Lesson #55

THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #55
THE PARABLE OF THE GROWING SEED AND THE HARVEST (MAR 4:26-29)

• MEMORY VERSE: HOSEA 10:12

• THIS PARABLE OF THE GROWING SEED AND THE HARVEST IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK IS SIMILAR TO A PARABLE WE STUDIED IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW. HOWEVER THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENCES IN THAT THE FOCUS OF THIS PARABLE IS DIFFERENT.
• A REVIEW OF THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER AND THE SEED (MAT 13:3-23) (LESSON #26)
• IN THAT PARABLE, THE WORD OF GOD WAS PLANTED IN THE HEARTS OF MEN THAT WAS REPRESENTED BY DIFFERENT KINDS OF RECEPTIVE SOIL.
• THE FOCUS WAS ON THE INDIVIDUAL, AND HOW HE RECEIVED THE WORD OF GOD, AND HOW HIS FAITH GREW BECAUSE OF IT.

• THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER AND THE SEED:
• HUMAN HEARTS ARE NOT EQUALLY RECEPTIVE TO CHRIST AND THE WORD OF GOD. INSTEAD THE HEART ALLOWS OTHER THINGS TO TAKE PRIORITY. GOD WANTS US TO BE SPIRITUALLY PERCEPTIVE:
• WE NEED TO HEAR AND PERCEIVE HIS COMMAND OF WHAT HE WANTS US TO DO WITH OUR LIVES.
• WE NEED TO BE COMMITTED TO CHRIST SO THAT WE OBEY HIS CALLING IN OUR LIVES.
• WE NEED TO PERCEIVE THE ANOINTING OF THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO ENABLES US TO COMPLETE HIS WILL.

