The Sower and the Seed: Grace That Works

by Dave Miller

At Sentergy, we talk about the parable of the sower in Mark 4:26–29 all the time. It shapes how we think and live. Most of us know it by heart:

“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

This story gives us a picture of how Jesus expects us to partner with Him in His kingdom. It’s simple and familiar, yet the line “he knows not how” still surprises us.

That single line changes everything.

The Pattern of the Kingdom

When we talk about the kingdom at Sentergy, we use a simple pattern:

A sower enters a new field. The entry creates space for the gospel to take root. As the seed grows, discipleship begins. When fruit appears, we gather it into churches. From these churches, leaders rise up to carry the work forward.

This rhythm defines the movement of the kingdom. The pattern makes sense, but the mystery remains.

The Strange Line: “He Knows Not How”

The sower works hard. He prepares the soil, plants the seed, waters, and endures heat, sweat, and thorns. Once the seed hits the ground, it leaves his control.

He can’t force life. He can’t make it grow.

He can only trust.

That trust is the heartbeat of the parable. Jesus shows us a partnership between human effort and divine grace. The seed represents the activity of God—life moving where no human hand can reach. The sower works, but God causes the growth.

The sower’s obedience matters, but the power belongs to God.

Grace Hidden in the Ground

The seed grows in secret. It pushes through the soil while the sower sleeps. He doesn’t understand how it happens, but he knows Who does it.

Grace lives in that hidden space.

Grace doesn’t cancel work. Grace moves through work.

We don’t labor to earn God’s favor. We labor because He already gave it. Grace drives obedience. The sower plants because he trusts God to act. He works with faith that the seed will live.

Fully Dependent, Completely Responsible

Grace and responsibility meet in this story. The sower depends fully on God, but dependence doesn’t make him lazy. It makes him faithful. He gets up early, plants with purpose, and waits with hope.

He believes in the power of the seed.

We live this way. We keep stepping into empty fields because we believe God moves when we plant the gospel. Our role is obedience. His role is transformation. We sow, water, and gather. He breathes life and multiplies it through His Spirit.

The Grace That Never Quits

Grace works like a matching gift. Every act of faith is met by God’s power. Every gospel conversation, every act of love, every prayer planted in hard ground adds up to something eternal.

Even when we can’t see progress, grace keeps moving.

The sower’s rhythm—sleeping, waking, repeating—shows trust in motion. The kingdom grows while we work and while we rest.

That’s why we keep sowing, even when the ground feels dry or full of thorns. Grace keeps working when we can’t.

The Secret of the Seed

Jesus invites us to see through the eyes of the sower—sweaty, hopeful, and dependent. Every seed he plants is an act of faith. Every harvest is an act of grace.

The secret stays simple but sacred:

The sower works. The seed grows. God gets the glory. The sower shares in joy.

This is how the kingdom advances.

This is how grace works.

This is why we keep planting.