Reading Jesus’ parables can be puzzling as a 21st-century Christian. We often struggle to connect with the images of sowing and reaping, laborers and the harvest, and fruitfulness that He spoke about to His first-century audience.
While you may not be tending to a garden or growing a houseplant, you may be desiring to plant seeds of influence at your workplace, or simply seeking a way to obey Christ’s call for all believers to make disciples.
If so, Jesus’ parable of the growing seed in Mark 4 applies to you.
In this parable in Mark 4:26-29, Jesus laid out a model for sharing the gospel and multiplying disciples and churches. Today, those involved in Christian missions have taken this model and applied it to a framework called the Four Fields of Kingdom Growth.
The Four Fields is a strategy for making disciples and planting churches. It maps out what Jesus taught about spreading the gospel—from preparing the ground to seeing a harvest.
Using the farming illustration presented in the parable, we see an example of ministry that equips leaders with tools to impact their communities with the truth of the gospel.
“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
The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) makes it clear that all Christians are called to make disciples. So, where does this process begin? The Four Fields framework starts with the ground mentioned in Mark 4.
An Empty Field
The first field in the Four Fields framework is the empty field, which represents a new mission field where no gospel work has begun.
The growing process in the parable begins with identifying suitable ground. A sower doesn’t hold on to his seeds expecting them to grow spontaneously without planting them. Instead, he actively seeks out a place where he can sow the seeds. He finds an empty field to begin the cycle of growth.
For Christians, the empty field is where the Great Commission work begins. Christians must identify and consider going where there are no believers and no churches to share the truth of the gospel. We must ask ourselves, who do we reach and how do we engage them?
A Seeded Field
“‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.’” -Mark 4:26
The empty field goes on to become a seeded field as people are being reached with the gospel and, over time, are responding and becoming believers in Jesus Christ.
The seed being sown into this ground is the gospel. This is the message that Christ died for our sins, was buried, rose again on the third day, and offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe in Him and turn from their sins.
Work in this field may take a long time as the sower builds relationships, assists with Bible access or translation, and walks alongside people as they come to understand the gospel.
A Growing Field
The next field is the growing field, which describes the sower’s role in raising up new believers so they can be mature believers. Here, it becomes clear that the sower is not responsible for salvation but for the task of discipling those who are saved.
“‘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.’” -Mark 4:27-28
These verses reflect that when a seed lands on good soil, it begins new life. It sprouts, develops, and takes its place among other growing plants in the field. The sower must plant the seed and nurture the young plant, but ultimately the growth process happens within the plant itself.
This growing field is where the discipleship of new believers is happening. As those receptive to the gospel (young plants) are growing in maturity, we must encourage them and allow accountability as they pursue obedience to Christ.
A Harvested Field
In the last field, the harvest is collected, and local communities of believers are brought together.
For a farmer, the ultimate goal is a field full of mature crops ready for harvest. When the time comes, he joyfully collects the results of his hard work, bringing together the fully grown plants.
“‘As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.’” -Mark 4:29
The harvested field represents new communities of believers coming together to form churches grounded in the gospel and committed to serving their communities. These churches are places of encouragement, equipping, and education for all believers in Jesus.
Starting the Cycle
Those of us with little farming knowledge may assume this is where the process ends.
However, the harvest isn’t the end of the farming cycle—it’s a step in an ongoing process. To continue growth, the farmer must preserve some of the harvested crops as seeds for the next planting season, creating a sustainable cycle of growth.
For Christians, the goal of the Four Fields process is to produce a cycle of creating and training disciples that will make other disciples. We are to identify and develop leaders that will seek out new fields and plant gospel seeds in those places.
While today we may not understand all of the nuances of this growing process, this parable paints a vivid picture of the physical effort and intentionality of tending to crops that are needed in the mission of making disciples.
All Christians are called to make disciples. This call requires you to consider how God is preparing you to take part in His harvest.
Jesus’ words in Matthew 9:37 challenge us today: the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. But why? Is it because we’re not actively seeking out the empty fields where God is calling us to sow? Are we scared of the discomfort of sharing the gospel?
Ultimately the Four Fields starts with Christians answering the call to go into new fields.
Are you willing to go, plant seeds, and make disciples of all nations?
Four Fields Blogs
If you’re feeling stirred to learn more, explore the Four Fields strategy through our blogs. These articles expand on this framework seen in the life of Jesus Christ and His disciples and provide encouragement through each field.
