Sow the Seed and Then Go to Sleep
Truth Taught- Jesus promises the Sower that God will cause the seed to grow and one day, at His return, there will be a great harvest
People seem to have the tendency to try to play God. Satan’s desire to be like God is also found in fallen man. It was even Adam and Eve’s downfall. We too desire to do what only God can do. As believers, He has given us a responsibility. We are to spread the seed of God’s Word. Even in that we are to do it only in His power and through prayer. We are to take after our Lord and spread the seed and then by faith wait for God to do what only He can which is cause the seed to sprout and grow in His timing. We are not the greatest at waiting…
Every Lord’s Day through DH and the Sermon and our singing, seeds are sown. Those who are His have ears to hear. Spiritual growth takes place. Once the seed is sown, then it is God’s responsibility to cause the seed to grow. So, by faith seed is sown believing God will bring about the increase.
Last time we saw that Jesus taught us that the Kingdom of God is like seed that is scattered on the ground. Some seed falls on unprepared soil and it is eaten by the birds or the seed would sprout but not grow, it would wither away or it would sprout but not produce a crop.
To summarize the point of the Parable of the Soils or the Sower: A man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart.
So, the condition of the soil whether it be hardened, rocky, weedy…or rich and ready for seed is determined by God. He is in charge of His Kingdom. So, the secret of the Kingdom from last week is God has so wonderfully prepared hearts to hear the Gospel and to respond that He receives the glory for those who hear, respond and grow. God is adding to His Kingdom as men and women, boys and girls are given ears to hear and hearts made ready to receive the Seed of the Gospel.
The Kingdom of God, as taught by Jesus, represents God’s sovereign rule over all creation, emphasizing spiritual authority, righteousness, and the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Jesus has called all of His people, those with ears to hear, to hear these truths. How do we hear the spiritual truths God has for us? We hear, but its more than hearing. It’s hearing that includes us into God’s Kingdom. We hear, believe and God works to bring us into His Kingdom.
Mark 4:21–34 (ESV)
21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
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.”
30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
1. Hearing God’s Word Means We Hear, Believe and Perceive (4:21-25)
21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
The Kingdom of God is no longer a hidden enigma to God’s people. Jesus has brought the Kingdom with Him. Jesus has brought it to life and light within our hearts. The Parable of the Lamp views the mission of Jesus. It has to do with moving God’s people further down the path into His Kingdom. God’s truth is becoming visible light that illuminates.
The good soil person, the person whom God has brought to life spiritually is the person whom God also has given ears to hear His Word, understand it and perceive it.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV)
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Being brought into God’s Kingdom comes about by means of hearing the Word of God and then believing unto life. There is saving faith that God brings about. We cannot produce faith within anyone.
For the spiritually alive person, the soil God has prepared, he or she is ready to hear the Word of God and believe. This is how the Word of God brings to life those who are His.
So, the distinguishing mark of true Christians is that they hear and believe the truth.
John 10:3–4 (ESV)
3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
What we should see here is that for the believer, the Word of God is something we are privileged to hear but Jesus does something that is amazing if we can truly understand it. He is speaking about the good soil, the prepared heart, the true believer who hears. He takes us a step further into what it means to be a good soil, hearer…
21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
This is really the theme of the parable of the soils. There are kinds of soil that don’t hear. They don’t hear in a believing sense. Superficially – you remember the rocky soil has an emotional response; and the weedy soil has an initial response, but eventually both of them prove to be superficial, and shallow, and non-fruitful.
But then there is the good soil. And the distinguishing of those good kinds of soil is that they hear the Word, and they embrace the Word, and they become fruitful thirtyfold, sixtyfold, a hundredfold.
Jesus teaches us in the Parable of the Lamp that the Kingdom of God will not remain secret to His people. It’s not placed under a basket but it is made visible to His people. God’s Word being understood by God’s people is the means of the Kingdom being made manifest among His people.
So, the Kingdom of God is the Lamp made visible and not hidden. It’s made visible for God’s people. For God’s people we can see it. So, what Jesus is speaking of here is perception. We as God’s people hear and perceive the things about the Kingdom of God. Through faith then, the Kingdom of God is made visible it is illuminated. It’s the Lamp that shines forth and is not hidden.
22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.
What was once hidden is made manifest…what was once secret has come to light through Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God has sprouted and is growing because we hear the Word of God, understand it and believe it and it bursts forth within us and is made visible through God’s people.
24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Be seeing what you are hearing. That’s the literal Greek. “Be seeing what you are hearing.” Perceive the Word of God thoughtfully, carefully. It’s a simple phrase. And what it calls for is mental perception and a volitional affirmation of what the Lord is saying to us.
Jesus explains in the following verse: “Whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open” (Mark 4:22). He then warns His listeners that those who have ears to hear should hear—they should listen carefully and follow what He is saying (Mark 4:23). Truth is not to be hidden. It is to be received and followed. So, God’s Word rightly understood by God’s people results in something that can be seen.
Jesus is the Light of the Word and He also calls His listeners the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden, Jesus’ followers will stand out. A light is not put under a basket but on a lampstand to give light to the whole house (Matthew 5:15). Jesus’ followers should let their light shine among men so that people would see their good works, done in heaven’s name, and glorify the Father (Matthew 5:16).
