The Seeds of the Kingdom

by    14th October 2009    0 responses

marathon

Image: Martineric @ Flickr

Mark 4:21-34   Expand passage

21He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? 22For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."

24"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."

26He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

30Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

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In modern day language, Jesus might have said: “Who turns on a torch and puts it in their bag? No, instead he who turns on a torch holds it in front of him to light the way ahead.”  While the Bible is full of practical advice, Jesus’ concern here is much greater than you tripping over in the dark!  Rather, His concern is for the Kingdom of God.

I believe that Jesus is talking here about how we should respond to the Good News about His Kingdom.  When our lives are “lit up” by the bright light of the Gospel, should we respond by hiding that light away?  No, I think not.  Instead, we ought to share that light, that truth, with those around us.

The prospect of sharing your faith may make you feel somewhat uneasy.  Such questions as, “What will they think of me?” or “What if they think I’m just a religious nut?” are both common and natural.  Often we have no idea how the people we share with will respond, and that unknown makes us afraid.  The truth is however, that Jesus expects us to share our faith.  The Good News about His Kingdom is not just for us to keep for ourselves, but for the whole world.

Jesus goes on to share two parables about His Kingdom, and these we will look at in the rest of this article.  To be honest with you, in my early days as a Christian, I found these parables rather hard to understand.  I struggled to “get” what Jesus was trying to tell me.  What do seeds and plants have to do with His Kingdom?  If that is how you feel now, then I hope what I am about to say will shed some light on it for you!

The first parable, beginning at verse 26, tells of a man who scatters some seed on the ground.  He gets on with life, sleeping and rising as usual, and the seed begins to grow.  Slowly, but surely, without the man doing anything at all, the grain is formed and before long, is ready to harvest.  Jesus says that this description is somehow like the Kingdom of God, but what does He mean?

One time, a friend of ours came along to an Alpha course.  If you have never heard of Alpha, then it’s a course designed to introduce people to the Christian faith.  Our friend was sceptical and had a great deal of questions about Christianity.  Although we were hopeful, it seemed unlikely that our friend would begin a relationship with God. This friend completed the course, and did not profess a faith at the end of it.  In fact, he admitted having more questions than he had started with.

Some months later however, maybe even a year after, our friend began to attend church with his wife.  Out of nowhere, and with seemingly no reason or prompting, he started to regularly participate in worship services.  Ultimately, a few months later, he gave his life to Christ.  We were both amazed and shocked at this sudden turnaround.

In a sense, I believe that this is a living example of what Jesus was talking about.  Through Alpha, and through the many conversations this friend had had about Christianity, “seed” had been sown in his heart.  Over time, and without anyone really knowing it, that seed grew and eventually was ready to harvest.

In the second parable that Jesus shared with us, beginning at verse 30, we see another story involving seed.  This time, Jesus compares the Kingdom with the smallest of all the garden seeds – the mustard seed.  Now I am no gardener, so I have no idea what a mustard seed even looks like!  This small seed is planted, and after a time, it turns into the biggest of the garden plants.  So large in fact, that even the birds can roost in its branches.

I remember another friend of mine named Debbie.  She had come to the very difficult decision to leave her church.  It had taken her a lot of prayer and prompting from the Holy Spirit to make this decision.  I remember her sharing once that she did not feel she had accomplished a great deal at the church she was leaving.

Before she left, a couple in the church who had been led to Christ by Debbie some years beforehand decided to prepare a leaving gift for her.  Rather than buy her flowers or something similar, they put together a sort of spider-diagram showing Debbie’s impact on the church.  Debbie had led this couple to Christ, and that couple another two couples.  Those couples led a family to Christ and so on.

The finished diagram showed a chain, leading from Debbie to the people she had touched, and then on to those they had encouraged.  The “small” act of leading one couple to Christ, had multiplied into a great harvest for God’s Kingdom.  Like the mustard seed, which began as a small thing, Debbie’s actions had meant that God could bring a whole host of people into the Kingdom of God.

When we Christians share God’s Word with those who have never accepted it, we are planting seeds.  Over time, and often without us even knowing it, God is working.  He is cultivating and germinating those seeds and preparing a great harvest in His Kingdom.  You may think your work in God’s Kingdom is small and insignificant, but even the smallest of seeds can become a great tree.

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Andy has been a Christian since his teens when he began to develop his relationship with God. He is an Elder in his local church and leads a home group. Andy has a passion for teaching and writing. He lives near Southend, Essex, with his wife. Andy is responsible for writing much of the content on Crossring.

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