Parable of the Growing Seed: Difference between revisions
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==Narrative== |
==Narrative== |
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The parable is as follows: |
The parable is as follows: |
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{{quotation|He said, " |
{{quotation|He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."|Mark 4:26-29, [[New International Version]]}} |
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==Interpretation== |
==Interpretation== |
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Revision as of 20:56, 25 September 2010
The Parable of the Growing Seed or the Seed Growing Secretly is a parable told by Jesus in the New Testament, and found in Mark Mark 4:26–29, where it follows the parable of the Sower and the lamp under a bushel, and precedes the parable of the Mustard Seed.
An abbreviated version of the parable also appears in the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas (Saying 21d).[1]
Narrative
The parable is as follows:
He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."
— Mark 4:26-29, New International Version
Interpretation
This parable can be seen as related to the parable of the Sower,[2] although it does not follow that parable immediately. One interpretation is that it serves as a "correction provided for any ancient or modern 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.[2] Even when the farmer sleeps, the Kingdom of God is still growing. Its growth is due to God, not man,[3] and follows its own timetable.[4]
Unlike the parable of the Sower, the seed here seems to represent the Kingdom of God itself.[5] Differences in interpretation result from emphasising different aspects of the parable, such as the seed, the sower, or the earth.[6]
References
- ^ Gospel of Thomas: Lamb translation and Patterson/Meyer translation.
- ^ a b George R. Knight, Exploring Mark: A Devotional Commentary, Review and Herald Pub Assoc, 2004, ISBN 0828018375, pp. 107-108.
- ^ Richard N. Longenecker, The Challenge of Jesus' Parables, Eerdmans, 2000, ISBN 0802846386, p. 97.
- ^ James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark, Eerdmans, 2002, ISBN 0851117783, pp. 142-144.
- ^ Klyne Snodgrass, Stories with Intent: A comprehensive guide to the parables of Jesus, Eerdmans, 2008, ISBN 0802842410, p. 213.
- ^ Klyne Snodgrass, Stories with Intent: A comprehensive guide to the parables of Jesus, Eerdmans, 2008, ISBN 0802842410, pp. 184-190.