Mark 4:26-34 – We’ve heard Jesus talk about four kinds of soil – Hard, Rocky, Thorny, and Good. Three of the four produce, but one produced nothing and one produced much fruit.

satan is at work and desires to steal seed before it ever has opportunity to germinate. Distress and persecution thwart growth of willing plants with no roots, they receive with joy, but too many things hinder deeper roots. Worries of this age and the deceitfulness of material things and misplaced desires choke out the seed sown among the thorny, weedy ground. Then there is good ground that produces good fruit. In all cases, there is work to be done that can give life and increase.

Do we see the revelation? Are we willing to do the work? We have to Pay Attention. To the level that we “take heed”, it will be measured out to us 4:24.

As we read this last part, casual reading can give false understanding. This is not teaching lazy husbandry… i.e. toss out the seed and go to bed… don’t do anything until the harvest. No, I don’t think so. But it is teaching us to DO what we know and Trust God for his part.

Certainly over the centuries we have gotten educated on how to prepare and produce more effectively, but we still have to trust the Lord. Yet still, the soil needs to be prepared. Seeds need to be gathered. Seed needs to be scattered on the prepared ground – but it is Still God who makes it sprout, “though (we) don’t know how”. The soil produces a crop by itself, yes, but we can prepare it so there is greater opportunity.

  • Sprouts need to be nurtured and understood – “Blade… Head… Full Grain”. We need to know the health, know the development of the sprouts.
  • Then “as soon as” (euthus = straightway, early, immediately, just then) Are we paying attention? Are we ready when time is ripe? Are we on time with where the sprout is in the process? “as soon as” means we are in time with the development. When the crop is ready, we don’t have time to wait… it is ripe now.
  • Send for the sickle –

All of this long passage is talking about the business of God. We must be IN TUNE, ON TIME, With TOOLS, and TEND to the Master’s Business.

Some scripture referencing use of a sickle are “wrath” passages, refering to how God will one day make final judgment on the wicked who refuse his grace. Yet even those passages speak about the process and the urgency of timing.

Joel 3:13 says swing the sickle because harvest is Ripe… Come trample the Grapes because the winepress is full

The vats overflow because the wickedness is extreme. Yes it’s talking about judgment, but notice the process and timing.

Plant, nurture, trust the Lord, but In Tune, you don’t harvest the “blade”, or the “head”, or even the “full grain” that is not yet mature… but WHEN it’s ripe… swing the sickle

He says, “come”… you can’t stay at the house when the field is full of ripe fruit. When the ripe fruit is gathered, you can’t leave it, it has to be transformed into product. In every stage, if we don’t work at the business of the Master, the product is left unfinished.

Whether we are talking about grapes or wheat… or even sheep… they all have an expected outcome. Are we doing the work?

In TUNE

On Time

With Tools

Tend to the Master’s Business until he comes and says, “well done”.

Might not seem like much up front. He shifts in vv30-32 to talking about a little Mustard seed. It doesn’t seem like much, but it turns into a large plant in the garden. Leave the final size in his hands, do what we are commissioned to do.

Then John reminds us in v34 that Jesus would go into much more detail in private with his disciples. If we will Draw Close to the Lord, Ask the questions, we will hear answers, and prove we are disciples.

Oh the Kingdom Business – Thank you Lord for “foolishly” including us.