He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.

All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.

As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

— Mark 4:26-29 (NIV)

Jesus shared this parable alongside other agricultural parables about God's kingdom. It appears only in Mark's gospel and emphasizes the mysterious, autonomous nature of spiritual growth.

Divine Partnership

Patient Waiting

Harvest Certainty

Parable of the Growing Seed

He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough."

— Matthew 13:33 (NIV)

Jesus shared this parable immediately after the Mustard Seed parable, providing another illustration of how God's kingdom works in hidden but transformative ways.

Hidden Impact

Transformative Power

Patient Process

Parable of the Leaven

He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches."

— Matthew 13:31-32 (NIV)

Jesus shared this parable as part of a series of kingdom parables, illustrating how God's kingdom grows from seemingly insignificant beginnings to encompass all nations.

Kingdom Growth

Faith's Power

Divine Purpose

Parable of the Mustard Seed

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God's service; you are God's field, God's building.

— 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 (NIV)

Paul uses this agricultural metaphor while addressing divisions in the Corinthian church, where believers were forming factions around different leaders. He emphasizes the cooperative nature of ministry and God's supreme role in spiritual growth.

Ministry Cooperation

Divine Dependence

Faithful Service

Parable of the Seed Growth

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying:

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Whoever has ears, let them hear."

— Matthew 13:1-9 (NIV)

This is one of Jesus' most foundational parables, explaining how people respond differently to God's word. It's one of the few parables where Jesus also provides a detailed interpretation to His disciples, helping them understand the various responses to the gospel message.

growth

Parable of the Growing Seed

Parable of the Leaven

Parable of the Mustard Seed

Parable of the Seed Growth

Parable of the Sower