The Miracle Seed
by John R. Brokhoff

Today's pericope (Mark 4:26-34) gives us two parables dealing with the kingdom of God. The two have a common theme - i.e., growth of the kingdom of God - but in the first (vv. 26--29) the growth is gradual, and in the second (vv. 30--32) growth is fantastic, growing from the smallest seed to a plant which is big enough to house the nests of birds. Although each parable alone may form the text and subject of a sermon, both parables may also be preached together because of the common theme. These short parables simply say that God causes his kingdom to grow, and that it will not stop growing until it covers the world.

Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is like seed that is sown. The farmer, who sowed the seed, sleeps by night and lives day after day. He sees the seed growing but he cannot explain how it grows. The seed becomes a stalk, then a head appears, and finally the full grain in the head. When the grain is rope, the farmer cuts it down, for the harvest has come. Jesus said again, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like or what parable can explain it? It is like a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds, sown upon the ground. It grows until it becomes the biggest of all shrubs. Its branches are so large that birds make their nests in its shade."

Thesis: Like a seed, the kingdom of God grows until it eventually covers the earth.

Theme: Great endings from tiny beginnings! or "Behold, what God has wrought!"

1. "Kingdom" (vv. 26, 30) People living in a democracy may have trouble with the word, "kingdom." In Jesus' day, every nation was a monarchy or dictatorship, and people could easily understand the concept of "kingdom." A kingdom is a realm of a king who is the absolute ruler. The people in a kingdom belong to the king and are obligated to obey and serve him. The kingdom of God is the realm of God, for he is the absolute king, and in his realm his commands are obeyed and his will is done. The citizens of the kingdom are the people of God. Where is God's kingdom located? It is present in the believer and in the church, the fellowship of believers. The church is not the kingdom of God, but the kingdom of God is in the church, even though it does not always obey the king's commands or do his will. Because many do not understand the kingdom of God, Jesus gave these two parables to describe the nature and work of the kingdom.
2. "Sleep" (v. 27) After sowing the seed, the farmer in the parable went about his normal activities: sleeping at night and doing his chores by day. Having sown the seed, he shows no anxiety about the seed's productivity - he plants the seed in hope of an eventual harvest, and has patience while the seed grows. "Sleep" reminds us that the kingdom of God comes from God and not from human effort. The farmer does nothing but sow the seed. The parable does not even mention his cultivating, fertilizing, or watering the seed, and he does not even understand what or who causes the seed to sprout. The arrival and establishment of the kingdom of God on earth is the work of God.
3. "Harvest" (v. 29) When the seed reaches maturity, in the parable, it is harvested. There is, in other words, a productive completion of the growth process. The seed is not the victim of drought when only half grown, and cattle do not get into the field and trample the stalks, and hail does not break off the heads of grain. The point of the parable is that the kingdom of God will not be curtailed or destroyed but will reach full maturity. Some interpret "harvest" eschatologically in terms of the final gathering of the nations and the separation of the sheep from the goats. But the parable is not referring to the End, but is simply saying that the seed will fulfill its destiny and produce fruit. Indeed, there is a harvest at time's end, but there is also an important harvest to be gathered now: "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few" (Matthew 9:37).
4. "Like" (vv. 26, 30 [GNB]) "The kingdom of God is like this ..." - like what? Is it like the seed that has the principle and power of life in it? Is it like the growth of the seed? Is it like the harvest that results from the seed? Could the kingdom of God be like all three of these?
5. "Smallest" (v. 31) Scholars tell us that the mustard seed is not really the smallest seed, but in Jesus' day it was by tradition the smallest seed. Be that as it may, the mustard seed is so small that the naked eye can barely see it. The point is that great things can come from the smallest beginnings. The kingdom, after all, was started by a baby boy born in a barn and finally executed as a criminal on a shameful cross. The church began with eleven peasants who held no credentials other than the Holy Spirit. At the beginning, Christians were despised, persecuted, outlawed, and driven underground, and in the second century being a Christian was a crime in and of itself. Could a movement so small one day spread throughout the world? Revelation answers us that evil will be conquered and destroyed and Jesus and his kingdom will triumph: "And he shall reign forever and ever."
6. "Sown" (vv. 31, 32) For the seed to grow and produce, it must first die and be buried. A seed cannot preserve itself by isolating itself from the soil, but it is only by dying that it achieves a new, fuller life as a plant with grain, fruit, or flower. To grow and produce, the kingdom of God calls for the people in the kingdom to die in order to gain a new life of productivity. This principle was enunciated by Jesus when he said, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24). In the same manner, a disciple lives by the principle: "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25).