MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM
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. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.’ (Mark 4:26-29).
God’s kingdom is real, but it is different from any other kingdom on earth. It has no geographical boundaries; it is here but unseen; it is among us now but yet to come; its influence spreads across the globe like yeast in a lump of dough; it transcends colour and culture; it unites all people under one rule and its constitution is summed up in one word – love.
How does one explain a kingdom like that? Jesus used many parables to highlight aspects of God’s kingdom because it is like a diamond with many facets. It is like a seed which has within in the power to germinate and grow. A farmer sows seed in his field with the hope that it will grow without he is heal. If he has prepared the soil well and provides water to sustain its growth, the seed will do what it is designed to do.
As he waits patiently, the field begins to turn green; the tiny plants appear above the ground; the plants thrive and eventually produce the awaited harvest. What does the farmer do when the harvest is ripe? He brings in the crop because the seed has served its purpose.
Jesus had already explained that the word of God is seed. Like a grain of wheat, it has the capacity to germinate in the soil of people’s hearts. Given the right environment, it will grow and produce a harvest of righteousness in the lives of those who respond to its truth. How it happens, no one knows. Just as the farmer knows what the seed can do, so we, who scatter the seed of the word, have the confidence that, given a favourable environment, the word of God will take root and change the lives of those who receive it.
His disciples were to be encouraged. Theirs was the task to do the sowing in the days to come, “Take heart,” said Jesus. “There will be a harvest of new life just as there is a harvest of grain when the farmer sows his seed.”
Again He said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when it is planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.’ (Mark 4: 30-32).
Another mystery! We may not get the point of this parable if we do not understand the background to the parable. In ancient Israel, the householder owned two pieces of ground. Once was outside the village where he planted his crop to sustain the family during the year. Around his house he had a small piece of ground, a garden in which he planted herbs for the kitchen. To plant a mustard seed in his herb garden would be foolish because it would encroach on the garden.
Unlike our mustard seed which is relatively big, the mustard seed was as fine as ground pepper. The mustard plant in Israel was a weed which a farmer would not knowingly plant in his garden.
However, in this story a man did plant it in his garden. For what purpose? To give shelter to the birds! Birds were a nuisance to the farmer because they devoured the seed as he scattered it on the ground. Symbolically, birds represented unwelcome people – Gentiles if you will. Yet, the kingdom of God made room for them as well.
What was Jesus saying? God’s kingdom is about mercy. When a man deliberately plants a weed in his garden to provide shade and shelter for birds – the unwanted ones who are a nuisance to him – he has understood the nature of the kingdom. He overrides his own need for the sake of others for whom no one else cares. Such is the kingdom of God!
With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when He was alone with His disciples, He explained everything (Mark 4: 33-34).
True to His intention, Jesus taught the people in parables but explained the meaning to His disciples. Those who had a desire to understand the truth would grasp the meaning of the stories while those who were hangers-on who go away none the wiser. To His disciples was given the honour of deeper truth as they followed and learned from their rabbi.
Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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