The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost --- 17 June 2018

Mark 4:26-34

{Jesus said}, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come." He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It 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." With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed…

·       I imagine you’ve all seen those reedy and ragged-looking plants along the roads; the ones that fill in the ditches – not quite cat-tails. They are called “common reeds” or “phragmites.” The authorities call them an “invasive species” which chokes out the native plant-life and takes over. They seem to have no real purpose but to grow. I’ve secretly hoped that these plant would be processed into a cure for cancer or into clean, renewable fuel for vehicles, but I’m a romantic and a dreamer and a reader of science fiction.

·       So, what we have here is an example of plants that “just grow” and one we’re familiar with. We don’t know how they get there. It’s almost as if we look away for a second and *poof* there they are! All grown up and clogging up the drainage ditches. With that in mind, the parables in our Gospel reading today could be something we could all relate to.

·       Jesus is talking about a mustard seed, which grows into a plant that is not an invasive species and actually has a number of uses, both medicinal and food-related. However the mustard plant can grow just about anywhere and can be carried on the wind or the clothing of passers-by. It is hard to catch as it grows and harder still to eradicate once its taken root. This growing plant is not confined to only certain places, but it grows where-ever it wills. Jesus says it becomes a very large shrub, providing shelter for birds and possibly other animals. This might be an exaggeration, but it makes sense in the parable.

·       What Jesus is telling the disciples and the crowd that the reign of God can appear and grow where it is least expected. What it looks like and what it can do will be unexpected as well. In Jesus’ time, the people expected a political Messiah who would run the Romans out of Judea and establish a grand kingdom, bigger and better than that of Soloman. A rabbi who turned all things on their head was not expected. A man who proclaimed himself and showed himself to be the Son of God was not expected, especially since he was seen as poor and homeless and he spent his time with sinners rather than the righteous ones.

·       The unexpected and often unlooked for nature of the growth of the reign of God will have things to say about every aspect of human life.

·       It will be political while not being partisan. By that I mean, political as in the way we live and how we govern ourselves without kneeling to one party or another. The reign of God has lots to say about that.

·       It will be down-to-earth in that living the life of a disciple of Christ will involve where our money goes, how we spend our time and talent, and ultimately what we dedicate our lives to. In short, the reign of God will affect our personal economies and in that, the wider economy. Some have said that there cannot be an economically neutral Gospel.

·       The reign of God will be quite personal. It will have to be embodied in relationships and in existence itself. It is not a theory or an idea; it is a practiced reality.

·       The reign of God will not be ultimately hidden if we know where to look. As Jesus took on the flesh of our earthly existence and lived his earthly life in a way almost any of us might, so the reign of God that he proclaimed will be seen in the lives of the disciples of Christ.

·       In truth, there will be times when that reign will look like it has failed and there will be times where it looks like it has been warped and used for the purposes of the powerful, but this will not last. We can trust in the power of the Holy Spirit with the people of God to see to that.

·       The sign of this is the same sign we’ve received for everything else about the reign of God and the presence of God in the life of the world.

·       It is simply this: There is no gospel in which Jesus remains buried in the ground like a dormant seed. His Resurrection reaches every aspect of our lives, as individual and as a community. His Resurrection has washed over us and from him we draw our strength.

·       Like those weird weeds we see in the ditches (only better!) we don’t know where the reign of God comes from and we don’t know how it grows, but grow it does and it will continue to grow. Like the tiny mustard seed with all its uses and the sheltering shrub that it grows into, there we will find our shelter.

With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed…