In Mark 4:26-29, Jesus addresses a topic He has been teaching on since the start of His ministry: the Kingdom of God. From the very beginning, this was the core of His message—the good news. If you remember, both Jesus and John the Baptist proclaimed, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”
Notice the reaction to this message! People were drawn to both John and Jesus, eager to hear about the Kingdom. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that many traveled to the Dead Sea to see John, repent of their sins, and be baptized. As for Jesus, people came from as far as Damascus, bringing the sick and demon-possessed to Him. The Jewish people understood the significance of the Kingdom, as the prophets, particularly Isaiah, had described it. In Isaiah 65, he spoke of a time when death, suffering, and decay would no longer rule—when even a hundred-year-old would be considered young, and people would live long, full lives.
Now, let’s turn to the parable in Mark 4:26-29. Unlike many of His other parables, Jesus doesn’t give an explanation for this one. Instead, He leaves it up to us to discern its meaning. If we understand the seed as the Word of God (as seen in the previous parable of the sower in Mark 4:14), then the growing plants represent the impact of God’s Word in our hearts. The fact that the crop grows without the farmer’s direct involvement illustrates that God’s purposes are fulfilled even when we’re unaware or absent. The end goal is the ripened grain—the fruit of the Word, which will be gathered in due time, and the Lord of the harvest will receive glory (Luke 10:2).
The key point here is the inevitability of the Kingdom of God. While it may be hard to grasp, the truth is that God doesn’t depend on us to bring His Kingdom about—we simply have the privilege of being part of it. As 1 Corinthians 3:6 says, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” We’re links in the chain that leads to blessing, but the ultimate fulfillment of God’s Kingdom is certain. It’s not a question of *if* but *when*—and that timing is determined by our Sovereign God.
The dictionary defines inevitability as “the quality of being certain to happen,” and I appreciate that. There’s part of me that struggles with the fact that the final outcome of things may rest on my shoulders, especially knowing I’m flawed and prone to mistakes. But we can take comfort in the fact that God is in control and that His Kingdom is certain.
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