June 17, 2018 Sunday

“26  And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27  “and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28  “For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29  “But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” 30  Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31  “It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32  “but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” 33  And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34  But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.” (Mark 4:26-34 NKJV)

            This Scripture tells us Jesus usually taught using parables. But what is a parable? One definition of a parable is “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning”. A parable is considered a comparison and so each story, each parable takes something we can understand from our daily lives to help us understand how the kingdom of God works.

            Here Jesus uses farming concepts to help those who listened understand how the kingdom of God works and the promise that we will be harvested.  To a people who daily depended on the crops they received from their labors on their farms a parable about farming and about plants could be understood by the people who came to hear Jesus.

            In the first parable Jesus compares the kingdom of God with our earthly life. Or it might be better to say how the gospel and the kingdom of God fit in to our everyday life.  The crop is planted and the farmer rests and wakes day by day and tends the fields which he has planted. The crops grow but the farmer cannot understand how it works. How can such a great plant and so much produce come from a tiny seed?

            The second parable teaches us that the smallest seed of the mustard plant will grow into a large plant that will provide food and protection for many! Even the smallest person who through the gospel receives God’s power can become a person who will share the love of God and will nourish many around them and help them find the protection of God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ!

            These parables teach us that to be part of the kingdom of God is not a Sunday thing but is a part of us every day, every hour and every minute of our lives! There is a field of those who desperately need God’s love and forgiveness. While this can only be done by God we are to offer hope to those we come in contact with that God may plant in them the seed of the kingdom of God which will grow that day to will provide nourishment and protection through Jesus Christ.

            If you read the Bible (which though we should many do not) do you skip over the parable because they are hard to understand? If you do read the parables do you seek to understand how they affect your life? If you are part of the kingdom of God and what ways do you live out the gospel each and every day?