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The Parable of the Growing Seed (also called the ''Seed Growing Secretly'') is a parables of Jesus, parable of Jesus which appears only in . It is a parable about growth in the Kingdom of God. It follows the Parable of the Sower and the Lamp under a bushel, and precedes the Parable of the Mustard Seed.
The parable is as follows:
Exploring Mark: A Devotional Commentary
', Review and Herald Pub Assoc, 2004, , pp. 107-108. although it does not follow that parable immediately. Seventh-day Adventist writer George R. Knight, George Knight suggests that it serves as a "correction provided for any ancient or modern Disciple (Christianity), disciples who might be feeling discouraged with the amount of fruitless labor they had extended toward those" who failed to hear the message of which the parable of the Sower spoke. Even when the farmer sleeps, the Kingdom of God is still growing. Its growth is due to God, not man,Richard N. Longenecker,
The Challenge of Jesus' Parables
', Eerdmans, 2000, , p. 97. and follows its own timetable.James R. Edwards,
The Gospel According to Mark
', Eerdmans, 2002, , pp. 142-144. Paul the Apostle describes the growth of the church in Ancient Corinth, Corinth in a similar way: :''I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow''.
Unlike the parable of the Sower, the seed here seems to represent the Kingdom of God itself.Klyne Snodgrass,
Stories with Intent: A comprehensive guide to the parables of Jesus
', Eerdmans, 2008, , p. 213. Differences in interpretation result from emphasizing different aspects of the parable, such as the seed, the sower, or the earth.Klyne Snodgrass,
Stories with Intent: A comprehensive guide to the parables of Jesus
', Eerdmans, 2008, , pp. 184-190. Leonard Goffiné answers the question of "why the word of God is compared to seed," writing, "Because as good fruits spring from good seed, so do good works from the word of God; and as it is impossible for any soil not sown to produce good fruits, so neither can men produce the fruits of the Spirit without the seed of the divine Word." Roger Baxter in his ''Meditations'' writes, "Christ our Lord is both the sower and the seed itself. He intrusts the soil of our souls with His own precious body and blood. He wishes this divine grain to yield a harvest, not of temporal and corruptible, but of eternal and incorruptible, increase. For " he whosoweth in the spirit shall reap life everlasting." (Gal. 3:8)
The Parable of the Growing Seed (also called the ''Seed Growing Secretly'') is a parables of Jesus, parable of Jesus which appears only in . It is a parable about growth in the Kingdom of God. It follows the Parable of the Sower and the Lamp under a bushel, and precedes the Parable of the Mustard Seed.
Narrative
The parable is as follows:
Interpretation
This parable can be seen as related to the parable of the Sower,George R. Knight,Exploring Mark: A Devotional Commentary
', Review and Herald Pub Assoc, 2004, , pp. 107-108. although it does not follow that parable immediately. Seventh-day Adventist writer George R. Knight, George Knight suggests that it serves as a "correction provided for any ancient or modern Disciple (Christianity), disciples who might be feeling discouraged with the amount of fruitless labor they had extended toward those" who failed to hear the message of which the parable of the Sower spoke. Even when the farmer sleeps, the Kingdom of God is still growing. Its growth is due to God, not man,Richard N. Longenecker,
The Challenge of Jesus' Parables
', Eerdmans, 2000, , p. 97. and follows its own timetable.James R. Edwards,
The Gospel According to Mark
', Eerdmans, 2002, , pp. 142-144. Paul the Apostle describes the growth of the church in Ancient Corinth, Corinth in a similar way: :''I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow''.
Unlike the parable of the Sower, the seed here seems to represent the Kingdom of God itself.Klyne Snodgrass, Stories with Intent: A comprehensive guide to the parables of Jesus
', Eerdmans, 2008, , p. 213. Differences in interpretation result from emphasizing different aspects of the parable, such as the seed, the sower, or the earth.Klyne Snodgrass,
Stories with Intent: A comprehensive guide to the parables of Jesus
', Eerdmans, 2008, , pp. 184-190. Leonard Goffiné answers the question of "why the word of God is compared to seed," writing, "Because as good fruits spring from good seed, so do good works from the word of God; and as it is impossible for any soil not sown to produce good fruits, so neither can men produce the fruits of the Spirit without the seed of the divine Word." Roger Baxter in his ''Meditations'' writes, "Christ our Lord is both the sower and the seed itself. He intrusts the soil of our souls with His own precious body and blood. He wishes this divine grain to yield a harvest, not of temporal and corruptible, but of eternal and incorruptible, increase. For " he whosoweth in the spirit shall reap life everlasting." (Gal. 3:8)
See also
* Life of Jesus in the New Testament * Ministry of Jesus * Parable of the SowerReferences
{{Parables of Jesus, state=expanded Parables of Jesus, Growing Seed, Parable of the Gospel of Mark