Seeds of the Realm Scattered and Sown—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 4B (Mark 4)
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| Vincent Van Gogh, Sower at Sunset |
Mark
4:26-34 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle because the harvest has come.”
30 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 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.”
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
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Jesus
often used nature parables to describe the realm of God. He might say, as he
does here: “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the
ground.” The two parables in this reading speak of a simple act of scattering
seed as well as the planting of a mustard seed. One parable speaks of a rather
unorganized effort and the other of the size of a seed and its produce. When it
comes to planting things, I’m a bit of a scatterer. In other words, I’m not
sure I know what I’m doing with my flowers and plants but at times I’m amazed
at what comes up. The realm of God is something like that. It might start small,
but it can expand and grow in ways we don’t understand. As a preacher, I know
that there have been sermons I felt lacked substance but have spoken to
people’s hearts, while ones I thought were well-developed and deep have not. In
other words, preaching is a lot like scatting seed!
Mark is
not known for sharing the parables of Jesus. One of the few places we find
parables is here in Chapter 4. He includes the Parable of the Sower, the Lamp
under the Bushel Basket, and the two featured in this reading, the Parable of
the Scattered Seed and the Parable of the Mustard Seed. In a section following
the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells his disciples that the parables are not
for the disciples but for those who are outside their circle. They are not
designed to reveal but to conceal the truth of the Realm of God. That is, “they
may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand;
so that they may not turn again and be forgiven” (Mark
4:12). This fits with Mark’s idea of the “messianic secret,” such that the
full picture won’t be known until Jesus’ death on the cross. If parables
conceal, unless one is part of the community, then how should we approach these
two? Unlike the Parable of the Sower, which Mark’s Jesus explains using an
allegorical interpretation, a similar interpretation is not given for these
two.
The
first of the two parables compares the Kingdom of God to seed scattered on the
ground. According to the parable the seed is scattered, the one who scattered
it goes to bed, and eventually the seed sprouts and grows, but the Sower
doesn’t know how it happened. Somehow the “earth produces of itself, first the
stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.” While the farmer might
not understand how this works, he knows it will work, and apparently with no
effort on the farmer’s part except sowing seed. We might read into this the
idea that the process by which people come to understand the Gospel is
something of a mystery. It’s different for each person. We can sow a seed and
it might grow but how it grows is not known to us. Then, at some point, the
harvest will be ready, so it will be time to participate in the harvest. As Mark records: “When the grain is ripe, at
once he goes out with his sickle, because the harvest has come” (Mk. 4:29).
What this means is not revealed. There is, so it seems, a role to play at the
beginning and one at the end. The assumption is that this has something to do
with God’s realm, involving sowing (witnessing?) and harvesting. As the old Knowles Shaw
gospel song puts it:
If the
first parable of the kingdom of God (Realm of God) speaks of sowing and
harvesting, the second compares the realm to a mustard seed. According to the
parable, the mustard seed is the smallest of seeds and yet when it is sown it
grows into the greatest of all shrubs. Its branches provide shade for the birds
to nest in. The mustard plant spoken of here is very different from the mustard
plants I have encountered living in Santa Barbara. That plant, which grows wild
(no one is sowing seeds for the plant), turns the hillsides yellow in the
spring. I also blamed it for my spring hay fever. Nonetheless, this mustard
plant was not a large shrub, and its branches did not provide cover for birds
to nest in and under. Of course, the
parable is not designed to provide horticulture guidelines. The point is
something very small can grow into something quite large. We might interpret
this as suggesting that the realm of God may start small, but it will expand
exponentially. As Mariam Kamell points out, “The kingdom of God would not begin
with conquest and glory, but a tiny seed” [Feasting
on the Gospels: Mark, p. 139]. Perhaps the message here has to do with
the nature of power. Jesus didn’t fit the usual categories of a revolutionary
spiritual leader. There is another element to the parable of the mustard seed
that is suggestive of how God’s realm takes place. Amy Jill Levine points out
that the mustard plant is an invasive shrub that can grow a few feet in height.
Therefore, she suggests that the parable is designed to be “satirical and
humorous, and highly suggestive: the kingdom is like a shrubby invasive bush!”
[ The Jewish Annotated New Testament, p.
68]. In other words, the plant that emerges from that tiny seed is in
reality a weed. As a weed, we might envision a plant that takes root, grows
mightily and pushes out the other plants in the garden. Thus, according to
Jesus, the kingdom is more like an invasive weed that takes up space in the
garden, pushing aside such plants as fragile roses.
The
passage ends with a brief recap concerning the use of the parables. Mark writes
that Jesus taught through many parables. While he used parables to speak to the
crowds, and nothing other than parables, he explained everything to his
followers in private. So why might Mark portray Jesus in this way? William
Greenway might have a possible answer to the question of why Jesus might use
parables. He writes:
Perhaps Jesus uses parables because they resist quick resolution, because they push us toward listening with ears that can hear, toward hearing that brings transformation and forgiveness (4:23). Perhaps Jesus is concerned over the simplistic understanding of the multitudes. Perhaps this is also why he tells the demons not to tell anyone who he is (1:34), namely, because he understands the threat of people labeling and understanding him in accord with established categories, and so never being pushed beyond theory to spiritual awakening. [Connections, p. 86].
If we follow Greenway’s suggestions here, we can better
understand why Mark’s Jesus uses parables to hide the full message. It takes a
relationship to fully understand what Jesus has in mind. At least in the parable of the mustard seed,
the parables of the kingdom, as Mark lays them out, are rather subversive.
What we have here are two parables
that both reveal and hide Jesus’ vision of God’s realm. The first parable invites
us to sow the seeds of the Gospel. There is no need for high-pressure efforts
or advertising campaigns. Our marketing techniques and strategic decisions may seem
like good ideas, but the kingdom isn’t dependent on our entrepreneurial
tactics. Just share the good news and let it fall where it may, and when
the seeds take root, sprout, and grow until they are ready for harvest, we can
bring in the sheaves (so to speak). At the same time, the kingdom of God is
like an invasive species or weed. Once it takes root, it cannot be controlled
no matter how we try to contain it.
God’s realm is present amongst us,
but much of the action is taking place underground away from our view. William
Placher writes of how the realm takes root: “Pastors can preach the word,
teachers can teach, Christians of all sorts can try to provide good examples of
faith and upright conduct. But conversion to the Christian faith does not
follow neat recipes. It happens, indeed, underground” [Mark (Belief: A Theological Commentary on the
Bible), p. 73]. This doesn’t mean we should remain passive
in our faith, but it reminds us that God is responsible for establishing the
realm. Yes, we participate in this work by sowing seeds of God’s grace, but
bringing things to harvest lies in God’s hands. So, let us scatter the seeds of
God’s realm and watch as it takes root in our world.
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