“It’s a miracle!” I said with a grin.

“What is?” was Bob’s response.

“It’s a miracle,” I repeated. “You work even less than I do.”

Bob responded with a few words that the editors of RJ would probably not print. Bob was a parishioner in the first church that I served. He was a farmer, an elder, a mentor, and eventually a friend.

At one of my first consistory meetings, I asked the elders to take turns leading our time together in devotions. As you can imagine, some jumped at the chance while others did so under duress. And then there was Bob. At the end of the meeting Bob was waiting for me with a question.

“When are you combining for me this week?”

I had no idea what he was talking about. Had I forgotten something?

He went on. “Well if I’m going to do your job (leading devotions), then I just assumed you would do mine.”

I laughed. I knew I was going to like Bob.

“Bob” I said, “my job is to equip you as a spiritual leader of the church. Trust me, it would be way easier if I just did devotions myself.” But I didn’t stop there. “As for combining, how about Wednesday?” 

I showed up early Wednesday morning. I climbed in ready to work and asked, “What do I do?” He responded “Don’t touch anything.”

I spent the next few hours riding chatting with Bob while satellites guided our machine. We were told how many bushels we were collecting as well as the moisture content of the beans. By lunch all we had done was ride. Thus, my jibe “You work even less than I do.” Let’s be real, Bob was one of the hardest working people I ever knew. But what I learned as we rode back and forth across the field is that you can work as hard as you want, but part of farming is completely out of your control. 

In Mark 4:26-29 Jesus tells a parable about a farmer who plants seed. It grows with no real work on the part of the farmer who waits until it’s ready for harvest. It’s a short and quirky parable that no other gospel writer included. And yet as I read it this week, I found it applicable and even comforting. Interpretations of this parable have varied throughout Christian history. What is generally agreed upon is that this story is meant to answer questions about Jesus’ proclamation about the kingdom. 

I think the best interpretation for this parable is that Christ is the sower, whose seed is the inauguration of the kingdom of God. The harvest is the final judgment. Thus, the time in between, while the seed sprouts and grows, is the period of God’s kingdom. The sowing that took place during Jesus’ ministry is expressed in the use of the aorist tense of the verb “to sow.” This verb tense implies a one time event, namely the ministry of Jesus. However, the growth and the harvest are written in the present tense, which indicates an ongoing process.

The short message then is this: what has begun with Jesus will eventually lead to the full realization of God’s kingdom. It’s meant to be an optimistic understanding of the world. That’s a message Christians in the first century needed. It’s one that I need as well.

First century Christians lived under Roman occupation. Tensions were also rising between them and certain Jewish sects. What was the proper response to their marginalization? How were they supposed to endure in their faith when their expectations of their present and future weren’t being met? The parable offered its hearers hope. The kingdom of God was growing, even if they couldn’t see it.

Today, there is plenty to be discouraged about. Wars, uncertain economies, the UN report on climate change, and the news that AI could wipe out human civilization within the next decade are enough to make many question their belief in God or at least wonder where God is in the midst of the pain and chaos. Some decide they are going to fight the evil that continues to spread. Others become overwhelmed and give up. Both are understandable. 

This parable doesn’t provide a “how to” guide for living in times of evil and uncertainty. But what it does do is offer us a posture. Hope. Hope allows us to engage the evils of this world, no matter how small or big, how personal or global, with the understanding that God’s kingdom continues to be on the move and is heading towards a final destination.

Jesus’ words remind us that while at times we are called to “work like Bob,” we are also called to have faith like Bob. What God has begun in Christ, God will eventually bring to completion.

Header photo by Viktor Friesen on Unsplash
Green plants photo by Steven Weeks on Unsplash