He said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. 23 Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.” 24 He also told them, “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. 25 To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” 26 He said, “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land 27 and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. 28 Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” 30 He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. 32 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.” 33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. 34 Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
Jesus told the disciples, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables (Mk. 4:11).” He then explained that the purpose of the parables was to enlighten all not to conceal. The word of God which they received must be preached to others so that the kingdom of God may be revealed to all. The one who already has spiritual insights will get even more from the parables, but the one who does not already have spiritual insights after hearing the word from Jesus will end up in even greater spiritual ignorance.
The growth of the kingdom of God is of divine origin and does not depend on man. Man must cooperate but his efforts will have no consequence unless guided by God (1 Cor. 3:6-7). The kingdom is dynamic and the whole process of hearing the word, letting it grow within you, bearing fruit, and providing a bountiful harvest for God is what is important. Regardless of what happens in the world, the harvest, the kingdom of God, will come so let us not be discouraged.
God will grow the kingdom from its present small size to its incredible fullness (Ez. 17:23). This will happen the same way seed is planted and the harvest follows, but we have to wait for it to gradually happen as the process takes care of itself. Be patient and let God make the seed grow so that all those who accept His Son can find shelter. The crowds receive Jesus’ teachings which they can understand. Those who follow him as a result of his teaching become his disciples to whom Jesus explains the parables giving them deeper insights into the kingdom of God.
Almighty God, help us to understand your living Word given to us by Jesus and handed down by his disciples. Grant us the grace to keep your precepts, and the spiritual insight to grow daily in understanding as we read and ponder your Word. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen
__________________________________
References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Comments