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Mark 4:21-34
A Lamp on a Stand
21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
This reading from the Gospel of Mark is a series of short parables and metaphors. As we’ve said in past Reflections, it seems important to stop from time to time think about the fact that Jesus did so much of his teaching in parables. According to the New Testament scholars, about a third of the teachings that are recorded for us in the gospels takes the form of parables. I think there are several reasons that Jesus chose to use parables and metaphors in his teachings. One of them is probably that his practice of teaching by parables requires us to reflect theologically about what Jesus is saying. Jesus didn’t just give us a list of rules and tell us to obey them.
If you listen to lots of people who call themselves Christians, you could come to the conclusion that the faith is just a list of doctrines we’re supposed to believe and rules we’re supposed to obey. Believe those doctrines, obey those rules, and you’re assured of a place in heaven. But if you thoughtfully consider the way Jesus used parables as a cornerstone of his teaching, it suggests that his understanding of discipleship involved a lot of thinking about his teachings – reflecting on them theologically – to get at the truths the Holy Spirit might want to reveal to us through them.
It’s probably also true that people learn things more easily when they’re presented in the form of parables and metaphors. And that would seem to mean that in addition to learning the faith by hearing them, those of us who follow Jesus are meant to learn to use his parables and metaphors in sharing our faith with others. Most of us can probably communicate the heart of the faith more effectively by talking about the Good Samaritan or the Prodigal Son than we can by explaining doctrines like predestination or substitutionary atonement. I’m pretty sure I can.
So in this little reading, Jesus actually uses four different metaphors to communicate principles of the faith.
The first is the metaphor of a lamp on a stand to make the point that Jesus’ followers are supposed to let their light shine into the world by living out our faith and telling his story. That story is about how God came into the world in human form and lived among us. About how he walked around teaching and healing and serving others with the humility of a servant. About the fact that he died on the cross to reconcile us to himself, and rose from the dead to show his victory over death. These things were never intended to be secret knowledge passed from one person to another behind closed doors. They were meant to be made known to the world by our spoken witness, and by our living in imitation of Jesus.
Then, Jesus draws a little metaphor from the way grain was sold using measuring cups to scoop out grain for the buyer. Jesus uses this metaphor of “the measure you use” to urge his listeners (and us) to dispense love and mercy and forgiveness to others. The point is that however we deal with those around us – whether it’s love and mercy or judgment and condemnation – that’s what we should expect from God. And, on the other hand, that our realization that we’ve been forgiven should move us to offer forgiveness and mercy to others, as well.
In the third and fourth parts of this reading, Jesus uses two little parables or metaphors to illustrate characteristics of the kingdom he came to announce.
One of these metaphors compares the kingdom of God to seed planted in a field. Once the farmer has planted it, the seed then grows through forces that are not under the farmer’s control. Whether the farmer is awake or sleeping, the crop is growing. Jesus seems to be making the point that we can trust God to cause his kingdom to take root in the hearts of some people who hear it. When we tell people the good news about what God has done in Jesus, we don’t have to aggressively press people to “accept Jesus and get saved” on the spot. We can trust that God will, in his own time, nurture faith in some people and draw them to himself.
In the last part of the reading, Jesus says God’s reign is like a mustard seed. It can start out in tiny, almost imperceptible ways, but grow more and more into the world until it becomes large and useful, providing comfort and shelter to those who need it. The reign of God doesn’t need to be announced with a “grand opening” as the world trumpets its programs. Instead, it can creep into the world humbly, modestly, and grow irresistibly into something great.
None of these parables by itself tells you everything you need to know about the life of faith or the reign of God. Instead, they’re kind of like brush strokes that a skilled painter might use slowly to craft an image of the transformed reality that God is patiently bringing to fulfillment in the world.
Let’s pray. Lord, as followers of your Son, we wait eagerly for all of creation to acknowledge your authority and to live by your word of life and your law of love. By your Spirit, transform us so we can play our part in helping to bring your reign to fulfillment in this world around us. Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Henry
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