Today’s Passage Mark 4:26-34
Some days, most days, the world is pushing me to be “crazy busy”. I am thankful you are taking the time to read some of these thoughts.
It is important to “pause and ponder”.
I don’t mean daydream, but rather take a moment and think seriously about God, Jesus, faith, and our very lives.
In the text today, Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of God. Do you ever think about this topic?
Consider these two parables. If you “stare straight at them”, I don’t think you will see his point.
There is a common thread. That thread is all about what God does with the efforts made by humans for Him, for God. Efforts that we make in faith.
In the first parable a field grows after a man scatters seed, and he who did the planting simply does nothing more. In verse 28 we read the phrase “it produces by itself”. The man had faith that the seed would grow.
Then in the second parable, we read of a small seed, a mustard seed, sown on the ground. It too grows, and it grows into a large plant. It is so large that birds make their nest in it. Again, if you were trying to grow a large mustard plant, you would be demonstrating faith that the tiny little seed would grow.
Jesus says that the “Kingdom of God is like…” what? He says, “The Kingdom of God can be compared to…” what?
The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom where people actively live with faith.
We have been reading about Jesus teaching, and Jesus healing. People marvel. People are amazed.
Yet, from all these stories and miracles, if you were asked “Is the Kingdom of God growing?” At this point in Mark’s Gospel, I would say “No”. These parables tell us to consider other answers; “Not yet” or “Not to the visible eye”.
The stories about Jesus and the teaching of Jesus, while amazing and powerful, will not by themselves persuade or convince anyone. They were never intended to. They are intended to invite you to take a step of faith.
What I am trying to say is that you must meet Jesus, personally. It is not enough to read about him. It is not enough to witness a friend or relative healed by him. It is not enough to intellectually agree with a complete cogent religious system based on Jesus.
All the teachings and all the healing help someone who has a sincere interest in Jesus pursue him. You might say they are pointers and signposts along the trail a person takes to find God. In fact, they can lead you all the way to God’s door.
However, the only one who can convince and persuade is Jesus. The attitude you take as you walk that trail is hugely helpful. If you could be skeptically neutral, I think you will meet him. Yet you must meet him.
For many it is not easy.
Faith made easy is what we would all like. But the kingdom is not built on impressive speakers nor powerful performances, it is built upon our faith in Jesus.
But consider again these parables. For the person who has faith, God takes their efforts, often without us knowing how, and uses it for His Kingdom.
Our attitude as we labor is important. Pride will always be knocking at the door, fear too.
Yet ponder for a moment, God takes our efforts, offered in faith, and builds His Kingdom.
What efforts are you offering for God’s purposes?