From Seed to Harvest: Examining the Seasons of Spiritual Fruition
This blog explores the four seasons of spiritual growth as a Christ-follower. How does the Word of God change our lives through the innate ability to bring growth and change? Examining the Parable of the Seed Growing teaches us how Christ transforms our lives, even when we can’t see it.
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The Parable of the Seed Growing
26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once, he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come.”
A Natural Representation of the Supernatural
The Parable of the Seed Growing focuses on the quality and power of the seed of God’s Word. The Apostle James tells us to humbly receive the implanted word, which is available to save us.
Jesus uses organic terminology because the seed is a metaphor for God’s Word. When Jesus taught, He often did so from the natural to represent the supernatural reality.
When a seed is planted, a force is indeed released. That seed sprouts and germinates to become a plant, then bears fruit. It can produce great impact and fruitfulness from just the seed itself.
The four seasons play a strategic role in the seed growing in its proper cycle. Now, that’s not true of every environment. However, seasons play a strategic role in cultivation, plant life, and crop yields. Without the four seasons, there would be no life as we know it. You will see in this blog that God has created things so that you also have seasons. This is a parable of the seasons of spiritual growth, truth, and reality.
Let’s examine the four seasons of growing as a Christ follower.
The Four Seasons of Growing as a Christ-Follower
1) The Season of Sowing
JESUS: “The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground…” Mark 4:26b
Before you came to know Jesus, you were in what the Bible calls a Kingdom of Darkness. However, upon surrendering your life to Christ, you’ve been transformed into a new kingdom of light and God. You have a new identity and way of operation in Jesus.
You can’t have the benefits of the Kingdom without the King. You can’t experience the benefits of the Kingdom without the King’s words—His way, His truth, and His life—His Seed, His Word.
“Mark Sayers describes [in a podcast] the progressive vision of the world as ‘the kingdom without the King.’ We want all of God’s blessings—without submitting to His loving rule and reign. We want progress—without His presence. We want justice—without His justification… “ Ian Harber, ‘Progressive’ Christianity: Even Shallower Than the Evangelical Faith I Left
In The Parable of the Sower, Jesus shared that about 75% of the seed of God’s Word fell on unresponsive soil. So now He shares a parable to encourage us to continue to sow the seed of God’s word in our own lives and the lives of others.
When the seed of God is sown into our lives or others, it takes faith and patience. Paul warns us not to grow weary doing good, for in due season, we will reap if we do not give up.
The bottom line of this parable is that God will bless the seed you sow in the soil of your heart and others. His Word does not come back empty or void; therefore, for you to grow spiritually, God’s Word must be planted within you.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
This is why Jesus would say, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
If you understand that verse but recognize you’re not living that way, let me advocate for you:
Never despise a small beginning.
Start where you are. If you’re a new believer or exploring Christianity, begin with the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). [READ MORE: How Do I Read the Bible]
Study who Jesus was and what He was like.
2) The Seasons of God’s Timing
JESUS: “He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.” Mark 4:27
Often, we can go through the motions of our quiet time. We spend time in Scripture, prayer, and meditation, yet we might wonder, “Is anything getting through?” We may not see the fruitfulness, but some growth is below the surface.
As we continue to expose our hearts and lives to God’s Word, we sow it into the lives of others, and there are seasons where fruitfulness and transformation begin to emerge.
The seed grows without effort from the one who is sowing the seed. The success of the Christian message does not depend upon human effort or understanding—though all of us need to scatter the seed. The seed succeeds because God is active.
Jesus, by telling the parable, and Mark, by recording it, encouraged disciples who were experiencing rejection of their message and frustration at their lack of understanding of God’s mysterious purposes that God’s kingdom would surely come. The growth of the seed, in its early stages, is humanly imperceptible, but there is divine activity in the soil of the human heart.
If you’re a believer and have someone in your life, perhaps a spouse, child, grandchild, friend, etc., and you wish they’d join a church or begin a relationship with God, I suggest you take the Word of God to them. In the most diplomatic and gracious way, occasionally salt and pepper your conversation with Scripture.
