Mark 4:26-34

Mark 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:

“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;

it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land

and would sleep and rise night and day

and the seed would sprout and grow,

he knows not how.

Of its own accord the land yields fruit,

first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,

for the harvest has come.”

He said,

“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,

or what parable can we use for it?

It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.

But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants

and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”

With many such parables

he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.

Without parables he did not speak to them,

but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have mysteriously acted in my life and guided it to the present moment. Help me to hear your voice in prayer and discern your guiding hand.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Isaiah and the Purpose of Parables: To more deeply understand the parables in Mark’s Gospel, we need to look back to Isaiah 6, which was quoted by Jesus in our Gospel on Wednesday. When asked about the parables, Jesus said: “The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven (Isaiah 6:9-10)” (Mark 4:11-12). At first glance, it seems like Jesus is saying that he speaks in parables because he doesn’t want the people to repent and be forgiven. But that is not what is going on. If we look back to Isaiah, we see that Isaiah responds to God’s declaration about hearing but not understanding with a question. Isaiah asks God, “How long, O Lord?” How long will they remain blind, deaf, and uncomprehending? Isaiah knew that the hardness of heart of Israel and Judah was only temporary. And the Lord responds that Israel will not see, hear, or understand until they have suffered the Babylonian Exile. Only a stump of the kingdom will remain, but this stump will be a “holy seed” (Isaiah 6:13). And this gives us a clue to understanding Jesus’ teaching in parables. Just as the people of old rejected Isaiah’s message, there will be resistance to believing in the Gospel preached by Jesus and a rejection of God’s message. But there will be a seed, a small remnant of believers, who will be the start of a new Kingdom. And interestingly, Jesus’ three parables about the Kingdom of God in Mark are all connected by the word “seed.”

2. The Sowing and Growth of the Seed: The first parable, which we heard on Wednesday, spoke about the sowing of the seed and how it is rejected or welcomed by someone. The parable teaches us that God generously sows everywhere, almost indifferent to how people will welcome his Word. The main contrast is between those who do not bear lasting fruit in the Kingdom and those who do. The parable invites us to reflect on how we respond to God’s Word: indifferently, superficially, half-heartedly, or as we should. The second parable, which we read today, focuses not on the sowing of the seed and how it is rejected or welcomed, but on its mysterious growth. Just as a farmer is not the primary cause of the growth of the seed, we are not the primary cause of the growth of the Kingdom of God. We are only secondary and collaborating causes. The seed needs the heat of the sun, time deep in the earth, nutrients, and water. The farmer can facilitate these elements of growth, but always occupies a subordinate role. The entire process of a seed becoming a living plant remains mysterious and beyond our understanding. In the same way, the growth of the Kingdom of God in the world is primarily and mysteriously caused by God and only secondarily caused by our collaboration. 

3. The Result of the Seed: The third parable, which we also read today, focuses not on the sowing of the seed or how it mysteriously grows, but on the result of the seed. The Kingdom is compared to a mustard seed, one of the smallest seeds. The Kingdom of God, Jesus predicts, will be small in its beginning but grow, like a mustard seed, into a very large and invasive plant. If we look at history, we see how this prophecy of Jesus has been fulfilled. The Kingdom of God was so small in the beginning – just twelve apostles, several dozen disciples, and a group of women who provided for Jesus and his disciples. The Kingdom has, over two thousand years, grown to international dimensions. The birds of the sky that dwell in the branches of the mustard plant are an image of the Gentile nations dwelling in the Church, the beginning and seed of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, enlighten my mind to know the mystery of your Kingdom revealed in your parables. Allow me to see how the seed of your Word has grown in the garden of my heart and understand what it needs to flourish and bear supernatural fruit.

Living the Word of God: How is the Kingdom of God growing in my life? Does Jesus reign more fully each day in my life, my family, and my workplace?