This is how it is with the kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
In spreading and scattering the seed of the word of God the results are not usually immediate or obvious. Indeed it is often the case that if the plant that springs up at once it turns out to have no root and quickly withers. This means that our desire to clinically and scientifically measure progress is often overly intrusive and misguided. Efforts to prod progress can actually hinder growth. The man that scatters the seed does have much that is within his power to do. He can, for example, water and fertilize the ground. But no exertion of effort can make a seed grow even a little. So while this parable is no excuse for laxity, it is nevertheless a call to let go of our need to do what only God can do, a call to surrender to grace. Paul understood this very well.
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase (see First Corinthians 3:6-7).
Even within our own hearts it seems to be more the land's "own accord" that causes it to finally yield the fruit. The mysterious work of the Holy Spirit can remain all but invisible until it surprisingly bursts through the surface and bears fruit in the world. It may seem either that we had done nothing to prepare the way for him or that we had been preparing the way for long enough that we would have expected fruit long ago. But his schedule is never our schedule. And what needs to happen beneath the surface of our soil is not usually evident to us. The Spirit often makes growth spring up in a way that makes it clear that he is the primary agent of growth in our lives. And yet our cooperation and faithfulness is required.
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
The Kingdom of heaven starts so small that an assessment of what we have at the beginning would perhaps lead us to question if it could possibly ever amount to anything. This has manifold meanings. But one thing about which it can give us confidence is the role that we ourselves can play. We might seem like we are not enough, like our knowledge or sanctity is too small to play a part in building the Kingdom. Our thoughts, works, and prayers, might seem too insubstantial to make much difference in the world. But if even the seed itself is tiny, then the parts that comprise it are smaller still. And yet this size at the beginning is no predictor of future results. Indeed Jesus confirms that the seed which grows into a Kingdom big enough to draw in all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, begins at a level that is barely visible at all.
This lack of initial visibility and our inability to monitor progress as growth occurs might tempt us to be afraid. But not so for Paul who was "always courageous" because he walked by faith and not by sight, and therefore had an awareness that, even if he couldn't see it, grace was at work behind the scenes. The tree of God would one day be so full grown as to fulfill the prophecy of Ezekiel.
It shall put forth branches and bear fruit,
and become a majestic cedar.
Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it,
every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.
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