By Itself
By Itself
“The kingdom of God is like this,” He said. “A man scatters seed on the ground; he sleeps and rises—night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows—he doesn’t know how. The soil produces a crop by itself.” (Mark 4:26–28)
A Crop by Itself
In this parable Jesus said the “soil produces a crop by itself.” The Greek word translated “by itself” is automatos, which gives us our English word automatic. The seed carries life and power within itself. Given the right environment the seed will germinate. It will create a living, reproducing organism—a replica of the original.
The seed sower cannot create life. The seed contains its own life, with its own characteristics. The sower can’t make the seed grow. He doesn’t even know how it works, Jesus said. The sower can only supply the right conditions. But when he does, life happens seemingly automatically.
Life Happens
The “seed” in Jesus’ parable represents God’s Word: “The sower sows the word” (Mark 4:14). The “soil” represents the human heart. And the growth represents the maturing expression of the kingdom of God within you.
It is a mistake to try creating God’s kingdom in the world around you before you’ve begun to let God create it within you. As you mature in God through His Word, the qualities of the kingdom—like “righteousness, peace, and joy” (Rom. 14:17)—will increasingly express themselves through you. This process happens by God’s own life, God’s own power, and God’s own energy. It is not your effort that creates life but God’s grace.
Bottom Line
When you nurture the seed of God’s Word in you, life happens in you and then through you.