Mark 4:26-34
Dear Friends, Most of the parables, like today, begin with the words “the kingdom of God is like…” or something similar. The kingdom is God’s plan for reality. It is the ultimate reversal and makeover of our sinful world. All persons, things, relations and history itself are to be made new according to the law of love and the law of justice. There is a new world coming. Jesus, in his teachings and his life, and most especially in his death and resurrection, unveils that new world. This new reality is God’s active and creative love fully manifested and permeating all humanity and the rest of creation.
The very first words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are about the kingdom of God. “After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)
This message of the kingdom of God is the central teaching of Jesus. It is the outcome of all the promises of the Old Testament beginning with Abraham and continuing to the prophets. It is our return to the original innocence in the Garden before the sin of our first parents.
Jesus invites us into this new world, the kingdom, by calling us to repent and embrace the gospel. Our entry into the kingdom begins with our repentance and acceptance of the call of Jesus. This reign of God starts within us and moves outward to create a world of justice and peace, a new day of reconciliation and unity, of healing and hope. In our day this especially is celebrated when we respect and work for the integrity of creation.
Today’s parables of the sowing of the seed and the mustard seed tell us something of the kingdom in our life. The journey from the small seed to the life-giving bread seems very improbable. Likewise, it is the same with the growth of the very small mustard seed. “But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” (Mk 4:33)
The meaning of the parables is that the reign of God, God’s kingdom, is the seed within us and in all reality. Whether you get the news on the internet, TV or the newspapers, it does not seem likely that the law of love is going to win out. We need to be like the farmer. We need to trust in the seed that is God’s lifegiving and transforming presence no matter how unlikely it may seem. God is truly at work. We become the life baring seeds with a life of integrity and authenticity and trust. No matter the apparent failure, we need to be patient and walk in hope of God’s presence. So often, it seems so improbable, if not impossible. In today’s parables, Jesus is telling us despite the appearances, God will eventually produce life beyond our dreams. Patience and trust rooted in faith are the message of Jesus in today’s parables.
The parable of the “The Seed Gowing Secretly” describes the nature of God’s work in the human scene. Most often, disciples, past and present, are filled with anticipation of quick and dramatic visible results. That is not usually the case. This situation does not mean that God is not at work. God is always on the job in the hearts of the disciples as well as the hearts of all human beings. The parable is telling us that God’s grace will ultimately win out. There will be a transformation of reality. God will win out with a final conquest of the demonic powers. This victory will come, however, according to God’s schedule not ours.
We need to trust that God is truly with us no matter how hidden the divine presence seems in the flow of our daily experience. We need to know that the God Jesus reveals is a God of unconditional love. We neither merit nor deserve the divine embrace but it is our gift always and everywhere. While all that life coming from the small seed seems ever so improbable, even more implausible is the gift of the unconditional love of God for us. It is the ultimate and greatest miracle of life. We are the seeds of even richer and more abundant life in God’s kingdom when we walk with Jesus.
The very first words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are about the kingdom of God. “After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)
This message of the kingdom of God is the central teaching of Jesus. It is the outcome of all the promises of the Old Testament beginning with Abraham and continuing to the prophets. It is our return to the original innocence in the Garden before the sin of our first parents.
Jesus invites us into this new world, the kingdom, by calling us to repent and embrace the gospel. Our entry into the kingdom begins with our repentance and acceptance of the call of Jesus. This reign of God starts within us and moves outward to create a world of justice and peace, a new day of reconciliation and unity, of healing and hope. In our day this especially is celebrated when we respect and work for the integrity of creation.
Today’s parables of the sowing of the seed and the mustard seed tell us something of the kingdom in our life. The journey from the small seed to the life-giving bread seems very improbable. Likewise, it is the same with the growth of the very small mustard seed. “But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” (Mk 4:33)
The meaning of the parables is that the reign of God, God’s kingdom, is the seed within us and in all reality. Whether you get the news on the internet, TV or the newspapers, it does not seem likely that the law of love is going to win out. We need to be like the farmer. We need to trust in the seed that is God’s lifegiving and transforming presence no matter how unlikely it may seem. God is truly at work. We become the life baring seeds with a life of integrity and authenticity and trust. No matter the apparent failure, we need to be patient and walk in hope of God’s presence. So often, it seems so improbable, if not impossible. In today’s parables, Jesus is telling us despite the appearances, God will eventually produce life beyond our dreams. Patience and trust rooted in faith are the message of Jesus in today’s parables.
The parable of the “The Seed Gowing Secretly” describes the nature of God’s work in the human scene. Most often, disciples, past and present, are filled with anticipation of quick and dramatic visible results. That is not usually the case. This situation does not mean that God is not at work. God is always on the job in the hearts of the disciples as well as the hearts of all human beings. The parable is telling us that God’s grace will ultimately win out. There will be a transformation of reality. God will win out with a final conquest of the demonic powers. This victory will come, however, according to God’s schedule not ours.
We need to trust that God is truly with us no matter how hidden the divine presence seems in the flow of our daily experience. We need to know that the God Jesus reveals is a God of unconditional love. We neither merit nor deserve the divine embrace but it is our gift always and everywhere. While all that life coming from the small seed seems ever so improbable, even more implausible is the gift of the unconditional love of God for us. It is the ultimate and greatest miracle of life. We are the seeds of even richer and more abundant life in God’s kingdom when we walk with Jesus.
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