Today's Scripture
The Kingdom of God: Mark 4:26-34
TODAY’S READING SCHEDULE: Matthew 8:14-34 Mark 4-5 (CEB)
26 Then Jesus said, “This is what God’s kingdom is like. It’s as though someone scatters seed on the ground,27 then sleeps and wakes night and day. The seed sprouts and grows, but the farmer doesn’t know how. 28 The earth produces crops all by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full head of grain. 29 Whenever the crop is ready, the farmer goes out to cut the grain because it’s harvest time.”
30 He continued, “What’s a good image for God’s kingdom? What parable can I use to explain it? 31 Consider a mustard seed. When scattered on the ground, it’s the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; 32 but when it’s planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all vegetable plants. It produces such large branches that the birds in the sky are able to nest in its shade.”
33 With many such parables, he continued to give them the word, as much as they were able to hear. 34 He spoke to them only in parables, then explained everything to his disciples when he was alone with them.
What does this passage mean to me/us
As we reflect on living out the whole truth, by ‘choosing life,’ this passage led me to rethink about this parable describing the kingdom.
Normally, we understand the person who scatters the seed, as our role, since we don’t have the ability for the crop to grow.
I would usually consider the crop as the fruit of the kingdom, where people bear faith in God.
This time reading the parable, my eyes were caught on how the Kingdom was attractive.
When the farmer harvests the crop, it should be attractive for others to see and want to do the same work.
When the muster seed grows into a big tree, it gathers and attracts the bird to nest under its shade.
The work of the Kingdom should be attractive to the world since the world does not see such harvest.
Or in other words, since the fruit that we harvest are not what the world can produce.
The fruit is a spiritual fruit we are to bear and harvest.
Then it comes back to that question, am I sowing the seeds in this world?
Prayer
Lord, help us to sow the seeds for the Kingdom. May your Kingdom come, and may your will be done, first in my life and into this world. In Christ name, we pray, AMEN.
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