A Growing Seed

A Growing Seed, Mark 4:26-29; Matthew 13:24-30; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-19

Mark 4:26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 But when the crop permits, he immediately [a]puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Matthew 13:24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven [a]may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed [b]tares among the wheat, and went away. 26 But when the [c]wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? [d]How then does it have tares?’ 28 And he said to them, ‘An [e]enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” 31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the [f]air come and nest in its branches.”

Mark 4:30 And He said, “How shall we [a]picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the [b]air can nest under its shade.”

Luke 13:18 So He was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the [a]air nested in its branches.”

Footnotes (Mark – Parable 1)

a. Mark 4:29 Lit sends forth

Footnotes (Matthew)

a. Matthew 13:24 Lit was compared to

b. Matthew 13:25 Or darnel, a weed resembling wheat

c. Matthew 13:26 Lit grass

d. Matthew 13:27 Lit From where

e. Matthew 13:28 Lit enemy man

f. Matthew 13:32 Or sky

Footnotes (Mark – Parable 3)

a. Mark 4:30 Lit compare

b. Mark 4:32 Or sky

Footnotes (Luke)

a. Luke 13:19 Or sky

Commentary

There are three parables in this group of passages, and the mustard seed reference from Luke can actually be placed in the context of another teaching episode. However, because the theme is identical to what we’re studying in Matthew and Mark, I included it. I also split the passages from Mark because, chronologically, it seems those two stories were split by the parable Matthew cites in 13:24-30.

The Seed’s Spontaneous Growth

The first parable is very short and seems pretty simplistic on the surface. However, there are several differing opinions about the meaning of it. One interpretation of the parable in Mark 4:26-29 is that the sower is enjoying and demonstrating the fruits of God’s labor in his own life. “As a farmer knoweth not how his seed becomes mature plants which produce fruit, Christians may enjoy fruitful lives without thoroughly understanding the process. The emphasis of this parable is found in the expression of herself, which in Greek means “automatically” (Gr automatos). God’s procedure for growth does not need to be intellectually perceived to be experienced” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1243).

Another way to interpret the story is that, just as in the parable of the soils, the sower is sowing the Gospel message, and the plant’s growth represents others’ acceptance of the message. In this context, there are a couple of other important ideas to take away from the passage. The sower, though not responsible for the growth of the plant, does have duties to act during the time of planting and the time of harvest. As the farmer completes his portion, God makes the farmer’s burden light by doing the hard work in the middle and multiplying the farmer’s efforts. However, He allows and even requires participation from humans, with which they comply to their own benefit.

Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

This parable also has some layers of complexity that may not be obvious on the surface. I first interpreted this parable to mean that God would reap the harvest of Christians and destroy the unbelievers, but the distinction is much more nuanced than that. Because Jesus refers to a type of weed that looks very much like wheat, He is making a point of saying there will be people who pose as Christians but have nefarious intentions. “Unlike the Jewish form of the kingdom in the Old Testament where citizens could be easily recognized, during the Church Age converts will be made from all over the world and received upon their profession of faith. Thus, it will be easier to slip in some counterfeits who profess what they do not possess. … The enemy is Satan and the tares (Gr zizanion, denoting “darnel,” lolium temulentum) are false converts. The darnel was a weed that resembled wheat but did not come to fruition” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1200). In this passage, we also see that the distinguishing factor between true Christians and false converts is the fact that Christians bear fruit, whereas false converts never get beyond an outward appearance of similarity.

Similarly to the metaphor in the first parable, “It should be noted that a “fruit” is something which God must produce in us by His power (cf. Gal 5:22ff.), whereas, a “work” is something which man can do by his own effort. Singing, preaching, ushering, teaching, witnessing are all works; by contrast, loving people, having a deep-seated inner joy, being at peace with people, etc,. are fruits of the Holy Spirit, as is righteousness and holiness. False converts may produce outstanding works but no real fruits” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1200).

