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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