Excerpt from Studying the Parables of Jesus
by Peter Rhea Jones

The parable of the Seed Growing on Its Own invites confidence in the inception and completion of the commenced process. Surely the positive encouragement of the parable for today lies in the possibility of accepting Jesus' vision for one's own. This parable, which has the "tang of the human and the glow of the divine," depicts the kind of farmer who milks his cows and mends his fences and sleeps deeply. The seed grows of itself without the farmer turning a hand in the growth process. His part is planting and harvesting; the growing comes as a gift. It is a parable of agricultural grace.

A distinguished American surgeon was questioned about what he relied on when he operated. He answered, "medical grace." He meant the natural healing power residing in the human body, a power that works by itself. So it was with the seed in the parable, and so it is with our relationship to the kingdom.

As a student pastor in rural communities, I knew many farmers who not only were deeply religious but also possessed what might be called a "natural faith." They worked hard at planting, reaping, weeding, and fertilizing, but years in the fields taught them that growing is nature's gift. They knew intimately nature's grace.

The parable kindles hope. George Buttrick said it was "spoken in the mood of unshakable confidence--as though He held the future in the hollow of his hand." The kingdom can be counted on. Trust in God.

Have faith in God, he's on his throne;...
He cannot fail, he must prevail;
Have faith in God, have faith in God.

This confidence in God's wonder deed should not be applied one-sidedly, however. To take the accent of the parable as license for disengagement is highly inappropriate. A famous theologian once accused another famous theologian of "transcendental irresponsibility" because the latter's theology seemed to accent divine activity exclusively. One-sided emphasis on divine sovereignty at the expense of human responsibility led one way to write a parody of the well-known hymn "Rise Up, O Men of God" as follows:

Sit down, O men of God
His kingdom He will bring,
Whenever it may please His will,
You cannot do a thing.

In the parable the farmer did, in fact, play a crucial part in both sowing and reaping, cooperating with nature. We are fellow laborers with God. The image of a duet or a dance for our collaboration with God is creatively suggestive.

The parable encourages contemporary proclaimers. Indeed, "It may be used to remind the servant of God," C.H. Dodd allowed, "that his task is the humble and yet important task of 'sowing the word'--that is, of declaring the truth committed to him and leaving it to work." the word of the apostle Paul suits the spirit of the parable when he recognized, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gives the increase" (1 Cor 3:6).

Peter Rhea Jones is the author of "The Parables of Jesus", published by Smyth & Helwys Publishing. To order, go to the online bookpage or call 1-800-747-3016.

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