We live in a hurried season where results are proof and speed is virtue. So when Jesus talks about seed that grows secretly, it cuts against our nervous, outcome-driven hearts. Have you ever wondered whether the small, faithful things you do—prayers said, conversations started, kindnesses given—are actually doing anything at all? This parable meets that ache and says: growth often happens where you cannot control it.
In Mark 4:26–29 Jesus tells a short story: a man scatters seed on the land, then goes about his life—sleeping and rising—while the seed sprouts and grows on its own. He doesn’t know how it happens; the earth produces a crop by itself. When the grain is ripe, the man harvests. This little parable is found in Mark (not in Matthew or Luke as this exact “growing seed” story), though the Gospels do contain related seed imagery elsewhere.
What this reveals about Jesus and the kingdom is quietly revolutionary. Jesus is teaching that the kingdom’s power is not always flashy or humanly engineered; it is patient, organic, and mysterious. God’s work often takes place beneath the surface—rooting in soil we cannot see—and is not exhausted by our striving. Yet Jesus does not excuse passivity: the man sows; he participates. The challenge is to keep sowing faithfully without letting anxiety about visible results define our worth. The grace is that God is the one who brings the increase.
Today, plant one small, concrete seed and then intentionally let go of the outcome. Send that email of encouragement, read a Bible story to a child, forgive a small offense, or keep showing up at the job you feel called to. After you act, practice Sabbath trust: sleep on it, journal any changes over weeks, and resist the itch to measure immediate fruit. Let these small, steady acts be your worship, trusting that God—who knows how seeds become harvest—will complete his good work.
In Mark 4:26–29 Jesus tells a short story: a man scatters seed on the land, then goes about his life—sleeping and rising—while the seed sprouts and grows on its own. He doesn’t know how it happens; the earth produces a crop by itself. When the grain is ripe, the man harvests. This little parable is found in Mark (not in Matthew or Luke as this exact “growing seed” story), though the Gospels do contain related seed imagery elsewhere.
What this reveals about Jesus and the kingdom is quietly revolutionary. Jesus is teaching that the kingdom’s power is not always flashy or humanly engineered; it is patient, organic, and mysterious. God’s work often takes place beneath the surface—rooting in soil we cannot see—and is not exhausted by our striving. Yet Jesus does not excuse passivity: the man sows; he participates. The challenge is to keep sowing faithfully without letting anxiety about visible results define our worth. The grace is that God is the one who brings the increase.
Today, plant one small, concrete seed and then intentionally let go of the outcome. Send that email of encouragement, read a Bible story to a child, forgive a small offense, or keep showing up at the job you feel called to. After you act, practice Sabbath trust: sleep on it, journal any changes over weeks, and resist the itch to measure immediate fruit. Let these small, steady acts be your worship, trusting that God—who knows how seeds become harvest—will complete his good work.
Mark: 4:26-29
Jesus compares the kingdom of God to seed that a farmer sows: it grows mysteriously and steadily on its own—from blade to ear to full grain—even though the sower does not know how. When it is ripe, the harvest naturally comes, showing the inevitable fruition of God's work.
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