Mark 4:26-29

Rachel Workman: ²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” To me this eludes to hidden things in Christ. We don't see it and we don't know how it works exactly but it does. Just like Christ in our lives. We are horrible and despicable really, yet Christ loves us anyway. How? Why? I don't know but it just works. Christ is faithful when we are not. How it all works it yet still a mystery. Just like I would take fruit from the vine that I'm unsure of how it grew I'll take Christ's mercy.

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Mike Grimm:  ²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

This parable about the kingdom of God is only recorded by Mark. It reveals that spiritual growth is a continual, gradual process that is finally consummated in a harvest of spiritual maturity. It can be compared to a plant growing. Just because we repeated a prayer once when we were kids or get our scripture from the back of a Tee shirt or CHRISTian music does not mean that we are spiritually mature. There have been a few instances for me where I have said or done something that God would not approve of while wearing a CHRISTian Tee shirt. I’m sure many people have scratched their heads wondering if that was the only shirt I had, or if I stole it, or if, and I’m guessing this is what they were thinking…what a hypocrite. It just doesn’t happen overnight as it’s a continual process to reach spiritual maturity. We’re going to fail, fall and drift but God will always welcome us back with open arms. But when we come back we must not come back to where we were. We need to come back a little further along. Eventually we will stop straying and start focusing more on God. By my calculations, in order for me to reach spiritual maturity, at my current pace, I will have to live longer than Methuselah did.

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Tomorrow's reading for Mark 4:30-34

³⁰ Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. ³² 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.”

³³ With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. ³⁴ He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.