The immanent arrival of the kingdom of God is the good news of Jesus. His entire prophetic ministry can be summed up in the phrase “the kingdom of God.” The first moment we encounter Jesus in Mark’s Gospel, we find him “proclaiming the good news of God, and saying ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15).

The Gospel of the Kingdom

Contrary to many popular gospel presentations, Jesus’ message was not about obtaining heaven in the future after one’s death. Instead, Jesus’ message was about heaven invading earth and calling us to a positive response to this present reality. God’s revolution – the start of a new day – has arrived in Jesus, the agent of God’s kingdom.

The kingdom is difficult – if not impossible – to clearly define. Because God’s kingdom is “not of this world” we should not expect it to be patterned after existing kingdoms. The wondrous, wild, new, and unpredictable nature of God’s kingdom is so radically different from our present experience that Jesus spent his entire ministry explaining and demonstrating it.

The “Coded” Language of Parables

Jesus spoke of the kingdom in the “coded” language of parables (33). Through the use of these short stories Jesus subversively provided the necessary insights to understand and participate in God’s kingdom. But these insights were not available unless the listener was willing to put some effort into it.

On the surface, parables are simple stories. But the meaning of the stories is not on the surface. If the necessary effort was put into it, one found, underneath the surface, a deeper spiritual meaning. If no effort is put into it, the stories come across as lackluster, inane, even boring. In this manner, the coded message of the kingdom remains “hidden” from those “without ears” and available to those willing to put in the necessary effort. The truth is both hidden and revealed at the same time!

In our text, Jesus presents two short parables – two “coded” pictures of God’s kingdom and our relationship to it. Those unwilling to penetrate below the surface would never understand God’s kingdom. Stories of seeds, plants, and bushes just do not seem appropriate pictures of palaces, crowns, and regal glory. When listeners heard Jesus proclaim that “the kingdom of God is like…” they would expect pictures of majestic thrones, invincible armies, and bejeweled kings. Once they recovered from the initial shock, if they penetrated beneath the surface, the subversive power of the parables would reorient their perspective in a way that direct confrontation would not.

The Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)

The scattered seed on the ground – dispersed in a way that seems careless and wasteful – initially appears benign and useless. Much of the seeds’ initial growth is done in secret under the surface. Viewed from above the surface, the growth is slow and plodding. The fruit is not produced until the very end, and yet the fruit could not exist apart from the entire process.

The parable would not make a good farming manual. There is no description of plowing, weeding, cultivating, watering, or caring for the plant in any way. In contrast to presenting a picture of human effort, the human activity emphasized is sleep. The growth occurs while the human does nothing but slumber. The plant grows by itself (the Greek literally reads automatos – “of itself”).

“The point is that the Kingdom of God grows in a hidden, mysterious way, independently of human effort.”[1] Like the seed, the kingdom is a hidden, inexplicable force in this world. It has been “scattered on the ground” and its power is already at work, albeit in an unseen way.

It grows primarily by divine power, not human effort. This is not cause for inactivity, but confidence. There are divine forces at work beyond our control. It is not all up to us. We do not – and never will – know exactly how the kingdom grows. We will never completely figure it out. It grows even while we sleep! It has a life of its own. We do not “grow,” “advance,” or “build” God’s kingdom. This kind of language is completely absent from the New Testament. Instead, we “seek,” “enter,” “inhabit,” and “invite” others into the kingdom.

The kingdom is beyond our control – and that is a good thing! The kingdom depends on God’s power, not human effort or agency. We are not responsible for its growth, but we are responsible to do one thing – scatter the seed on the ground. We play a role, but the growth itself is in God’s hands (cf. Isaiah 55:10-11; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9). “[We] see to the sowing and God sees to the growing.”[2] We do our part, and then patiently wait on God.

This strikes a blow at our sense of self-importance. We need not take ourselves too seriously, or become too anxious, or even worse, despair. Ultimately, the growth of God’s kingdom is not a matter of our brilliant strategies, flawless techniques, and expertise. Our call is not just to strategize, but to scatter widely, wildly, and recklessly – we never know what God may use to bring about his reign! And once we have scattered, we need not fret about our effectiveness. It is not ultimately up to us. We can “sow and sleep soundly. Just sow and let go.”[3] “Stop calculating, stop worrying about design and strategy, stop trying to crunch results. Scatter what you have and hit the sack.”[4] Even poor sowing does not matter, because the crop is not ultimately in our hands.

The Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-32)

The kingdom of God is “like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade” (Mark 4:31-32).

The contrast is between the seeds’ beginning and end. The kingdom starts small, but ends big. This parable teaches that the kingdom is present in a tiny, insignificant form (“seed”), but will one day be great (“the greatest of all shrubs”). From its small insignificant beginnings in Jerusalem to its glorious consummation among the nations, the kingdom of God is present with power and is advancing towards a glorious end.

The end is so amazing, that the “birds of the air” – which most likely represent the nations of this world (see Ezekiel 17:23; 21:1-9; 31:6; Daniel 4:12, 21) – find shelter in God’s kingdom. The divine intention in the preaching of the kingdom is to bring all nations under the protective branches of God’s tree.

The practical significance of this calls for us to reverse our understanding of greatness. We must never despise small beginnings. Good things come from seemingly insignificant beginnings. God’s work cannot be evaluated by size alone. In Jesus’ day the kingdom invaded in and through a backwoods Nazarene rabbi and twelve simple disciples. They ministered to the weak, the marginalized, and social outcasts. To most observers awaiting the kingdom of God, this hardly seemed to qualify. But, here it was!

We must never underestimate the power of small beginnings. Our small acts matter greatly. Even though the kingdom grows by divine power and not human effort (the first parable) this does not negate the importance of our own actions. Our efforts do matter, indeed, every little effort matters!

Every great journey begins with one small step. And every great journey is taken one small step at a time. Greatness is revealed in the cumulative power of a series of seemingly small acts. Through small acts of love and kindness, our character is formed, and our influence felt. “Small kindnesses, small courtesies, small considerations, habitually practiced in our social intercourse, give a greater charm to the character than the display of great talents and accomplishments.”[5] With the help of Caussade, Don Spoto speaks to this:

Caussade admits that often our lives seem to be composed of insignificant details, routine tasks and humdrum chores. But it is just this ordinary life that is the forum for God's self-disclosure to us: “We are often bored with the small happenings around us, yet it is these trivialities that would do marvels for us if only we did not despise them, for God speaks to every individual through what happens moment by moment. The events of each moment are stamped with the will of God. If we have abandoned ourselves to Him, there is really only one rule for us: the duty of the present moment.” ...the duties and demands of ordinary life thus provide the forum through which we encounter God. To discover Him in the small details as well as in the great events is to sustain a relationship.[6]

We must never forget that one of the best pictures of God’s kingdom is the smallest object known to Jesus – a mustard seed. This is a great reminder during the first Sunday in Ordinary Time. “The kingdom of God does not abide by the standard rules of agriculture. The Grower can take anything you sow – anything – anywhere you sow it, anyway you sow it, and yield a bumper crops. So sow.”[7]

Putting It All Together

The combined message of the parables is a great encouragement to faith. The first is a warning not to despair. The kingdom is here even though we might not see it. The second is call to hope and persevere – we haven’t seen anything yet! The point of the parables is not to leave us apathetic or inactive, but to keep us from becoming discouraged and giving up. God’s kingdom, at present, may appear powerless and insignificant, but it will ultimately astound us. Likewise, our actions may appear powerless and insignificant, but they are not ultimately fruitless. Our labor – even our smallest acts – is not in vain in the Lord! They are all remembered and rewarded by God (see Hebrews 6:10).

For those with ears to hear and eyes to see – those able to interpret Jesus’ “coded” language of parables – the secret of the kingdom has been revealed. A force has been unleashed that is bigger than us all. It starts small but ends big. The secret has been given to us in order that we might live in light of it, and ultimately share it with others. Newbigin calls this the “open secret” – the mystery of the kingdom meant to be shared with all.

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It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts; it’s even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that should be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection; no pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something and do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it’s a beginning - a step along the way.
It's an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the result.
But that's the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are the workers, not master builders.
We are the ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future that is not our own. Amen.
- Archbishop Oscar Romero

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© Richard J. Vincent, 2006