Mark 4:26-34 Kingdom without borders
2 Pentecost

In the Gospel according to Mark and Matthew, Jesus’ ministry is introduced as one that proclaims the dawn of the Kingdom of God. We are all familiar with the concept of the kingdom of God and we have heard the kingdom parables many times over. The thing about parables is that their simplicity sometimes betrays the depth of their meaning.  Parables also tend to be deeply rooted in a particular local setting, and as such one needs to go back to where a parable originates in order to understand its meaning better. Parables are also called riddles sometimes and often the parables that Jesus told comes across like riddles to us modern readers.

One of the things that strike me about the first parable is that Jesus merely says, as if “someone” would scatter seed on the ground. He does not use the word “farmer” as he has done so in the other parable about sowing seed. Also, a farmer would know that the seed needs water, the right amount of sunshine, maybe some preparation of the soil and protection from the birds as indicated in the parable of the sower. The man in this parable comes across as someone who does not know too much about seeds or farming. First, he just scatters the seed on the ground, instead of sowing them. Secondly, he really does not seem to care too much about the seed; it doesn’t even mention that this man goes out to see whether the seed are sprouting. While he sleeps and rise night and day, meaning he is not concerned about the seed, they continue to do their thing and they sprout and grow. Thirdly, the carelessly scattered, forgotten seed actually produce enough for this man to go out and get a harvest out of it. Jesus says very clearly, “But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come."

For the longest time I thought the focus of this parable is on the certain someone who scatters the seed. After having read it again with some background reading on 1st Century farming in Palestine, I am now convinced that the focus of this parable are the seed, not the person who happen to scatter the seed. The seed is the word of God, the Gospel of good news that Jesus came proclaiming and its tremendous power to bring life even in the midst of indifference. In Isaiah 55:11 it says, “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”  The proclamation of the Kingdom of God comes with the assurance of God’s trustworthy and powerful words of life. The power of God’s word is so pervasive in its life-giving ability that even those who dispense of it so carelessly will have the chance to share in its harvest, not because they scatter the seed, but because God’s nature is to give life.

So the Kingdom of God is not something that we build or expand like earthly kingdoms, it comes about only with the power of God’s word. God alone is responsible for how it grows and where it grows and if we happen to scatter God’s word in some way or the other we are mere transporters of God’s word.  God alone is the farmer who knows and understands when, where, and how the seed will grow and bring a harvest. The Kingdom of God grows in places where we never imagine it would grow. The Kingdom of God grows regardless of our neglect and indifference very often, because the very essence of the Kingdom of God is life as opposed to death and oblivion.  This brings us to the second parable, the parable of the mustard seed.

Again, looking at the mustard seed that grows to give shelter to all the birds- from a farmers’ point of view, it is not what a farmer would want. Farmers in fact spend quite a lot of time and sometimes employed people to keep the birds away from the seed as well as the plants that sprout. So, it is not a good thing for the mustard plant in the farm to become a shelter and a home for the birds, because the birds will eat not only the seed but also the leaves. So this particular mustard seed that grows into a sheltering plant is not just another mustard plant that will feed the farmer. Instead, this mustard plant will attract the pests and even give them a home under its branches. Similarly, the Kingdom of God is where the pests of our society have a home. The homeless, the criminal, the undesirable, the one who is on welfare, or all those who we think eat up all our hard earned resources are the ones for whom the branches of God’s kingdom are spread out for too.

The Kingdom of God is like nothing we can imagine. It is not the church, though the church is very much a part of God’s kingdom. We are not the architects nor do we have the authority to decide who should or should not belong in the Kingdom of God. It is God’s everlasting love for his children that led Him to usher in His kingdom of renewal, transformation, peace and life eternal through His Son Jesus Christ.  And it is the Spirit of God alone working in and through the lives of people that God’s holy and just Kingdom is established here on earth. The mysterious but transforming power of the Kingdom of God is actually what is most exciting about it. In fact, there is tremendous freedom in knowing and understanding that we are not responsible for shaping God’s kingdom. The only thing that God requires of us is to receive that Kingdom into our lives, to be witnesses so that others may hear about and see the transformative nature of the Kingdom that has no boundaries, and is all embracing. May we all learn to seek the Kingdom of God daily so that we can actually witness and be a part of the growth and the harvest.  Jesus said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33).