Mark 4:26-41
The parable of vv. 26-29 which corresponds to that of the tares of the field in Matthew 13:1-58 presents somewhat different teaching. Here it is only a question of the work of God, whereas in Matthew, the enemy intervenes too because of the negligence of the men who were sleeping. In our v. 27, the great Sower also appears to sleep. But in reality, by day as by night, without being seen, He is watching over His precious seed and surrounding it with all necessary care so that it will grow until it is ready to harvest. Dear Christian friends, perhaps it sometimes seems to us that the Lord is indifferent to us, that He does not hear our prayers, that His work is a lost cause. But lift up your eyes, as the Lord Jesus invites His disciples to do by faith. The fields are white already to harvest (John 4:35).
In passing over to the other side, which corresponds to the perilous passage through this world, the disciples are not alone. With them, in the boat, they have taken the Lord "even as he was" (v. 36). How many people have a wrong and distant picture of the Lord Jesus. "What manner of man is this?" the disciples ask. He is the same Person who has gathered the wind in His fists, who has bound the waters in a garment (Proverbs 30:4).