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 reveled, 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 may such parable 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 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 tings 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 reveled, 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."  Again, as in yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus emphasizes our own capacity to hear spiritually.  My study Bible says that Christ's words here are a call to attentive listening and discriminating response.  We must not only hear, it says, but hear properly.  More will be given to those who respond to Christ with open hearts, and they will grow in understanding.  My study Bible moreover has a very helpful quote from St. Mark the Ascetic, who says, "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 particular parable is found only here, in the Gospel of St. Mark.  The kingdom here is a reference to the whole span of God's dispensation or plan of salvation.  The man is Christ, my study Bible explains, and the seed is the gospel (as in the parable of the Sower in yesterday's reading, above).  The man's sleep is an indication of Christ's death, from which He will rise.  That the man does not know how the seed grows teaches us that Christ does not coerce nor manipulate people's response to the gospel.  Each person is to receive it and to let it grow in one's own heart.  The harvest is the Second Coming, when all will be judged on 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."   According to my study Bible, the mustard seed represents the disciples, who, according to Theophylact, began as just a few, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  These also stand for faith entering a person's soul, my study Bible says, which causes an inward growth of virtue.  This soul will become godlike, and can even receive angels (the birds of the air).

 

 And with may such parable 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 comments that, to unbelievers, the parables remain bewildering.  To those with simple faith, it notes, these stories using common images reveal truth in ways they can grasp, as they were able.  

 

The parable of the mustard seed is always one that is inspiring.  Why is that?  Because the picture of the mustard seed growing into a sturdy bush, large enough and strong enough to put branches that even the birds can find rest in shade within, is something that is beautiful.  In fact this topic of what we think of as beauty can be understood as part and parcel of where we find our faith.  The quiet, sweet picture Jesus presents of a bush where even the birds can find rest in its shade is one that reflects peace and goodness.  If the birds of the air can easily be thought of as angels -- the messengers of God whom we depict with wings accordingly -- then what messages and wisdom we receive indeed may be thought of as a part of that which is built and housed in this tree, or sturdy bush.  The mustard, we already know, additionally produces a spice used to flavor food, it enhances life in this sense, makes the common things of life more rich and pleasurable -- another very simple kind of beauty for all to enjoy.  The yellow flowers of mustard are bright like gold or the sun; they bring us a kind of light and they beautify fields as they spread.  The golden color reminds us of associations with heaven; the shade of the sturdy branches offering a home for what is good and true and beautiful:  the words and presence of angels.   There is poetic beauty even in this tiny two-verse parable, in itself expressing the concept of the explosive and surprising growth of the kingdom from such a tiny source as a mustard seed.  For in this one-sentence parable given us by Christ is so much that we can reflect on in terms of illuminating aspects of the kingdom of God.  Most of all, we should consider what the parable tells us about growth within ourselves, what God's kingdom does within us, for us, and to us.  My study Bible gives the interpretation of the soul that can experience expansive growth, virtue, and the reception even of angels -- an expression of beauty surpassing and transcendent beyond ordinary earthly things, transfigured and transfiguring what is around oneself.  In this parable of dynamic growth is contained the reality of creation and God's creativity, so that we can understand how the expression of God's kingdom is an extension of all that has come before, the creativity and work of God expanding in the world.  In this we see both the activity of the disciples (and that ongoing!), as well as the soul's inward growth of virtue and wisdom and grace.  Moreover, when coupled with the parable  that comes before it, we're taught that we might not be aware of all of this happening and how exactly it happens, but nevertheless we awaken to find that it is suddenly so.  We look back to find change in ourselves and we can marvel at the spiritual life that gives us grace that we didn't think we had.  This, too, is an expression and experience of beauty.  Let us turn toward the simple truth of all that Christ gives us, for this is the reality of life, of God's creation and beauty calling us to experience and to participate in it -- and extending within our lives, our souls, our world.  Even in the simple dignity and beauty of creation, Jesus gives us the ways God speaks to us through all things.