Reading
Mark 4:26-34
26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
Meditation
Speaking of Jesus in parables indicates a pedagogical method that stimulates the involvement of the listeners and requires active participation of their intellect. To those who want to understand Jesus offers the possibility of a further explanation, raising their knowledge; but to those who do not accept him the meaning of his words remains obscure.
In the parable of the growing seed, the sower and the reaper are the same person. The seed grows by itself, without any human intervention, like the kingdom of God, started by Jesus with the proclamation of the gospel. It develops until the time of the harvest, the final judgment established by God. This growth and this collection recall both the life of the Christian and the establishment of the kingdom in history.
The progression in the growth of the seed (stem, ear, grain) indicates that grace, as well as nature, need to run their course, require gradual development. God's times are not the hasty times of the "urban" man, but rather the times of the peasant, whose patience, in the industrious preparation of the land and in waiting from one season to another, are rewarded with a favorable harvest.
In the parable on the mustard seed, the small dimension of this seed refer to the invisible action of grace that works in us and in the world, while the size of the plant represents the universality of the kingdom of God.
We must not be discouraged if we do not see immediate results in our path of spiritual growth; it is necessary that we descend into the depths of "humus", that we become humble through the trials and failures of our life. Only when we have totally stripped ourselves of the "rind" of our "ego" can we become like a tree planted along streams of water, which will bear fruit in its time (Ps 1: 3).
When it encounters good soil, the word of God produces fruits of grace in an inexplicable and silent way. Has anyone ever caught the moment in which a plant grows? But when it comes to full maturity, as the mustard shrub offers shelter under its shadow, the Christian becomes a blessing to the world.
The parable of the seed and that of the mustard seed teach us that nature and grace not only do not make "leaps" (natura non facit saltus) but neither do they operate with violence. The earthly history of Jesus shows us that he does not impose himself or even opposes those who reject him by putting him on the cross.
Wouldn't it be foolish for a farmer to try to force the seed to grow? Agriculture is an activity for meek men like Abel and Jacob. Let us take example from the words of Jesus so that us don't ruin, because of excessive zeal, the delicate work of grace in our heart and in every man.
Prayer
Lord, whether we are awake or asleep, your grace works mysteriously in us; may your Spirit grant us a confident wait, in the certainty that you take care of your field. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