God’s Word, the seed in good soil will produce fruit. God’s Word properly heard will produce a visible follower of Christ. God’s Kingdom is coming to light through His people.
2. How the Kingdom of God Grows (4:26-29)
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.”
Jesus’ next Kingdom Parable we see spreading of the seed and the seed growing. The seed, according to Jesus in the parable of the soils is God’s Word. Jesus is commanding those who have ears to hear to actually hear and understand. So many want to limit these parables to evangelism. It is true, they should prompt our sharing the Word of God but more accurately, they are encouraging us as Christians to be careful that we hear the Word the way God has intended. Jesus is explaining these parables to His disciples not to the lost crowd so they are meant for us, those who belong to Christ. We are the ones with ears to hear so we must hear.
A. The Word of God Produces Fruit in Our Absence (4:26-28)
Mark places this Parable here because this shows us how the seed or as Jesus explained, the Word of God works within the heart God has prepared.
Mark 4:20 (ESV)
20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
What our Lord is telling us here is that the seed (God’s Word) that is sown in good soil (a prepared heart) will grow in God’s timing.
The time of spreading the seed began with Jesus and is to continue through this current age. We live in an age known as seedtime. Seedtime is the Messianic age; the age when there is time for the farmer to spread the seed. It is in this time of the mystery of the Kingdom in which there is the opportunity to scatter the seed.
In the last parable we saw that the seed will be met with certain resistance in the world. There will be certain obstruction encountered by the seed. However, as we are diligent to sow the seed of God’s Word, He will produce the harvest.
We saw that the Sower went forth sowing seed. Once the seed is scattered, then God takes over. The seed begins to grow even in our absence. The truth is planted then we can sleep.
27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.
Just as the farmer does not have the power to make his crops grow neither do we have the power to save anyone and make God’s Kingdom grow. Our job is to plant the seed. We share the truth in love. Then we step back and sleep and do our daily work etc. and we pray and we trust God with the harvest.
Picking up on Jesus’ imagery here Paul writes…
1 Corinthians 3:6–7 (ESV)
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
So, those here who have loved ones, family, and friends who are lost. Have you sowed the seed of the Word? Do they know the truth? Then, pray and sleep and trust God for the increase. You cannot make the seed sprout or grow. As much as we would like to, we cannot produce a crop. This is God’s responsibility only He can do it. Do not seek to usurp His authority in the salvation of others.
Sow the seed of God’s Word by faith trust God for the increase. There is nothing we can do after the seed is sown except pray. We must stop trying to do what only God can do. We are not the Holy Spirit. Trust God and sleep and pray.
To summarize the point of the Parable of the Growing Seed: The way God uses His Word in the heart of an individual is mysterious and completely independent of human effort. May we be faithful in “sowing the seed,” praying for a harvest, and leaving the results to the Lord!
B. Because the Seed has Been Sown, There Will Be a Harvest (4:29)
29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Here is our Lord’s promise that the Sower should expect the harvest. This harvest spoken of here is at the last day when the Lord returns. The Sower may not see the harvest now but just like every other promise found in the Scriptures, God will fulfill His Word.
This Parable depicts the coming of the Kingdom of God and shows us God’s sovereign initiative…He will do it.
Next our Lord gives us such a massive encouragement…
3. The Smallest Seed Produces a Massive Fruit (4:30-32)
30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
Here is the picture of how the Kingdom of God grows. The Sower may not be too encouraged when he sows a mustard seed. Jesus tells us it is the smallest of all the seeds. If you place a mustard seed on a piece of white paper, it is just barely a speck much like a grain of sand.
Based on the other parables, once sown then God begins to work. In His timing the seed begins to grow and we know not how. It eventually becomes one of the largest herb trees.
The appearance of God’s Kingdom began when Jesus came. It was not too impressive in that Jesus was characterized as weak and lowly. God’s Kingdom even today may seem insignificant—but remember the mustard seed. There is a day coming when the Kingdom of God will surpass all other earthly kingdoms that men may set up. God’s Kingdom is under God’s control and those who enter into it must enter by faith.
There was nothing that they planted that started that small and became so large. A mustard bush would be up to 15 feet high and 6 feet in diameter. A massive thing to come out of a seed the size of a grain of sand. And what our Lord is saying to them is obvious. There’s no explanation here. The small beginnings do not give you any indication of where God’s Kingdom is going.
The history of the church has shown Jesus’ Parable of the Mustard Seed to be true. The church has experienced an explosive rate of growth through the centuries. It is found worldwide and is a source of sustenance and shelter for all who seek its blessing. In spite of persecution and repeated attempts to stamp it out, the church has flourished. And it’s only a small picture of the ultimate manifestation of the kingdom of God, when Jesus returns to earth to rule and reign from Zion.
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
I pray these Parables are a great encouragement as you seek to sow the seed of God’s truth. God will work as only He can. The seed will grow in our absence. You don’t have to pretend to be the Holy Spirit, you cannot, no matter how hard you try, make the seed grow. Only God does that. So, by faith sow the seed then sleep and pray. God causes the seed to grow.
Do you trust God to fulfill His promise in His timing? Then sow the seed, sleep and pray.
Resources
Gospel of Mark by William Lane
Words of grace
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