• THE PARABLE OF THE GROWING SEED AND THE HARVEST (MAR 4:26-29)
• READ MAR 4:26-29
• WHO DOES THE MAN REPRESENT?
• PREVIOUSLY IN THE PARABLES, THE CENTRAL FIGURE WAS USUALLY CHRIST. HOWEVER, IN THIS PARABLE THE CENTRAL FIGURE CANNOT BE CHRIST. WHY?
• CHRIST DOES NOT SLEEP. HE IS ALWAYS AWARE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING.
• THEREFORE, THE MAN REPRESENTS THE BELIEVER WHO PREACHES THE WORD OF GOD.
• WHAT DOES THE SEED REPRESENT?
• THE SEED REPRESENTS THE WORD OF GOD JUST AS IN THE PREVIOUS PARABLE.
• IT IS THE INCORRUPTIBLE SEED.
• READ 1PET 1:23
• WHAT DOES THE GROUND REPRESENT?
• THE GROUND REPRESENTS THE HUMAN HEART JUST AS IN THE PREVIOUS PARABLE.
• WHAT DOES THE HARVEST REPRESENT?
• THE WORD, HARVEST, WHEN USED SYMBOLICALLY THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE, ALWAYS REPRESENTS JUDGMENT ON MAN.
• READ JOE 3:13
• WHAT IS MEANT BY THE PHRASE, “SLEEP, AND RISE, NIGHT, AND DAY”? (27)
• THIS PHRASE REPRESENTS THE DAILY ROUND OF LIFE FOR ALL PEOPLE.
• NOTICE THE THREE STAGES OF THE KINGDOM: THE BLADE, THE EAR, THE FULL CORN. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? (28)
• THESE ARE THE STAGES OR SEQUENCES OF NATURAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF A STALK OF GRAIN.
• NOTICE THAT IT SAYS IN VERSE 28 THAT THE EARTH BRINGS FORTH FRUIT OF ITSELF.
• IN OTHER WORDS, THE SEED PLANT BRINGS FORTH THE SAME KIND OF GRAIN AS ITS PARENT PLANT. A CORN PLANT DOES NOT PRODUCE WHEAT.
• THE WORD OF GOD IS SELF-ACTING TO DUPLICATE ITSELF.
• THERE IS SOMETHING INHERENT IN THE LIVING WORD OF GOD THAT HAS THE POWER AND ENERGY TO PRODUCE SPIRITUAL LIFE WHEN CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT.
• THE PROPER CONDITIONS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SPIRITUAL LIFE ARE THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND A RECEPTIVE HEART.
• THERE ARE TWO MAJOR INTERPRETATIONS FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT PATTERN OF GROWTH:
• =1= SOME THEOLOGIANS INTERPRET THESE THREE STAGES OF GROWTH AS THE THREE STAGES OF GROWTH THE INDIVIDUAL IN HIS EXPERIENCES TO BECOME A MATURE CHRISTIAN.
• THERE IS SOME GOOD EVIDENCE FOR THIS INTERPRETATION:
• READ 1JOH 2:12-13
• NOTICE THE THREE STAGES OF A BELIEVER’S GROWTH:
• “CHILDREN” = NEW BABY CHRISTIANS
• “YOUNG MEN” = YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE WITHOUT A GREAT DEAL OF WISDOM.
• “FATHERS” = MATURE CHRISTIANS IN LEADERSHIP.
• THE HARVEST IS AT THE DEATH OF THE INDIVIDUAL WHO THEN GOES TO BE WITH THE LORD, AND EVENTUALLY STANDS BEFORE THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST.
• =2= SOME THEOLOGIANS SEE THIS PARABLE AS HAVING A PROPHETIC MEANING CONCERNING THREE STAGES IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
• STAGE #1 IS THE “BLADE” =
• THE BLADE REPRESENTS THE CHURCH AGE IN WHICH WE ARE NOW LIVING. DURING THIS PERIOD. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ACTIVELY COMPLETING THE CHURCH BY WORKING SECRETLY IN THE HEARTS OF MEN.
• STAGE #2 IS THE “EAR” =
• THE EAR REPRESENTS THE MILLENNIAL AGE IN WHICH THERE IS THE MANIFESTATION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH AND RULED OVER BY JESUS CHRIST FOR 1,000 YEARS.
• IN THIS STAGE, FRUIT BEGINS TO FORM, BUT IT IS NOT YET COMPLETE AND FULLY RIPE.
• STAGE #3 IS THE “FULL CORN” =
• THE FULL CORN REPRESENTS THE FUTURE ETERNITY WHEN THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS COMPLETE AND PERFECTED. (EPH 1:10)
• NOTICE THAT THE GRAIN IS REAPED WHEN IT IS FULLY RIPE.
• IT IS IN THIS STAGE THAT SATAN AND SIN ARE FINALLY DEFEATED AND NON-BELIEVERS ARE FINALLY JUDGED AT THE GREAT WHITE THRONE OF GOD.
• THE PROBLEM WITH THIS PROPHETIC INTERPRETATION OF THE PARABLE:
• WHO DOES THE HARVESTING IN VERSE 29?
• THE PARABLE TELLS US THAT THE SOWER DOES THE HARVESTING.
• BECAUSE THE SOWER REPRESENTS MAN IN THIS PARABLE, IT MAKES THIS INTERPRETATION INVALID. IT IS NOT MAN WHO DOES THE HARVESTING AT THE END, BUT IT IS GOD WHO PERFORMS THE FINAL JUDGMENT.
• READ REV 20:11-15
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE OF THE GROWING SEED AND THE HARVEST?
• THE BETTER INTERPRETATION SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT INDIVIDUAL SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS IMPORTANT TO GOD. BELIEVERS ARE TO GROW IN GRACE WHERE WE ARE INCREASING IN A SPIRIT OF CONFORMITY TO THE WORD OF GOD, AND WHERE WE ARE GOVERNING OUR LIVES MORE AND MORE BY DIVINE PRINCIPLES…BECOMING MORE AND MORE LIKE CHRIST.
• READ 2PET 3:18
• GOD WILL CONTINUE TO SEND HIS WORD THROUGHOUT THE EARTH UNTIL THE FINAL JUDGMENT OF UN-BELIEVING MAN AT THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT.
• THE FOCUS OF THIS PARABLE IS ON THE SEED (THE LIVING WORD OF GOD) THAT PRODUCES OF ITSELF TO THE GLORY OF GOD.
• READ ISA 55:11
• SUMMARY:
• WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS PARABLE OF THE GROWING SEED AND THE HARVEST, AND THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER AND THE SEED IN MAT 13:3-23?
• AS YOU HAVE NOTICED THERE ARE SOME SIMILARITIES BUT ALSO SOME SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES THAT MAKE THIS A SEPARATE PARABLE.
• THE SIMILARITIES:
• THE SEED THAT REPRESENTS THE WORD OF GOD.
• THE GROUND THAT REPRESENTS THE RECEPTIVE CONDITION OF THE HUMAN HEART.
• THE DIFFERENCES:
• THE FOCUS OF THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER AND THE SEED (MAT 13:3-23) = THE RECEPTIVENESS OF THE CONDITION OF THE HUMAN HEART.
• THE FOCUS OF THE PARABLE OF THE GROWING SEED AND THE HARVEST (MAR 4:26-29) = THE NATURE OF THE SEED THAT GROWS TO PRODUCE FRUIT IN THE HEART OF MAN.

HOMEWORK
THE PARABLE OF THE CREDITOR AND THE TWO DEBTORS (LUK 7:41-43)
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE GROWING SEED AND THE HARVEST (MAR 4:26-29)
• EXPLAIN IN WHICH STAGE OF YOUR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AND WHY?

• “CHILDREN” = NEW BABY CHRISTIANS

• “YOUNG MEN” = YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE WITHOUT A GREAT DEAL OF WISDOM.

• “FATHERS” = MATURE CHRISTIANS IN LEADERSHIP

• WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING TO CAUSE MORE SPIRITUAL GROWTH IN YOUR LIFE?

• WHAT WILL YOU DO THIS WEEK TO BETTER PROMOTE YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH?

• PREPARATION FOR THE PARABLE OF THE CREDITOR AND THE TWO DEBTORS (LUK 7:41-43)
• READ LUK 7:36-50 FOR THE CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE.
• ACCORDING TO THE PARABLE IN VERSES 41-43, WHO DOES THE CREDITOR REPRESENT?

• WHO DOES THE DEBTOR REPRESENT THAT OWES 500 DENARII?

• WHO DOES THE DEBTOR REPRESENT THAT OWES 50 DENARII?

• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?

• MEMORY VERSE: ROM 5:2