PARABLE OF THE GROWING SEED (MARK 4:26-29)

Mark groups together three parables of growing plants. This short parable is sandwiched in between the stories of the sower and the seed and that of the mustard plant. Some of the disagreement as to the meaning of this parable stem from trying to connect it with one of the other two. But Snodgrass cautions that each of the three must be taken on its own terms. This is the only parable unique to Mark; however, it contains about 6-7 words in common with Matthew's parable of the wheat and the tares. “This has ranked as one of the more enigmatic parables, even though its overall intent is clear enough.” (Snodgrass)

There are two other important scriptures to keep in mind when reading this parable:

Isaiah 55:10-11a – “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth the sprout...so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth.”

I Corinthians 3:6 – I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”

verse 27  A day begins at sunset in Jewish thinking. Sleeping and rising doesn't teach passivity; it merely marks the passage of time. Many details of work such as preparing the soil, fertilizing the crops, weeding, etc. are left out.  The word “sprout” is applied to the Messiah in OT prophecies. (Marcus)

verse 28 “It presents a comprehensive picture of the coming of God's kingdom: sowing, growing and harvesting, with the emphasis on the growing phase.” The soil accomplished the growth automate (emphasized by its position in the sentence), meaning “without visible cause or human agency.” (Grassmick)

Automate in Jewish writings of the OT and Intertestamental Period often indicates something miraculous. (Marcus) It is rarely used in the NT. (Lane) It is unjustified to connect the “not knowing” to Jesus' saying in Mark 13:32 // Matt. 24:26 to not knowing the time or to the disciples' blindness as some people have. “Automate” may be the key word in the parable: “Growth happens without human intervention.” (Snodgrass)

verse 29 When harvest is ready, he literally “sends for the sickle,” meaning he sends for the reapers. (Grassmick)

There are clear echoes of Joel 3:13 concerning the effect of Judgment Day on unbelievers whereas the emphasis in Mark is on the positive aspects of judgment. (Marcus, Kistemaker, Snodgrass)

The general idea of a full measure is also found in Romans 11:12,25.

Matthew 13:39 explains the harvest as being that of the end of the age where believers are vindicated. “The reapers are angels.” (Payne) God sends out his angels to gather the harvest (Revelation 14:12-16)

Emphasis

The exact point of emphasis of the parable is a highly disputed matter. This is reflected in some of the other titles given to it, such as: The Blade, the Ear and the Full Corn; The Reaper, and The Confident Investor, The Patient Husbandman, The Earth Producing of Itself, The Carefree Sower, and The Unbelieving Farmer. Keep in mind Snodgrass' admonition that “isolating one feature leads to distortion and all the elements must be taken into account.”

The three phases (shoot, ear, and full grain) may correspond to Jesus' earthly ministry, ministry of the church, and the final consummation. (Marcus) “The parable bypasses all the details, significant as they may be, and places the emphasis on the sowing, the growing, and the mowing.” (Kistemaker)

In contrast, Anderson feels that the emphasis is not on the three-fold process but on the fact that God will bring it about without human help. Mann says that "but when" in verse 29 shows that the emphasis is on the last stage.And Cranfield expresses the opinion that the main point is on the contrast between the sowing phase (with no obvious growth) and the eventual phase. Other proposed points of emphasis listed by Lane include  "the idea of the power released through scattering of the seed," "...the identity between the sower and the reaper," and the "certainty of a mature crop in spite of the sower's temporary passivity."

Interpretive Options summarized by Snodgrass and by Mann:

Medieval allegory: Christ puts the divine seed in human hearts; growth = development of Christian work. Man's sleep = Jesus' death; not knowing = Christ did not let the people know which works result in salvation. Or one could come up with the allegorical interpretation that the sower is Jesus, the apparently resting farmer is the Holy Spirit, and the reaper is God the Father.

The sowers = ministers of the word (Calvin and Kistemaker) Snodgrass points out that especially in short parables such as this one, an allegorical approach should not be used.

19^th century optimists (Post-millennialists): There will be a gradual evolution of God's kingdom permeating all human activity. This view is totally rejected by Snodgrass and by Mann.

An apocalyptic focus on the end times with an explanation of its delay or teaching of its imminent arrival.

To dampen the zeal of the Zealots or some of Jesus' disciples. It exposes the Zealot's idea of bringing about the Kingdom themselves. (Jeremias)   Snodgrass concludes that adjusting the Kingdom expectations of his audience was certainly in mind but not limited to the Zealots.

A teaching of realized eschatology. “The phrase 'present kingdom' does not mean that the end of the world was present; it means that the promises of the OT Scriptures, especially the prophets, had begun with Jesus' actions and words.”  Although the parable definitely teaches a necessary period of time between Jesus' present mission and the consummation, the kingdom is already among them (evidence: the word “immediately” and present tense used for growth and harvest). (Snodgrass)

Application

“It does not instruct people about that they should or should not do.” It has nothing to teach regarding works-righteousness, workaholism, or passivity. (Snodgrass) “It is only for the preacher to cast seed into the waiting growth, not to dictate in what way or at what pace it will bear fruit.” (Marcus)

Jesus has sown the seed and nothing can prevent the harvest. So “show calm patience and confident expectation.” (Short)

The parable's “principle emphasis is upon the fact that the word of God will do its own work in human hearts if given the opportunity in the right conditions.” (Swift) Therefore proclaimers of the word should be patient as the farmer, as taught in James 5:7. Recall that in Revelation 6:9-11 when the martyrs under the throne cry out, “How long? They are told to wait a little longer.

There has been an on-going debate in Judaism from Jesus' time up to the present on whether human action is needed to bring about the final days. According to the logic of the parable, the farmer is only responsible for one thing: to help sow the seed. Jesus says it is all in God's hands. (Marcus) Compare this to some who try to manipulate world events today in attempts to hasten the kingdom (funding oil drilling in Israel, finding Noah's ark in order to determine the length of a cubit, reaching all people/language groups with the Gospel). Only the last activity has any kingdom value, but even it may be pursued with the wrong motive.