God’s Word is Growing

Text: Mark 4:26-34

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

          The season of Pentecost is our longest season of the church year and as you know from our paraments on the altar, pulpit, and lectern is our green season. The color fits well with the emphasis of the season which is the growth of the Christian church, nourished by God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. And this week especially, we note that theme of growth in the Old Testament reading from Ezekiel where we hear of the noble cedar that God will plant on a “high and lofty mountain.” These verses point us to the Messiah who not only was planted here on earth as He was sent by His Heavenly Father, but bore fruit, provided protection, and eventually on the Mount of Calvary accomplished the salvation of the whole world. Our Gospel reading too speaks of growth. Here, Jesus uses the parables of the seed that sprouts and grows and of the mustard seed to remind us of who is producing the growth. And it’s not us. We may sow the seed, and we will see the harvest, but

GOD – HIS WORD AND HIS SPIRIT – PRODUCE THE GROWTH.

          Hear again the first parable that Jesus tells. “And he said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.’”

This parable begins and ends with action by the human character. It begins with a sure and certain hope. “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.” Anyone who has ever scattered seed on the ground knows about hope. This tiny seed gets dropped into the ground and the hope is that somehow that’s going to grow into something that produces the thing that we’re looking for. Corn, beans, squash, whatever it might be. And then in the end there’s the certain joy of the harvest. “But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” What was hoped for has come to fruition and now the joy of the harvest is realized.

What’s baffling is the in between. The middle of this parable is two sentences that say so much about the mystery of growth. And not just for the crops we plant in the ground, but really for the growth God works in the lives of believers. “He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.” That’s where we find ourselves so often. In the middle between the sowing and the harvest. That’s where we live our lives. We know the beginning because we’ve already been through it. And we know the end because we believe what God has promised. But in the middle, we find ourselves in the place of that farmer. Sleeping and rising night and day and watching as the seed sprouts and grows. And we know not how.

By the grace of God though, He tells us how it happens. He reveals to us what’s going on in the middle. He assures us that it’s not anything that we do, or even that we could do, that gets us from the beginning to the end. “The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.” If we claim to understand how this happens, we’re deceiving ourselves. Only God knows how that seed becomes a plant. And how it then produces fruit. We know that good soil, sun, and water all have a part in it, but to say we really know how God works all this together would be the same as to say that we understand how a child is knit together in his mother’s womb. The work in the middle is God’s work, not our own. And not only is it not our work, but it’s also not always for us to understand all the details of how it’s done. In what timing, by what means, and what the exact final outcome will look like.

Which is terribly frustrating for us. The parable begins by telling us what the kingdom of God is like. And yet we don’t get to see every detail. And we don’t get to dictate every outcome. In a world that idolizes knowledge, it’s hard for us to think that there are things that we simply are never going to know for sure. We’d like to think that if we just knew a few certain things that we could handle the unknown of this middle that we’re currently living in. But what God is doing here is giving us permission to not know exactly what He’s doing. It’s alright to live for a while in the dark about what work God is accomplishing in our lives and in the lives of those around us. That’s what faith is all about. It’s relying on God that the Word that’s been planted is working even when we’re not able to see the results yet. Let it work.

Sometimes that’s the hardest thing for us to do. We’re people who want to have our hands in the mix. We want to be guiding and directing the results. But we must have faith and see the longer-term perspective that God is working in His kingdom. And realize that there are times when the way in which God works is beyond our understanding. Isaiah reminds us that the Lord declares, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” And the truth is that His thoughts and His ways are far superior to ours. And when we try to figure is out on our own, or meddle with His work, we can really mess it up. Imagine planting that seed in the ground and then in your impatience digging it up just to see what kind of progress it’s making. It’s not going to end well. You’ll kill the plant. Which is why God gives us permission to live in the middle. Leaning on the truth that He is always working for the harvest only He can cultivate.

All we can do is to do what He’s called us to do and rest in the gracious understanding that He is working. Which is hard when the middle is a place full of questions and uncertainty, and even fear. Why can’t we see the work He’s doing all the time? We all know that child who has walked away from the faith. You had them baptized, you brought them to church, and now they’re in the middle between the sowing and the harvest. Keep praying for them. God is working. Or the spouse or parent whose mental and physical decline we were never prepared for. Hang in there. God is working. The relationships that are frayed by sin and unresolved tension. Follow God’s Word as you seek to restore healthy relationships, but always remember God is working. The inevitable bumps in the road as you raise your children, seek God’s calling on your life, and navigate the assaults of the evil one. Keep your focus on the Word and the work He’s doing.

This place in between the sowing and the harvest will be full of all kinds of doubt and uncertainty, but it’s also exactly where Christ came to do His work. It’s where our Heavenly Father planted His beloved Son. It’s where He caused Him to “grow and become strong, filled with wisdom.” Jesus entered into the middle, where we reside, so that He might bring us out of it. He came to this earth to do the work that none of us could do ourselves. And when His work here was finished, where did He end up? In the middle. Hanging on a cross between two sinners who represent each and every one of us. And out of all that work on our behalf comes life and salvation. Even now as we live between the resurrection and the new creation and await the full and final harvest, we have a sure and certain hope that the seed that has been planted is growing. And we have the certain joy that in the end His harvest will be plentiful. Have faith. Know that the Word is growing and working for the good of all who love Him. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.