Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Sermon - Pentecost 3 - Mark 4:26-34


Mark 4:26–34

“Seeds”

Today we have two short parables of Jesus, and Mark conveniently puts them together for us.  They have a similar theme, and make a similar point.  Two parables about the seed, and its strange and marvelous functioning as a picture of life in the kingdom of God.  Let’s take a closer look.

The first of the two is sometimes called the “Parable of the Growing Seed”.  In this earthly story with a heavenly meaning, the point is rather simple – and yet the implications profound.  A farmer plants the seed.  He goes to sleep and rises, goes about his business, and slowly but surely the seed grows.  It starts small, but then goes through its stages – the blade sprouts, the ear, then the full grain ripens and is ready for harvest. 

We’ve seen it happen with a variety of seeds and plants in our own life experience.  It’s the miracle of life – plant life version.  And while it is common enough that all people can relate to this parable, even those of us who aren’t farmers, there’s a little jab in there:  The farmer knows not how.  He doesn’t know how it works, how it happens.  He doesn’t understand the process, he just knows to plant and water and let the magic happen… and it does!

I know that botanists and biologists and agricultural studies have expanded by leaps and bounds in the 2000 or so years since Jesus spoke this parable.  But I suspect that like all manner of investigation and science, the more we learn, the more we see how little we know.  Even simple plant life is an extremely complex process in which vast amounts of information are processed and instructions are carried out on the microscopic level.  Cells and parts of cells interact and draw energy from the sun.  It’s a miraculous process that should humble the wise and bring all to confess the creator’s wisdom and power.  And Jesus says, so simply, “he knows not how”.  You got that right, Jesus.

But the spiritual meaning of course is with the kingdom of God in mind.  And the application is this.  Just as we do not know how the seed grows into a plant, but we see it happening – so too can we not understand the work of the Spirit to create and sustain faith.  Just as the farmer is clueless as to how and why it works, but he knows it does – so is the church given to preach and teach the word of God and leave the knowing how exactly it works to him.  We see the process, especially in hindsight.  We wonder at the miracle of it sometimes.  But we can’t say we understand it.  We rather believe, and confess it.

How can a man be God?  And how can that God-man die for the sins of the world, on a Roman cross, 2000 years ago, and it counts to save my eternal soul?  I don’t really know or understand this.  But I believe and confess it.  And I know you do too.

How can water do such great things, as forgive sins, rescue from death and devil, bury and raise us with Christ?  I don’t know.  But I believe Christ’s promise.  How can this little wafer of bread and sip of wine be, truly be, Christ’s body and blood?  I don’t know.  But I confess it, because Jesus’ own words are the surest things in this world.  And how can that bread and wine that is his body and blood actually forgive my sins?  I don’t know, but I do know his word says they do – and so I believe it, and so do you.

How can the Holy Spirit bring me, a poor miserable sinner, to faith in the unseen and transcendent God through something as humble as the word of the Gospel – the preaching and the teaching of Jesus?  I don’t know.  But I know the word works.  I see it converting sinners – convicting of sin and assuring sinners of God’s forgiveness in Christ.  It’s real, and it happens, and yet we know not how.

And often the process of the planting and sprouting and nurturing and maturing of faith – is slow and gradual.  It doesn’t happen, usually, overnight.  We can’t tell the difference day by day, moment by moment.  We can’t always, maybe even ever, identify, “the hour I first believed”.  But we know God works.  He is faithful to his promises.

And the more we learn about it, the more mysterious it becomes.  The more we grow in knowledge and fear of the Lord, we are all the more humbled by his mighty and mysterious and sublime and profound power to save.  But thanks be to God for all this.

The kingdom of God starts small, defies our understanding, and grows as God plans and purposes.  Just like the farmer who plants a seed.

The second parable is like it, but different.  It starts with a seed but makes a different point about the kingdom. What starts small, may grow to great effect.

Jesus takes the small mustard seed and shows how it grows to become one of the largest of all plants.  You’d never know it just looking at the seed.  But the same mysterious power of God that works through creation to bring surprising and amazing results – is the power of God that works through his Word and Spirit to bring surprising and amazing results.

Take Jesus himself as the prime example.  With him, it started small – a simple word from the angel, “Greetings, highly favored one!  The Lord is with you!”  And then the child in Mary’s womb grew and was born, and hardly anyone noticed (except Herod who tried to kill him).  But God’s plan would not be undone.  Jesus continued to grow and mature, even into adulthood.  Then an obscure preacher from the backwater called Galilee began to turn some heads with his miracles and his preaching.  Crowds followed him.  The powers that be took note.  And then they tried to squelch his movement and silence his voice with a cross.  But that very cross became the message, the seed, if you will, for surprising and amazing things.  His small band of disciples preached his resurrection.  Believers became baptized and many were saved.  The church grew and spread, spread out its branches, until it became a large tree with room enough to give roost to all manner of birds.

In this construction, you, my friends, and I, are the birds.  And what kind of bird might you be?  A murderous crow?  A shrill magpie?  A territorial black bird?  A gossiping old hen?  A vain peacock?

Ah, but when you take your roost in the branches of this bush, this tree, you find rest and peace.  When you come under the shadow of the cross, and Christ’s Holy Spirit does his good work on you – those sins are forgiven, and you are a free bird, indeed.

Likewise Jesus uses the picture of the many kinds of bird to show the destiny of his church – that as it branches out and grows and the gospel goes forth to the ends of the earth – now we see all the nations coming to the church, roosting together as it were. 

There is room in His branches for every bird that has ever taken wing, even for the penguins and the ostriches who have never flown: If they have been in the branches their whole life, if they have flown the coop there is a place for them here.

Listen: It is not the quality of the bird, it is the quality of the one who calls - the Holy Spirit  - It is not the fineness or beauty of a birds feathers, it is the branches that give the bird it's shade - Jesus The Son of God - When God the Father looks at The Tree He sees His Son and you are hidden in His branches, part of The Good Tree, Jesus' goodness. His flawlessness becomes yours and you are counted amongst the best of birds because you are in The Good Tree. 

Thanks be to God for the seed of his teaching, receptive souls reaching, may it ever blossom and flourish for one and for all.  For the kingdom grows in quiet mysterious ways.  The kingdom grows from the small to the grand, even the eternal.  Thanks be to God who plants his good seed, and grows it for the benefit of his people.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

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