Sermon - Year B - The Year of Mark

June 14, 2009 - Pentecost 2 

Some things are hidden from our eyes; many things are not what they appear to be. Jesus is saying something along that line in this parable today. He is taking something every Israelite would have seen, and shows the wonder and miracle within it. A man scatters seed on the ground. Everyone would know this picture. From that image, Jesus shows that things that we think we know, and things we think we understand are in fact deeper mysteries than we can imagine.

Jesus is saying that the same is true for the kingdom of God, for faith, and for the church. We think we know these things. We think we understand them; however, they are in fact great mysteries that hold the wonders of who our God is.

  Parables are brief stories that show a point. Parables are not fables because they speak of something true. However, they are not history. They are a kind of extended metaphor that can take many directions and raise many questions. Jesus uses these metaphors or parables to show the wonder of God, faith, and the kingdom of God.

Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground." I find the “as if” interesting. When I think of a kingdom, I picture big things - walls, fortresses, castles, and land extending out over the countryside. However, Jesus uses the planting and growing of seeds as an "as if." The kingdom of God is 'as if' someone would scatter seed on the ground."

  This is not a picture of walls and castles. The seeds fall on the ground wherever they land. There is nothing frightening or formidable about a seed. It simply falls on the ground seemingly helpless. Never the less, the seed holds the mystery of life. It is greater than walls or castles for these things are lifeless stone. The seed holds life; it grows; it brings forth wonderful things that in turn give life. The kingdom of God is "as if" someone scatters seed.  

In this parable, Jesus presents a picture that is greater than what we can imagine. A seed growing is a thing of life. The kingdom is not to be feared; its mystery comes silently and quietly. It does not even disturb our sleep.

What is the parable telling us? We do not know how the kingdom grows; the kingdom still comes and grows without our understanding. The seed has the secret of life and growth within it. The kingdom of God is unlike the work of humans. Humans tend to work in bursts of energy. We take two steps forward and one-step back. The same is not true with God; nature's growth is constant. It happens day and night. The same is true with God. He is always present, always at work, and always bringing forth the mystery of his kingdom.

We cannot make the kingdom of God come or appear. We can only live open to the life it gives. We can only trust that it is doing greater things than we can imagine for it in fact is doing just that.

  Jesus then takes the description of the kingdom of God, and talks about the mustard seed. In Israel, the mustard seed was an expression representing the smallest possible thing. Birds were fond of the mustard tree. They would cover it as they ate the tiny seeds and would nest in the branches. Daniel in the Old Testament speaks of a tree and the birds in its branches. Daniel was using the tree as a symbol of a great empire and the birds as its kingdoms.

  Jesus uses this symbol to try to describe the kingdom of God. Do not be discouraged by small beginnings. The kingdom of God will do greater things than we can imagine. The kingdom of the Church reaches out to the entire world like the branches on the tree. We are part of that kingdom and that Church. God will do great things through us. It is in God's nature to do so. It is part of who God is for he is at work day and night, when we are awake and when we sleep. Out of the smallest things, God will bring his glory. Out of you and me, God will bring the light of his love. God's kingdom is at work now in our lives and in our church. Amen.