Parables for Kingdom Building

Video: https://youtu.be/HZnH6mreqUo

Last week, we wrestled with who are followers of God, who are His family. We saw many people who should have been God’s family, religious and political leaders, Jesus’ actual family, even those coming to Jesus and we found they were actually actively getting in the way of Jesus’ teaching and love. On the inverse, we saw the disciples who courageously, while still broken, stepped out and began to spread Jesus' Kingdom with the world. Jesus closed with this statement in chapter 3 vs. 35 - “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother”. This is a wholly inviting and embracing family with one stipulation, doing God’s will. 

Now today as we move on to chapter 4, Jesus introduces us to a few Kingdom Parables: short stories or images that have within them a greater truth about God’s Kingdom, us and the world. These parables will explore what it means to be God’s family, what it means to share His Kingdom and how we all might grow.

So naturally if we are talking about growth even as an idea, Jesus would talk about plants. To a primarily agricultural society these images would have been on the forefront of most people’s minds. 

Jesus starts with the Kingdom parable of the sower. The sower throws his seed everywhere. He is generous and gracious about spreading his seed, seemingly not judging the soil before it has a chance for the seed to grow in it. Jesus tells the disciples that this sower is meant to represent someone who shares God’s word. It could be God, Jesus or us. This farmer is offering and sharing God’s word with anyone and everyone. This word that is being offered literally means new life can be born in someone. Yet the thing is that not all people are as open to life as we would think. Some people, like the path, hear God's and because they don’t want to listen, or think, or challenge themselves or whatever, they leave God’s word to be trampled on and the devil quickly snatches it away. We have met and been these people.

Then there are those like the rocky soil that are initially receptive. They like, even love something about the gospel and Jesus. Maybe it is the inclusivity, or the community, or the care for the poor, or the hope, but because they aren’t rooted in Jesus Christ, when pain, or persecution, or something goes wrong in the church which will happen in any group of sinners, or if this person has questions the seed in them is burned away and that new life is lost. We have seen and been this kind of soil as well. 

Then there are those like the seed amongst thorns. They let God’s word grow in them, but the problem is that they have let their cares for everything else grow alongside God's word. Until one day, their cares for everything else strangle out the word, maybe because they don’t have time, or they are more worried about losing something or someone, or maybe these things have just become more important, more real to them and so we can easily let these cares and worries slowly squash God’s word in us, until there is no longer that new life. I would say this is probably one of the most prominent kinds of soils or people in our world and in our churches. Once again we have seen and been this kind of soil. 

Finally, there is the seed that falls on good soil. A person like this good soil is open, feeds, nourishes and gives to the word so that it can thrive in us. The word in this kind of soil or person won’t just be new life in that person, it will also mean the sustenance for others and new life in others as we become fruitful in word, action, courage, and a rich relationship with Jesus. We can all be this kind of good soil. The question seems to be how do we respond, dig deep, remove impediments and take care of God’s word in us, so that it might be that new life growing and spreading. 

This is one of the only parables that is explained to us in the gospels. Jesus tells his disciples that if we don’t understand this parable then we may not be able to understand the others. This parable is obviously very important, but why? Because if we don’t understand how to be the good soil, we will never be able to take these parables in and really allow them to flood us with new life, purpose and a bountiful generosity. These parables and the whole Bible is God’s word that can grow in us if we nourish it, until it overflows with life. 

One side note: we might struggle with Jesus a bit here. We hear that he teaches in parables so that some would see but not perceive, hear but not understand. Why doesn’t Jesus want everyone to be forgiven, we might ask? Well, that line is Jesus actually quoting Isaiah, which was a time when Israel had hardened their hearts so much that they would not listen to God or His prophets. In this particular case and from this parable, we should know that everyone is offered the seed, and anyone who comes to Jesus and actually tries to follow and be that good soil will have the word of salvation planted in them leading to new life. Then Jesus explained these things to the disciples, so that they might go out and be those fruitful soils to plant more seeds. 

Now we get four parables in quick succession that explore what it means to be that good soil, that one who has God’s word grow in them and flourish, the one who shares God’s Kingdom.

The first is the parable about a lamp. It is a silly question. Who would light a lamp and immediately block it’s light? There would literally be no point. The truth is we are continually turning on lights whenever we enter a room, we have street lights on all night. We turn on light because we know that the world in darkness needs to be revealed and so it is with all things. The light of God’s Kingdom is meant to reveal all things. As we read other places in Scripture we hear that Jesus is that light, but so are we His light to the world. We are meant to reveal what we or others have hidden in the dark. This includes all manner of sin, so that sin might sease, but it also includes all goodness, so that goodness might flourish. By being this kind of light, we pull out those weeds and give space for the new seed to grow. 

Next we move onto what I often think about as a cooking metaphor, but it could also be a planting metaphor or much more. Just think about it. The more floor you use, the more bread you will end up with. The more seed and land you cultivate, the more produce will result. This again is obvious, but Jesus takes this very obvious truth and says the more you do, the more of Jesus' word you share and cultivate, the more of His Kingdom you put into practice, the more it will be given to you, the more you will see God’s Kingdom in this world and the next. It's obvious, the more of God’s word we plant and spread, the more it will grow. 

Next, we look at how it grows. We may till the land and prepare ourselves for God’s word, which means we have to put in work, but God will grow His word in us. He will do that work of making it thrive in us, if we do our part. We take the first few steps, but we can trust God will do more. 

The same is also true if we are the people sharing God’s word or seed, we might help till the land, we might share God’s word, but we must trust that God will do the growing. One day, God will determine when we are ready and He will harvest. Maybe that means that He will give us an opportunity to speak his word, to nourish someone else in word and deed or maybe it means that when we are ready He will welcome us into His eternal Kingdom; it probably means all of these. 

Lastly, we come to the mustard seed. Here is this miniscule seed that many people might not even notice. Yet this single seed when planted in good soil can become so grand that it will feed, house, shelter, protect, nourish so many. It is the same thing with God’s word and faith. It may appear small, inconsequential, or even invisible at times but God’s faithfulness in us can become so powerful and life-giving that we need nothing else. What’s more, God’s word and faith in us, if nourished, can become so powerful that it will be almost everything others need too. 

Jesus in this moment is presenting to us how we might be the good soil and what that would mean for us, those around us and the world. Jesus is giving us the stakes behind what it means to follow him. Either we can care much more for other things and life will only diminish or be taken away, or we can care for God and His word and life might flourish in us to such a degree that it upholds and creates even greater life. The choice is ours. Amen