Bible Society;
• And travelled to Korea to sell Bibles.
• Later he found a job as an interpreter;
• On the armed American schooner the General Sherman.
• As the boat travelled around Korea Thomas handed out Bibles.
• When the boat became involved in a fire-fight with the Korean army near Pyongyang,
• Thomas jumped overboard with his Bibles;
• And handed them out to the angry crowd on the river bank.
• The Korean authorities ordered people to destroy their Bibles.
• But instead some used them as wallpaper;
• When other missionaries later arrived they found a Church already in existence.
• Because in time Korean people read their wallpaper and some came to believe in Jesus;
• The seed was sown (message in the wallpaper) it entered people’s hearts and minds;
• And a Church was formed.
(2). Jesus teaches about the Kingdom.
• Question: Why did Jesus teach this story?
• Answer: To teach about ‘The kingdom of God’.
• The Kingdom of God really means the reign of God;
• The place where God is king, God is sovereign, God’s will is being done.
Ill:
• I would suggest an easy way to understand the ‘The kingdom of God’;
• Is to think past, present & future:
• Past: In the Old Testament God was king among his people the Jews.
• Present: In the New Testament God is king in the lives of his people – Christians.
• Future: God will be king when he sets up his kingdom on earth.
• i.e. Lord’s prayer “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.
• The ‘Kingdom of God’ really means the reign of God, the sovereignty of God;
• The place where God is king.
Question: Is God your king?
Answer:
• Before you answer did you notice I did not ask; “Do you believe in God?”
• I did not ask; “Are you a Christian?”
• I am asking; “This morning is God your king?”
• “This morning is he on the throne of your life?”
ill:
• Shortly after joining the Navy,
• The new recruit asked his officer for a pass so he could attend a wedding.
• The officer gave him the pass,
• But informed the young man he would have to be back by 7 p.m. Sunday.
• “You don’t understand, sir,” said the recruit. “I’m in the wedding party.”
• “No, you don’t understand,” the officer shot back. “You’re in the Navy!”
Note:
• Jesus so often uses illustrations from the growth of nature;
• To describe the coming of the Kingdom of God.
(a). Nature’s growth is often unnoticeable.
• If we see a plant every day we cannot see its growth taking place.
• It is only when we see it, and then see it again after an interval of time;
• That we notice the difference.
• It is so with the Kingdom.
• Growth is best measured by time;
• And growth is noticed most by those who see us at long intervals.
Ill:
• Watt kids photos on Facebook;
• “Can’t believe how much they have grown!”
(b). Nature’s growth is constant.
• Listen to what Jesus said in verse 27:
• ‘Night and day, while man sleeps, growth goes on’.
• There is nothing spasmodic about God.
• The great trouble about human effort and human goodness is that they are spasmodic.
• One day we take one step forward; the next day we take two steps back.
• But the work of God goes on quietly; unceasingly God unfolds his plan.
Ill:
• A healthy child who eats good food and takes part in regular exercise will grow!
• That is the way their body is designed – growth happens constantly!
(c) Nature’s growth is inevitable.
• There is nothing so powerful as growth.
• ill: A tree can split a concrete pavement with the power of its growth.
• ill: A weed can push its green head through an asphalt path.
• Nothing can stop growth.
• It is so with the Kingdom.
• In spite of our rebellion and disobedience,
• God’s work goes on and on and on;
• And nothing in the end can stop the purposes of God.
(3). Jesus emphasizes a consummation.
• Verses 28-29 remind us that there is a day when the harvest comes.
• There is a day when the crop produces an abundance.
“All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
When the harvest comes two things happen-which are opposite sides of the same thing.
• The good fruit is gathered in, and the weeds and the tares are destroyed.
• Harvest and judgment go hand in hand.
Ill:
• The great German Reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546);
• Said of his extraordinary work in the Reformation,
• ‘I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s word; otherwise I did nothing.’
• Indeed, it was ‘while I slept,’ he said, obviously alluding to this parable,
• That God reformed His church. ‘I did nothing. The word did it all.’
In conclusion:
When we think of this parable remember three things:
(a). Be patient.
Ill:
• Ivor Coopers sign.
• “LORD GIVE ME PATIENCE…but hurry!”
• ill: A teacher has often to teach, and see very little difference in those whom they teach.
• ill: A parent has often to seek to train and guide, and see no difference in the child.
• It is only when the days, weeks, months, years go by;
• That the result is seen;
Quote: Alan Redpath:
"The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment,
but the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime."
(b). Be hopeful.
ill
Almost every activity of human life is motivated to some degree by hope:
• Because of hope farmers plant seeds,
• Because of hope teachers teach pupils.
• Because of hope people fall in love and get married and have families.
• God motivates us by hope;
• Quote:
• “That’s why he put eyes in the front of our heads! He wants us to look forward!”
Quote: Galatians chapter 6 verse 9:
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.
At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
(c). Be prepared.
• If there comes the harvest, then we must be ready for it.
• It is too late to prepare for it when it is upon us.
Quote:
• J.C. Ryle (1816-1900), That wise old saint,
• Once Bishop of Liverpool, summarizes the lesson of this parable admirably.
• ‘Supplies and admirable antidote to over carefulness and despondency,’ he says.
• ‘Our principle work is to sow the seed.
• That done, we may wait with faith and patience for the result’
