Loving God, as we come before you today, grant us the eyes to see and the ears to hear the wonders of your love.  Continue to work among us by the power of your Spirit, producing the abundant life that only comes from you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

           If you were going to teach large groups of people from every walk of life about God’s Way and what God is like, how would you do it?... Would you be in a lecture hall with a PowerPoint presentation?  Would you get them to memorize the catechism?  Or, would you tell stories?... Jesus, it seems, chose to tell stories – but not just any stories.  Jesus told parables, which are succinct, and are teaching stories, and which illustrate one or more lessons or principles (Wikipedia).  Jesus also used stories that would have given people plenty to think and to talk about.

         People today might wish that perhaps Jesus could have been a little bit clearer about what he was getting at.  However, Jesus had good reasons for teaching as he did, which hopefully will become clearer as we delve into some of these parables.

         As you may have noticed, the parables that we heard today contain some rather strange agricultural practices.  We’ll come back to the parable of the sower in a moment, but let’s start with the farmer who does nothing.  In this parable, somebody scatters some seed on the ground and then seems to spend their time on other things.  It sounds as though the seed grows all by itself, and the earth produces grain that is all of a sudden ready for harvest.

         Now, as anybody who has ever farmed or had a garden knows, this is not generally how things work.  So what kind of a harvest would Jesus be talking about where we do nothing in order to bring it about?... Some of you may know that a harvest metaphor has often been used to describe the last judgment and the coming of God’s kingdom in all its fulness.  After all, even the grim reaper has a sickle!  And so, this parable seems to be aimed at those who think that they can somehow bring about the end and the last judgment by what they do.  It is God who will bring it about when the time is right.

         As for the parable of the sower, which is probably better known, once again there are some pretty strange agricultural practices.  How many of you, if you were planting seeds, would simply toss them among the rocks, or on the path, or over there where all the thorns are?...  This seems kind of wasteful, doesn’t it?... And so, what kind of a sower would do this?...

         Jesus later explains that the seed is the word, just as the gospel of Mark has already told us that Jesus “was speaking the word” to the people (2:2).  So, it seems that Jesus was kind of like the sower, and Jesus did not deem it to be wasteful to speak the word to everybody, regardless of whether they would receive it or not.  And, as people now who are also called to spread the Word, we are given an example to follow in our sharing of the good news about Jesus.

         Another thing about this particular parable is that, while it may seem discouraging that so much of the seed doesn’t yield lasting results, the yield that Jesus describes in the good soil is absolutely amazing.  It is an image of abundance that has rarely been seen, and it reminds us of the abundant life that Jesus came to bring.  Whether we talk about the fruits of the Spirit, or the spring of living water that is in our hearts, the barren ground pales in comparison with the abundance of the Holy Spirit.

         In similar fashion, we have this image of a tiny mustard seed that can become a great shrub with large branches.  While you would be unlikely to see a mustard shrub like this here, it could easily be 8-10 feet tall in the area around the Sea of Galilee.  And so, the image is of something small that becomes large enough to give shelter to those in need of protection – kind of like a strong kingdom or nation might protect its weaker allies.

         In other places, Jesus talks about faith the size of a mustard seed doing great things, or a little bit of leaven that makes the whole batch of dough rise.  Everything doesn’t need to be big and powerful and flashy.  God can work with tiny seeds, or a tiny faith, or even a hesitant prayer in order to do great things.

         In this respect, the kingdom of God is actually quite subversive.  It grows in secret.  It protects those who are most vulnerable (unlike the Roman Empire).  There are hidden aspects of it that will not be fully revealed until God chooses.  It is unlike any earthly kingdoms, and yet exhibits incredible power in the hearts of believers.

         For these reasons, and in order that Jesus could actually complete his earthly ministry, he taught in such a way that neither the Roman authorities nor the religious leaders would be able to prove exactly what he meant.  In this way he was able to continue teaching and healing for approximately three years, before his time on this earth was done.

         At the same time, the parables continue to give us plenty to think about and to talk about, and those who spend time reflecting on them will not be disappointed.  “Pay attention to what you hear,” says Jesus.  “The measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you” (Mk. 4:24).  In other words, those who pay close attention will be given understanding, but those who don’t really pay attention will get nothing out of the parables at all.

         May the Word sink deep into our hearts this day and produce abundant life by the power of the Spirit.  For it is God who gives the growth, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Epiphany 2 (NL 2)                            Mark 4:1-34

January 19, 2020

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2020 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved