To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?

 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

Yesterday we read that again Jesus began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.  And he said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that  'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.'"  And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit; some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

 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."   This continues Jesus' teaching on the meanings of the parables, and the purpose of the parables (see yesterday's reading, just above).  My study bible says it's a call to attentive listening and discriminating response.  Jesus has been emphasizing the "spiritual ears" of the heart, and our understanding.  Here the indication is that we must not only hear but also hear properly.  The promise here is that more will be given to those who respond with open hearts.  These will grow in understanding.  My study bible quotes mark the Ascetic:  "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you." 

 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."  This parable is found only in the Gospel of Mark.  Here, my study bible tells us, the kingdom refers to the whole span of God's dispensation or plan of salvation.  The man is Christ, and the seed is the gospel (as in the parable of the Sower, yesterday's reading, above).  In this reading of the parable, that the man sleeps indicates Christ's death, from which He will rise.   That the man does not know how the seed grows shows Christ does not manipulate man's response to the gospel, it notes, but rather each person is free to receive it and let it grow in his own heart.  The harvest is the Second Coming, when all will be judged on their reception of the gospel.  Of course, the parable bears resemblance to all levels of growth of the Kingdom; we can see in its illustration that of the Church, of groups of believers, as well as for individuals, and God's work of mercy through all things where the word is received.

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."  According to Theophylact, the mustard seed represents the disciples -- who began as a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  As with all parables (and the previous one above), it can be read and applied to other levels of faith -- such as that which enters a person's soul and causes an inward growth of virtue.  My study bible says, "This soul will become god-like and can receive even angels."

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.   What is hidden in the parables?  To unbelievers, they remain bewildering.  But to those with simple faith, as my study bible notes, these stories which use common images reveal truth in ways they can grasp, as they were able. 

What is quite interesting to note about today's reading is the emphasis on experience in Christ's teaching.  One may often note (as we did in yesterday's commentary) that Christ's healings and their effectiveness are often attributed -- by Christ Himself -- to the faith of those who  are healed or those who help.   There are times when Christ exclaims at the lack of faith, which renders holy power ineffective, such as in this passage, in which Jesus' exclamation, "faithless and perverse generation" is leveled at all present.  There must be a connection made between the holy power of God and the faith of human beings for its free action.   As noted in yesterday's reading, regarding what human beings may grasp in the parables and what they don't, God respects human free will.  In today's reading, we see the action of the Kingdom represented in these parables.  Even to grasp the meaning of the parables requires a certain level of faith, a sense in which one's heart is open to receive this word (and the Word).  With experience, the parables and Christ's words teach us, this depth of meaning grows.  In some sense, the full emphasis on experience is complete, as faith itself is a type of experience that helps us to grasp the images and examples in the parables that illustrate how faith works in us and among us.  This emphasis on experience means, as my study bible has noted above, that the knowledge here isn't of an esoteric type which is available only to those with formal learning and knowledge.  Rather, it is open to those whose hearts are open to Christ, who have an experience of faith, however little or great.  It is open to the heart which has "spiritual ears" open and listening.  That is why our faith isn't merely a moral code we may follow, or particular "principles" of behavior, or as simple as following a political party or not.   Jesus says, "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 may seem incredibly "unfair" by standards of common demands for equality.    How is it that some people, just by virtue of an internal disposition, receive the benefits of this Kingdom, and others do not?  But we can ask ourselves the same question about all kinds of things for which we must pay attention, or be disposed toward receiving or grasping.   Moreover, as each is a child of God, we are led to understand that the choice is made through the free will of each person -- at a depth within ourselves I find utterly mysterious.  This is why Jesus' explanations to His disciples are not at odds with which characterization of those who fail to grasp meaning.  What drives one person to seek this Kingdom and sell everything else in order to find it, while so many others would ignore its value?  This is a deeply mysterious question, and the parables -- and Jesus' use of them -- give us a hint that this phenomenon and how it works is known, understood, and accepted, and is "as old as the hills," as the expression goes.  Some will love God, and love Christ -- but the world will do as it does, and may be entirely blind to this Kingdom and its works.  All of this is freely acknowledged in our reading of the text and Jesus' words.  Neither should we be dismayed or shocked when we find the world so.  Rather, we pay deeper attention to the promptings of faith, to that mysterious silent language in the heart that keeps us urgently seeking the reality of this Kingdom, the "burning" in the heart that quickens as we hear spiritual truth and find it in Scripture.   If we may seem to be alone at times in doing so, let us understand these parables were given specifically to separate those who will passionately care from those for whom they mean little or nothing.  Let us be truly attentive to His word, as we are able.