#7 Top 40 New Testament Passages: The Kingdom of God is Like... (Mark 4:30-32)
He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 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.” (Mark 4:30-32)
Jesus taught many parables giving insight into the nature of the Kingdom of God. He began many with the phrase "The Kingdom of God is like..." One such parable is known as The Parable of The Mustard Seed.
Jesus states that the Kingdom of God is like a tiny mustard seed. It starts out small, but ends up becoming that which is of greatest importance, evident to all in the life of the disciple.
God's kingdom is eternal. It is spiritual in nature coming from God. God seeks to find expression of this heavenly dominion on earth through the church. The church is an earthly expression of the Kingdom of God.
One can interpret this parable both personally and globally. The ultimate vision for the Kingdom of God is God with us in perfect harmony. I personally love Jesus' parable of the wheat and the weeds. He tells of a farmer's wheat field infested by weeds (tares) which in their infancy look a lot like wheat. Rather than pull the weeds the farmer decides to wait until harvest to separate the weeds out from the crop. He doesn't wish to accidentally pull up wheat. Then Jesus explains the parable to the disciples.
“The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! (Matthew 13:37-43)
What I find most beautiful is to hope in a future when there will be no evil, not even a cause for sinning, and there will be no one who practices evil. I can't really grasp what that would be like, but I hope for it with all my heart.
And maybe that gets after the mustard seed idea. Hope starts out tiny like a mustard seed in us. When we first hear the gospel perhaps the good news gives us hope, but given time and nurture that hope becomes our all in all!
How does one nurture hope? By continuing to read the scriptures for inspiration and direction, through prayer and Christian fellowship, through walking with Jesus into ministry each day with your spiritual eyes wide open and your ears tuned into Christ. Hope is renewed in patient waiting, trusting that God will strengthen you. (Isaiah 40:31: Romans 8:22-25)
Another parable Jesus tells is of the growing seed. The wheat grows in stages before reaching maturity. "First the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head, and when the grain is ripe, the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:28-29) The same is true for our growth as disciples of Jesus. We grow through stages toward maturity, fullness in Christ.
A great book on the subject is Deepening Your Effectiveness by Dan Glover and Claudia Lavy. They depict the growth of disciples like different places on the beach.
My own version of the beach metaphor reveals that some are cynical land lovers, reluctant to come near. Others are beach combers curious about finding meaning and purpose. Others are like sun bathers practicing a comfortable form of religious consumerism. Still others are waders, exploring ministry and trying different ways to serve. Still others are like swimmers who are all in, seriously committed to growth in Christ. And the mature Christian is the surfer seeking to become one with the wave (i.e. Christ).
We grow through a process of spiritual formation through regular worship, prayer, study, service and giving. All the stuff churches do is designed to develop us as disciples, until we all reach fullness in Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13).
Our commitment to the kingdom of God starts out small, but will become everything. As Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field or a pearl of great value found. Upon finding the treasure or the pearl, one will sell everything to gain them. (Matthew 13:44-46)
But the Kingdom of God is not simply an individual journey toward fullness in Christ. It is geo-political, as the church brings the knowledge of God to all people in all places. The process is slow and sometimes we cannot see God's hand at work, or that our efforts are making any difference. Like a tiny mustard seed, the Kingdom of God on earth is a living organism that spans the centuries of human history, and yet we do not notice. Humans have a short memory. Remember how the new freed Hebrews, cried out in terror when they saw Pharaoh and his chariots charging down upon them at shores of the Red Sea? They had just witnessed God's mighty hand delivering them from Egyptian slavery through ten plagues. I think I'd be scared too! And I too forget that Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth.
Christ calls us, even in our fear, doubt, cynicism and faithlessness, to acknowledge that the Kingdom of God is in our midst. The disciples thought Jesus was going to kick the Romans out of Palestine, depose Herod, and take the throne as the true King of the Jews. After Jesus was crucified, the disciples talked with the resurrected Lord. They asked when he would establish the kingdom.
He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)
The religious leaders of Israel also asked Jesus a similar question.
Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” (Luke 17:20-21)
The Greek word translated as "among" is entos, which means within or inside. The only other place the rod is used in the New Testament is Matthew 23:26, where Jesus refers to the inside of a cup. The word can mean "in the midst of", which takes on a more communal meaning. To render the word as "inside" or "within you" is more appropriate, because the Greek uses the second person singular pronoun form of "you." Both translations are theologically correct, however, since the Kingdom of God is both personal and communal. It begins in you, but grows communally as each awakened soul is added. We share in this citizenship that knows only the borders of the human heart. Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like yeast int he dough, only a small pinch makes the whole loaf rise! (Matthew 13:33)
And so we live a strangers and aliens, foreigners on this earth, for we belong to a far better country. (1st Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13-16)
But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:20)
The Kingdom of God is spiritual. It starts out small in you until you grow into the full measure of Christ. The Kingdom of God is geo-political. It starts with two or three who believe the gospel and becomes a mighty movement that transforms the world with the love and righteousness of God. We all wait patiently in hope for the Kingdom to come in fullness, for all evil and evildoers to come to nothing, and for our God to dwell among us with no mediator or barriers necessary. And to that end we groan with anticipation and longing for our hope to be fulfilled. (Romans 8:18-25) Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)
Jesus taught many parables giving insight into the nature of the Kingdom of God. He began many with the phrase "The Kingdom of God is like..." One such parable is known as The Parable of The Mustard Seed.