We must remember that God’s Word is living and active. By weaving passages into our conversation, God honors the power of His Word. According to Jesus, our job is to sow seeds, and He will provide the growth.
3) The Seasons of God’s Power
JESUS: “The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.” Mark 4:28
Spiritual growth involves God’s power; He is the only one who can transform someone. Look closely at what Jesus says in verse 28, “The earth produces the crops by itself.”
The phrase “by itself” is significant. That phrase comes from the Greek word automatos (Automate, Automatic), which means there is something in the seed that is inherent, innate, and intrinsic that produces growth.
You see this automatos effect on seeds everywhere. A seed falls in the middle of a field, and a wildflower grows. No farmer planted it or watered it or anything. God has built into and designed the seed with an innate power that will grow once planted in good ground. It’s automatic; It’s automatos.
God’s Word, the “seed” in this parable, has this automatos power. Once God’s Word is planted in good ground, it will grow automatically. It will take time, but it will grow. Many days and nights may come and go, but the automatos effect occurs under the surface. You may not be able to see it, but it’s happening. The automatos of God’s Word are working in the heart and mind of that person, and someone is about to change.
In Greek, the placement of words also helps determine what is being emphasized in a statement. In the original language, the phrase “by itself,” automatos, is placed at the beginning of the sentence rather than the end, giving it greater emphasis.
Literally, what Jesus says here is, “By itself, the earth produces the crops.” Indicating the parallel that God’s Word, by itself, when planted in good soil, does its automatos work.
Remember how Jesus started the parable? The “Kingdom of God is like this,” meaning when you’re a believer in the Kingdom of God, this is what it’s like. His Word has built-in power that comes from Him. Once planted, you don’t have to do anything else to let it work. The pressure is off.
Paul was talking about this when he said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
That’s the automatos of God’s Word. The writer of Hebrews says:
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
Jesus is teaching us to trust His word and recognize that when we sow it into our hearts and land on good soil, it lands with power, and God works in it. Be encouraged in that.
4) The Season of Reaping
JESUS: “But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:29
Some scholars believe this is a reference to the end of time. Upon Christ’s return, there’s a division between sheep and goats.
Others believe this refers to a harvest of fruitfulness for the Christian. In the context of Jesus’ parable, they believe this refers to the harvest of fruitfulness for believers who’ve sown the seed into their hearts and others.
Let’s discuss both perspectives.
From a common sense perspective, we know that the sun will burn out one day. Granted, it’s estimated to be five to seven billion years from now, but eventually, the hydrogen will run out. However, we know that creation is not permanent; it’s temporal.
Scriptures from the Gospels Describing Jesus’ Second Coming:
“Astronomers hold out no hope that this planet is going to be permanently inhabitable…Nature is a sinking ship…if there is no God and no life of some quite different source somewhere outside of nature…” C.S. Lewis, author
Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ will return, and many passages describe His second coming. Within those passages, multiple teachings share there will be a harvest of believers who will inhabit a new earth and be with Jesus.
Here’s the other angle: Once the Word of God is sown, a process is started and cannot be stopped. We see it all around us, and we participate as believers.
Let me explain:
If you were going to start a worldwide movement, you would develop a marketing plan, scalable processes, and consult with the best in the business. But that’s not what Jesus did. Instead, he began with 12 people and only had 36 months to invest in them, and one of them betrayed Him!
This is why, in His next parable, Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. You don’t realize what you’ve got.
TL;DR:
This blog post discusses the Parable of the Seed Growing from Mark 4:26-29. It explores the metaphor of God's Word as a seed and four seasons of spiritual growth for Christ-followers. The four seasons are:
The Season of Sowing: Planting God's Word in your heart and the hearts of others.
The Seasons of God's Timing: Trusting that growth happens in God's timing, even if it's imperceptible at times.
The Seasons of God's Power: Recognizing the inherent power in God's Word to transform hearts.
The Season of Reaping: Believing in a future harvest, either in the end times or as a result of sowing God's Word into hearts.
Related Reading
4 Heart Conditions that Impact Spiritual Fruitfulness by Rev. Paul Lawler
Debtors of Grace by Rev. Paul Lawler
