Trinity 3 17th June 2018

Reader  Sherry Angelis

 

I can imagine that the majority of us have, at some time,  planted a seed or two,  and then waited and watched for the outcome.  I remember doing exactly this with my  4-year-old daughter.   We had space for a tiny garden on the balcony and spread around seeds for lettuce,  carrots,  and green onions.  Every morning,  Sofia would rush outside to check on our crops.  Slowly but surely the results began to appear.  I will never forget the look on her face when the green poked through the dark brown soil.  Her excitement and joy were immeasurable!  Even though we never planted a mustard seed, still the fact remains that what went under the soil grew into something much bigger!

Let’s take a look at our two parables today, and with our ears to hear and eyes to see, get some clarity before we tackle a more complex topic.   The first off these  ‘kingdom of God’  parables is unique to Mark and sets forth the secrecy and mystery of growth.  A seed is planted; and, hidden underground, it is continually growing, strengthening, enriching, taking all the essential time required;  thus, what finally emerges, is precisely as it should be.  Here, Jesus is pointing out the  supernatural character of God’s kingdom.  Man is responsible for sowing the kingdom message, but only God can produce effects by enabling it to grow.   In the final verse, a sickle is mentioned as being used because the harvest has come.  This particular harvest is referring to the truth that  at such a time,  the world will be ripe for judgment – the final judgment.

The second parable tells us of a tiny mustard seed being planted, and while only about 1mm. around,  it produces a very great shrub.  Jesus points out the astonishing contrast between the small beginning and amazing result.  He speaks of the destined greatness of God’s kingdom, contrasting its limited present significance, in a small band of original disciples,  with the worldwide domination upon our Lord’s return.    These two very poignant stories do send their message.

Now, let’s touch on the more difficult topic mentioned earlier.    My question is:     What does the kingdom of God mean to you?  Truly, I would love to give you the time necessary to respond to this challenging  question; however, what I will have to do instead is tell you some of my thoughts on the matter and leave you to think further on your own.

First of all, simply stated:  God’s kingdom, or the kingdom of heaven, is wherever and whenever He rules.  The kingdom story is undoubtedly a  Mega-Epic, one that begins in Genesis and follows on through Revelation, covering millennia and uncountable people.

In the beginning, God creates the heavens and the earth.  He is ruler of His kingdom.  He is, also, a loving God, and brings Adam and Eve to life to be proper stewards of the garden in which they live.  Being made in His own image, God expects them to be kind, caring, loving, trustworthy, and honest.   Well, we know how little time it takes  for the couple to betray their Creator and be exiled from their home.

Skipping far ahead, God’s chosen people are the Israelites.  Sadly, way too soon,  they decide a human king is required and, through the centuries,  we see nothing but a downward spiral.  They cannot take care of themselves, let alone others,  and  have no intention of being a Light to the Gentiles in order to bring them into God’s kingdom.  Israel becomes a divided kingdom and both are exiled from their homes.    Again, centuries pass, and while the remnant had returned to Jerusalem, they are still enslaved.  God is not their ruler, the Roman Empire is.

So, where do we go from here?  Who can God trust to wisely rule His kingdom with justice, righteousness, love, peace, and harmony?   How about checking out another ‘Beginning’?   Looking at John 1,  we read:   “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”    The Word – our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, is the only one able to rule – to bring about God’s kingdom as it should be.      There is already a precedent for this found within Israel’s history!  God has made a covenant with King David that a seed of David will rule the kingdom.

At long last the time is ripe, the seed of David, having passed on through generations without a ruler, is found in the Incarnate Son of God!  In Jesus, God creates the Steward truly in His own image,  the quintessential human being,  to take over the task of enabling the kingdom of God to finally find its way back to earth.    The Jews, however,  are expecting a  Messiah to crush the kingdom of Rome and bring in God’s kingdom, in which they will have a prominent role.  God’s plans are different.  The establishment of His kingdom means the dethroning of the world’s kingdoms, not to merely replace them with another basically the same that makes its way through the use of superior force of arms, but to exchange it with one whose power is the power of a Servant – one whose strength is not the love of strength but the strength of love!!

In the New Testament, we learn of Christ’s kingdom-inaugurating work:  the deeds and words that declare God’s kingdom is coming, then and there.    For God so truly loves the world that He sends His only begotten Son to our rescue.  Jesus, the pure, sinless man, through His love for us,  takes upon Himself all the sins of the world, from the time of Adam and evermore.  He dies for humanity.  The life, death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ mark the highest point of this very long story.

Within the last book of the Bible, the conclusion of our Mega-Epic is in reach.       In Revelation, we find  John’s extremely vivid vision of something awesome!        He writes of seeing a new heaven and a new earth in which God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.    There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.        There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

So, for now, what should we, as Christians, be doing here while we await the return of  Jesus?  Remembering Pentecost  will help us with this.  The Holy Spirit has planted a seed in every one of us. This kingdom seed lets Christians know that we are furthering God’s rule in our world.  The kingdom is within us; it abides in us and we in it.  The more the seed is nurtured, the more growth occurs.

This, I believe, will  help us to bring others into God’s kingdom.  Christ is giving us such a task, and it is exactly what we should be doing, as we, also, continue to pray every day to God:  “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”     Amen!!