To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? The lampstand, the harvest, the mustard seed

Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 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."

And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

- Mark 4:21-34

In yesterday's reading, we were given the parable of the Sower. We were introduced to parables at this point in Mark's Gospel, and Jesus explained both the reason for the parables and also the parable itself to His disciples. The sower sows the word; and then waits to see what kind of ground it has fallen upon. The parables themselves are means by which the word finds the good ground, or not. See A sower went out to sow - the parable of the Sower.

Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." Alluding to the words of Isaiah used in yesterday's reading, Jesus asks His listeners to pay attention properly; it is their spiritual ears He hopes to tap into with the word. The parables are not designed to hide anything; rather they are questions asked, in some sense; riddles to be solved. They draw the hearer in. My study bible points out that nothing is hidden -- rather Christ discloses the truth: "His truth is like light for it reveals all mysteries and exposes all secrets. That which is hidden is the Gospel, the presence of the Kingdom of God. The Gospel, at first a mystery explained only to the disciples, will be revealed to all. Everything done in secret will ultimately be revealed." With the proper ears, we hear; we receive the light with spiritual sight - and with persistence we will also reflect that light. It is brought into the world for a purpose.

Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." This is our affirmation that so much depends also on our reaction, our interaction with this word, with the Sower, with Christ. The kingdom, the light, grows in us -- and to those who hear, to those who have, more will be given. We need discernment, and we need to treasure the richness of the good news in our hearts, so that it grows and gathers more to it. My study bible quotes St. Mark the Ascetic (6th century): "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you." Note that here is a promise conveyed: for you who hear . . . for whoever has, more will be given.

And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." Jesus describes the growth of the kingdom in us, and our understanding. God is the grower, we don't grow it by ourselves -- but we do "hear" and we consent to the action of the Kingdom in us. It is a cooperate action with God, in a sense, to the gifts of God that grow in our hearts, in our understanding, in fulfillment of the promise above. My study bible points out that this beautiful parable appears only in Mark.

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 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." First we understand the mysterious growth described in the verses above, and now Jesus illustrates the mysterious power of God. It is as if He is prefiguring the power of the Resurrection they will come to know. We may start with the tiniest seed, something seemingly insignificant -- but with the power of God added to it, it grows so sturdy and strong, expands and branches out, "so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade." The kingdom may give shelter to so much that is good: I always think of the birds being given rest as the messengers of the air (the angels) finding a place in the world that shelters and treasures their ministering. My study bible once again has a beautiful illustration: "Jesus begins with poor fishermen, but in a few years the Christian faith will spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. The work of God may involve apparently insignificant people and circumstances, but the possibilities are limitless because of God's power." And the kingdom also grows in us -- and we can't necessarily predict how it will grow and sprout and reach out to others, who may find shelter in what God grows through us. The birds will also spread its seed, so that it is planted in others of likewise receptive soil.

And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples. So, taking all these parable together, along with yesterday's parable of the Sower, we understand Jesus' emphasis on the growth of the Kingdom, teaching what it is, how it works, how it spreads. God does the work, but we must also say "yes" -- we accept and cooperate, we become the fertile ground, and we are the ones who must also take up our cross after Him, we must persist despite the cares of the world, the false illusions of our desires and all the world seems to offer us with which to be distracted. We have to be in it for the long haul. And these branches can spread and shelter others, finding relationship and growth and nurturing. It is as if we begin as shelters for the seed, and end by being places from which the seed can spread and shelter and nurture others; and it is all done by our "yes" and through the grace of God.

So how does this Kingdom work in you? How is it nurtured and grown in your life? Do you pray to your Father in secret, as He has taught? Do you say your "yes" despite the "cares of the world" about which He spoke in yesterday's reading? Let us think, then, about who we are, and where we are, and the great things God has done for us -- and will do in us, so that even the birds of the air may take shelter in the branches He grows through us. The Kingdom is meant to grow and spread, and its light to shine forth. But we are the ones who must have ears to hear, in whom it takes root.