Understanding the Kingdom
So what’s the correlation to the kingdom of God in this parable in Mark 4:26-29? If we consider the context of the book of Mark it’s this: God is in complete control of the results of Jesus’ ministry and the same will be true for the results of the Apostles’ ministry and all Christians throughout the church age. On the heels of the last two sections of Mark 4, it would be a human temptation to try to generate fruit. We want to know for sure we are dealing with good soil and we want to know for sure our efforts are not in vain, but the teaching of this parable is that we can proclaim the truth all we want, but unless God works, there will be no conversions nor will there be any sanctification.
And on the other side of the coin, if there is conversion or growth, then God has automatically worked! Remember 1 Cor. 3 – Paul says, I planted, Apollos watered and God caused the growth. If you take the 3rd party out of that process all you have is some wet seed. Certainly, humans are part of the general process in that we plant seeds, but we have nothing to do with the growth whatsoever. Who, when, and how much someone grows is a complete mystery. The same sermon or book can produce massive change in some and do absolutely nothing in others. Some respond to the call to repent; others could care less. We can’t create good soil in others nor can we create fruit in others, but if we doubt the Word’s power, we end up on one of the slipperiest slopes we can be on. Here’s how it sounds in our minds: “Why isn’t the Word working with this person? Why don’t they believe? Why aren’t they changing? I’ve spoken to them many times about the truth. Maybe I haven’t been persuasive enough or given the right passages.”
At the root of this is that we’re not satisfied with just sharing the Word faithfully and letting God cause the growth. We don’t feel good about sowing the word and then going to sleep, but here’s the wickedness behind that struggle: it’s hard for us to accept this because deep down we take some sort of credit for our salvation. In turn, we minimize our sinful condition and end up viewing ourselves better than others – ”I was able to choose Christ in my wicked state; why won’t you?” If we are in Christ, then God did a supernatural work in our hearts, which Paul compares to God calling light out of darkness in Genesis 1. There not only was no light prior to that, there was nothing; it was formless and void. That, too, describes our spiritual condition prior to the work of God. This is the work that God must do in every person in order that fruit may be produced. So if we don’t allow God to do the work, then all we will have is a work of man. The takeaway from all this is you are not accountable to generate spiritual life in another person nor are you capable of doing so. If we understand this parable rightly, it is incredible news! God must do what we cannot do, yet he loves to do it!