Jesus states that the Kingdom of God is like a tiny mustard seed. It starts out small, but ends up becoming that which is of greatest importance, evident to all in the life of the disciple.God's kingdom is eternal. It is spiritual in nature coming from God. God seeks to find expression of this heavenly dominion on earth through the church. The church is an earthly expression of the Kingdom of God.
One can interpret this parable both personally and globally. The ultimate vision for the Kingdom of God is God with us in perfect harmony. I personally love Jesus' parable of the wheat and the weeds. He tells of a farmer's wheat field infested by weeds (tares) which in their infancy look a lot like wheat. Rather than pull the weeds the farmer decides to wait until harvest to separate the weeds out from the crop. He doesn't wish to accidentally pull up wheat. Then Jesus explains the parable to the disciples.
“The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! (Matthew 13:37-43)
What I find most beautiful is to hope in a future when there will be no evil, not even a cause for sinning, and there will be no one who practices evil. I can't really grasp what that would be like, but I hope for it with all my heart.
And maybe that gets after the mustard seed idea. Hope starts out tiny like a mustard seed in us. When we first hear the gospel perhaps the good news gives us hope, but given time and nurture that hope becomes our all in all!
How does one nurture hope? By continuing to read the scriptures for inspiration and direction, through prayer and Christian fellowship, through walking with Jesus into ministry each day with your spiritual eyes wide open and your ears tuned into Christ. Hope is renewed in patient waiting, trusting that God will strengthen you. (Isaiah 40:31: Romans 8:22-25)
Another parable Jesus tells is of the growing seed. The wheat grows in stages before reaching maturity. "First the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head, and when the grain is ripe, the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:28-29) The same is true for our growth as disciples of Jesus. We grow through stages toward maturity, fullness in Christ.
A great book on the subject is Deepening Your Effectiveness by Dan Glover and Claudia Lavy. They depict the growth of disciples like different places on the beach.
My own version of the beach metaphor reveals that some are cynical land lovers, reluctant to come near. Others are beach combers curious about finding meaning and purpose. Others are like sun bathers practicing a comfortable form of religious consumerism. Still others are waders, exploring ministry and trying different ways to serve. Still others are like swimmers who are all in, seriously committed to growth in Christ. And the mature Christian is the surfer seeking to become one with the wave (i.e. Christ).
We grow through a process of spiritual formation through regular worship, prayer, study, service and giving. All the stuff churches do is designed to develop us as disciples, until we all reach fullness in Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13).
Our commitment to the kingdom of God starts out small, but will become everything. As Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field or a pearl of great value found. Upon finding the treasure or the pearl, one will sell everything to gain them. (Matthew 13:44-46)
But the Kingdom of God is not simply an individual journey toward fullness in Christ. It is geo-political, as the church brings the knowledge of God to all people in all places. The process is slow and sometimes we cannot see God's hand at work, or that our efforts are making any difference. Like a tiny mustard seed, the Kingdom of God on earth is a living organism that spans the centuries of human history, and yet we do not notice. Humans have a short memory. Remember how the new freed Hebrews, cried out in terror when they saw Pharaoh and his chariots charging down upon them at shores of the Red Sea? They had just witnessed God's mighty hand delivering them from Egyptian slavery through ten plagues. I think I'd be scared too! And I too forget that Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth.
Christ calls us, even in our fear, doubt, cynicism and faithlessness, to acknowledge that the Kingdom of God is in our midst. The disciples thought Jesus was going to kick the Romans out of Palestine, depose Herod, and take the throne as the true King of the Jews. After Jesus was crucified, the disciples talked with the resurrected Lord. They asked when he would establish the kingdom.
He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)
The religious leaders of Israel also asked Jesus a similar question.
Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” (Luke 17:20-21)
The Greek word translated as "among" is entos, which means within or inside. The only other place the rod is used in the New Testament is Matthew 23:26, where Jesus refers to the inside of a cup. The word can mean "in the midst of", which takes on a more communal meaning. To render the word as "inside" or "within you" is more appropriate, because the Greek uses the second person singular pronoun form of "you." Both translations are theologically correct, however, since the Kingdom of God is both personal and communal. It begins in you, but grows communally as each awakened soul is added. We share in this citizenship that knows only the borders of the human heart. Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like yeast int he dough, only a small pinch makes the whole loaf rise! (Matthew 13:33)
And so we live a strangers and aliens, foreigners on this earth, for we belong to a far better country. (1st Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13-16)
But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:20)
The Kingdom of God is spiritual. It starts out small in you until you grow into the full measure of Christ. The Kingdom of God is geo-political. It starts with two or three who believe the gospel and becomes a mighty movement that transforms the world with the love and righteousness of God. We all wait patiently in hope for the Kingdom to come in fullness, for all evil and evildoers to come to nothing, and for our God to dwell among us with no mediator or barriers necessary. And to that end we groan with anticipation and longing for our hope to be fulfilled. (Romans 8:18-25) Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)
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