As I’ve been going through these studies, I have tried to emphasize the ways Jesus fulfills Old Testament scripture, and, in some cases, where He brilliantly reveals the meaning of Old Testament scripture in the context of His ministry. However, it is also helpful to match some of the later writings of the Bible with the messages Jesus taught during His ministry. The sequence of burning the tares and then gathering the wheat into the barn (Heaven) is mirrored in Revelation 19-22. These kinds of thematic consistencies also lend credence to the Biblical accounts, as they coalesce into one story.

Parable of the Mustard Seed

Because the mustard seed reference was used so famously by Jesus on multiple occasions, we are familiar with the idea that the seed is small. However, there has commonly been some hyperbole used by modern Christian messaging in the portrayal of seed-to-plant ratios. Many times, images will show a tree such as an oak, which is far larger than a mustard plant, and it may be helpful to take a realistic view of the biology, instead. Although mustard plants do not grow to be larger than life, they do dwarf other herbs, and their seeds are comparatively smaller. The sermon I link at the end of this section has some helpful pictures to demonstrate the reality of ancient mustard seeds and plants.

Even with a more realistic understanding of the comparison Jesus was drawing, the implications are still pretty much the same. “In our own culture, where people tend to equate significance with magnitude, these parables remind us of the power of small but potent faith and of simple but solid kingdom values. … God’s challenge to us as His people is not to be impressed by power, success, or super-achievement, but to give ourselves to the so-called little things, the things of His kingdom. Therein lies ultimate significance” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1816).

Beyond the metaphor of the seed itself, we also find, once again, that there are a few differing schools of thought about the meaning of other imagery in the story. Similarly to the birds in last week’s study (the ones that ate the seed off the hard ground), the birds nesting in the mustard plant may represent evil ones, and in the parable of the mustard seed, we can see they clutter the branches of the bush, hoping to benefit from its security or bounty, after it has grown (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1201). However, “they are neither part of the plant nor permanent” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1243). Conversely, “they may simply be an indication of the fact that this herb was large enough to hold birds in its branches” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1281). One other theory is that the birds may represent people of various nationalities who are able to come and find rest and refuge in God’s kingdom. This pastor supports the “rest” theory by tracing back multiple references to birds resting in trees in the Old Testament https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyoJMVp018o.

The theme that seems to run through all three of these parables, regardless of the discrepant theories about symbolism, is that God will grow His kingdom, through His miraculous power; however, humans are blessed to be able to play a role in spreading the message of the Gospel throughout the world.

Find the next post here https://onthepath.online/2022/03/25/the-leavened-loaf/.

Scripture References

Mark 4:26

Mark 4:25 For whoever has will be given more. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Mark 4:29

Joel 3:13 Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great.

Revelation 14:15 Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe.”

Revelation 14:18 Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.”

Matthew 13:24

Matthew 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Matthew 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.

Matthew 18:23 Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

Matthew 20:1 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

Matthew 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

Matthew 25:1 At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Luke 13:20 Again He asked, “To what can I compare the kingdom of God?

Matthew 13:26

Ezekiel 17:6 It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height with branches turned toward him; yet its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and yielded branches, and sent out shoots.

Matthew 13:27

Matthew 20:1 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

Matthew 13:30

2 Samuel 23:7 The man who touches them must be armed with iron or with the shaft of a spear. The fire will burn them to ashes in the place where they lie.”

Isaiah 17:5 as the reaper gathers the standing grain and harvests the ears with his arm, as one gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.

Matthew 3:12 His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Matthew 13:31

Matthew 17:20 “Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Luke 17:6 And the Lord answered, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

Matthew 13:32

Psalm 104:12 The birds of the air nest beside the springs; they sing among the branches.

Ezekiel 17:23 I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel so that it will bear branches; it will yield fruit and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches.

Ezekiel 31:6 All the birds of the air nested in its branches, and all the beasts of the field gave birth beneath its boughs; all the great nations lived in its shade.

Daniel 4:12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and upon it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, in its branches the birds of the air nested, and from it every creature was fed.

Luke 13:18

Luke 13:20 Again He asked, “To what can I compare the kingdom of God?

Luke 13:19

Ezekiel 17:23 I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel so that it will bear branches; it will yield fruit and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches.

Daniel 4:12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and upon it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, in its branches the birds of the air nested, and from it every creature was fed.

Luke 17:6 And the Lord answered, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.