For the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time…
To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.
Mark 4:30-32
In a few of Jesus’ parables, we hear of the Kingdom of God that begins, analogously, as the smallest of seeds. Once in the ground, watered and cared for, seemingly small seeds will change and grow and become something greater. For Jesus’ listeners of the day, who were expecting a Messiah to command great armies and to take over territories for the Kingdom, this must have come as some kind of shock. Jesus’ use of hyperbole had his listeners scratching their heads.
Yet the truth of what the parable predicted for the future did bear out. What started as a small band of followers, strengthened and enlivened by the Holy Spirit, eventually grew to reach many nations. The early church was the beginning, and Christians today owe a debt of gratitude to the Spirit and to those who came before us, preaching the Kingdom, and calling us to new life in Christ. We have a place in this Kingdom.
Lord, Jesus, may the Gospel take root in me and bear good fruit. Help me to be a seed planter in the Kingdom.
