(Mark 4:26-34)
You don’t have to have a green thumb to be fascinated by seeds. When it comes to growing things, without diminishing the hard labor of farmers or gardeners, the seed is really responsible for doing all of the work. Once the seed is in the ground, it more or less takes over from there. The one tending to it may be able to control certain variables, like irrigation or fertilizer, but the seed is going to do what God designed it to do regardless: grow.
It doesn’t always work like that, though. Consider the baker. The cake doesn’t bake itself. Multiple steps like properly following the recipe and baking it at the correct temperature for right length of time are necessary for the cake to turn out. That work does depend on the baker. Or take the software designer – if his coding is off, the software will have bugs and glitches and not work as it is supposed to. There are plenty of jobs that require constant monitoring and following the appropriate steps and procedures for everything to go smoothly. But when it comes to making a seed grow, the seed does all the work.
The Word Works
Jesus emphasized this in his first parable. Once the seed was in the ground, look at what happened next. “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how” (v.27). To a degree, whether the farmer works hard or hardly works, whether he puts in a full day or slacks off by sleeping in, either way, the seed is going to do what the seed is going to do: grow. And, it doesn’t need anyone’s help, as Jesus reminded his listeners: “All by itself the soil produces grain” (v.28).
Jesus’ is interested in more than just agriculture here; he is illustrating how God’s Word grows his kingdom. His Word, and his Word alone, does all the work.
The Bible doesn’t need our help to be effective. It doesn’t need to be wrapped up in a catchy sermon series or marketing. It doesn’t need to be supported by flashy professional media. The Word doesn’t work better because the church is bigger or smaller or has a cooler name. The style of worship doesn’t enhance the Word, nor does our logic or reason make it more likely to take root. It’s not anything we do at all. The Word does the work all by itself. The Holy Spirit uses it to bring life from death. He uses it to create and keep faith, faith that receives an abundance of rich gifts which he continually distributes through that same Word.
Neither do we need to know the inner workings of the Word to know that it will work. In fact, you can’t. That’s why one individual soaking up everything about Christianity with a fervor that is contagious, suddenly becomes MIA and turns into a cold case. It’s also why the obstinate atheist unexpectedly becomes filled with faith. Why the one and not the other? I don’t know. Neither do you. God does, and we know how he does it and we know that he only does it one way: through his Word.
That’s why we understand how essential that small sentence at the beginning of Jesus’ parable is, “A man scatters seed on the ground” (v.26). If it starts with that, then we need to start with that. Nothing happens without the seed being scattered. Nothing happens to stored away seed. It won’t grow. It won’t produce. It won’t… anything.
So the Word must be sown. The seed must be scattered. The bedside Bible that is rarely opened is nothing more than another item to be dusted off when cleaning. The Bible app on your phone that never sees the light of day is only adding more clutter to your home screen. For the Word to work, just like anything else, it has to be used. If the Word is not spoken, shared, read, studied, confessed, preached, taught, passed on, etc., it will not produce. The Word needs to be communicated for it to work. The seed needs to be scattered. Are you scattering the seed?
When the stranger in line next to you opens up and ends up sharing some personal matters she is working through, are you looking for a chance to scatter the seed? When your unchurched friend returns from traveling to a family member’s funeral and expresses to you his doubts and uncertainty regarding death and the afterlife, do you scatter the seed? Your classmate is wrestling with feeling worthless and insignificant – do you scatter the seed? A church member close to you confesses something they’ve done that has left them reeling in guilt and shame – do you scatter the seed?
Scatter the seed under your own roof, too. Fathers, are you taking the lead in this area? Are you scattering the seed of the Word in your marriage and in your home? If not, what is holding you back? If it’s your fear of having an inadequate understanding of the Bible or feeling that you aren’t qualified, look again at Jesus’ words: “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how” (v.27). God isn’t calling you as a father to be an expert in the Word; he’s just calling you to scatter it so that he can do the work of building his kingdom. The Word works, so put it to work. And as you do, you’ll begin to notice the blessings over time.
The Word Works Big Blessings from Small Beginnings
The Word works, and it works big blessings. But it does so from small beginnings. Jesus explained, “It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade” (v.31-32). The Word’s work is like the mustard seed – it starts small, but over time grows and develops into something big.
A newborn infant and splashes of water accompanied by God’s powerful promise. God is able to grow the small seed planted there into something magnificent. A small beginning, yes, but big blessings will follow. An ongoing dialogue between two friends, one of whom is asking questions of the other about God and the Bible. A small seed is being planted, which God can grow into much bigger blessings over time.
A sermon is shared, a service is streamed, an invitation is extended. A passage is quoted, a prayer is said. A hurting soul is comforted. A small bit of bread and wine are received. A devotion is read together. In all of it, the small mustard seed of the gospel is being scattered, and through all of it, God is causing big blessings to grow.
But because it starts so small, and because at times it seems to take so long to grow, we must fight the urge to give up on it when we fail to see immediate results. The atom-size attention spans we have in our day and age have not helped. We hardly have to wait for anything anymore, so when we do, we become quickly irritated and give up to move on to something else. Perhaps the days of dial-up internet and rotary phones weren’t as bad as we make them out to be – at least they fostered a measure of patience in our everything-is-instant age! Regardless, keep scattering the seed with the complete confidence that from that tiny gospel seed, God will grow big blessings.
The Word Works in Me
It isn’t necessary for us to know how the Word works to be able to trust that the Word works, since the Holy Spirit is the one doing the heavy lifting. While that is true, one of the blessings that Word produces in us is the desire to learn it, to know it, and to understand it better. Look at Mark’s description of Jesus’ teaching at the conclusion of these two parables. “With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything” (v.33-34). They grew in their learning. Jesus used parables to explain to them things they didn’t understand. And what they didn’t understand, he explained to them. And this happened on an ongoing basis!
Such is the cyclical relationship we have with the Word. The more we’re in it, the more we crave it. To those who avoid it because they don’t understand it, the solution is to be in it more – not less! – so that it will provide us with better understanding.
What did you do the last time you didn’t understand something.? Perhaps a movie ending didn’t make sense. Maybe you couldn’t explain why something that appeared to be in good working order wasn’t doing what it was supposed to. What did you do? Did you just walk away, clueless and content to remain in your ignorance? I doubt it! I’m guessing you googled it in hopes of finding an answer. You may have even texted or talked to a friend about it. You very likely took at least some step toward having a better understanding.
Why are we so reluctant to do the same with the Word? If you don’t get it, that’s fine, but getting away from it is not the solution to getting it. The solution is to scatter more seed. More, not less, and give the Word time to germinate in your heart and mind. Allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten and open up the Scriptures to you.
It’s been said that people overestimate what they can accomplish in one year, but underestimate what they can accomplish in 3-5 years. Reading the Bible in a year may not be for you, but what about reading it in three? What about finding others in whom the seed has just been planted and is starting to sprout, and committing together to keep after it for the long-term? It starts small. It takes time. But it can and will grow great things in your life, because the Word works! Scatter the seed!
