Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 4:29

"But when the fruit is ripe, straightway he putteth forth the sickle, because the harvest is come." — Mark 4:29 (ASV)

This parable emphasizes the mysterious power of the seed to produce a crop. All the farmer can do is plant the seed on suitable ground; he cannot make the seed grow, nor does he understand how it grows. But it does grow and produces grain. In the same way, the hidden and somewhat ambiguous kingdom of God will some day burst out in its full glory. The harvest spoken of is the eschatological judgment (cf. Joel 3:13).