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 Jesus again He 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 d 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."   Jesus calls for attentive listening, and He calls our attention to a kind of give-and-take between listener and hearer.  Using images He also drew upon for the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:14-16), Jesus compares the word to light, and the nature of light.  What is hidden will be revealed; what is secret will come to light.  But careful listening is part of the secret to perception of this light:  how we listen will determine the wisdom we are capable of hearing.  The failure to put effort into listening will result in a loss of even what we think we have.  How much do we value this?  How much do we care?  Mark the Ascetic writes, "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."  My study bible tells us that this parable is found only in Mark.   It says that the kingdom refers to the whole span of God's dispensation or plan of salvation.  The man is Christ, and the seed the gospel.  That the man will sleep indicates Jesus' death, from which He will rise.  That he does not know how the seed grows shows that Christ does not manipulate human beings' response to the gospel, but rather each person is free to receive it and to let it grow in his own heart.  The harvest gives us a picture of the Second Coming, when all are judged upon their reception of the gospel. 

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."    One interpretation of the mustard seed is that it represent the disciples.  According to Theophylact, they began as just a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."   It also stands for faith entering the soul of a person, causing an inward growth of virtue.  My study bible says that this soul will become godlike and can receive even angels (the birds of the air).  Whatever way we see it, it gives us a picture of the explosive power of the word, the "light" offered by Christ, and its work (although seemingly tiny and hidden for a time) in us, in our lives, in the world.

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.  My study bible says that to unbelievers, the parables remain bewildering.  But to those with simple faith, these stories which use common images reveal truth in ways they can grasp, as they were able.

Why does Jesus speak in parables?  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we discussed His growing fame, the huge crowds, the panic of His family, the hostility of the leadership.  There also seems to be, paradoxically, a need for secrecy and hiddenness as His fame grows.  The "unclean spirits" recognize who He is, and they call Him the Son of God (see Monday's reading).  But Jesus commands them to silence; the Messianic reality and His divine identity are things He does not want revealed to those who cannot accept through faith.  Or rather, He wants people to come to this knowledge through faith -- hence, we begin to understand the need for speaking in parables.  In today's reading Jesus says,  "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."  And He adds a kind of warning:  " For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."   Jesus' ministry is not a one-way kind of preaching.  It's a give-and-take, it's communication, communion.  We are engaged, in relationship.  He doesn't just give.  He's looking for those who will give their attention and effort.  This is a two-way street.  With the same measure we use, it will be measured to us.  It's like a conversation, a two-way exchange between giver and receiver -- only here, both give and both receive, even though we're speaking of Creator and creation.  Jesus asks for us to be engaged with Him and He with us, and we all with one another in His name.  We're not simply spoon-fed what we need to know.  Instead, we're to be eager participants, active in listening and engaging.  This is how we get where we want to go.  Jesus' use of parables indicates that He wants His listeners to be anything but passive.  On the contrary, it is our desire for what He offers that motivates our reception; the energy we use in seeking Him is reciprocated back to us.  It's movement and action at work in this ministry, and the seed grows in the good soil that truly desires and seeks it.  Activated by our own acceptance and desire, the word grows into what seems impossible from such a tiny beginning, to house and give rest and shelter even to the birds of the air.  All this activity takes place under the radar of those who don't get it, don't care, don't value, and don't desire what He offers.  We need to pay attention.  This is the way it works for Him and the way it works for us today.  How do we listen and receive?  Do we care?  Are we engaged in this really?  Let us consider what we put our minds and hearts to, how we use the ears we're given.  Do we want His light?   He's telling us it's there if we but seek it, and truly desire what it offers.