The Gospel of Mark provides several examples of the many parables taught by Jesus (“Apart from a parable he did not speak to the crowds”). The dominant theme of his parables is the Kingdom of God that began to invade the Earth in his ministry and continues to grow and produce fruit wherever the Gospel is preached. The “Son of Man” taught the Jewish people in parables, but only as “they were able to hear,” and this clause stresses the responsibility of the listener to hear and heed his words.
Those
who have “ears to hear” acquire insight into his parables. For those who
do not, his parables remain incomprehensible. However, Jesus explained the
meaning of his stories “privately, to his disciples.”
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[Photo by Sandra Ahn Mode on Unsplash] |
The first of the Kingdom parables consists of two stories linked by the repeated clause, “He was saying to them.” They highlight aspects of the Parable of the Sower and explain why Jesus taught in parables.
- (Mark 4:21-25) - “And he was saying to them: Does the lamp come that under the measure it should be put or under the couch? Is it not that upon the lampstand it may be put? For it is not hidden, save that it may be made visible. Neither did it get hidden away, but that it might come into a place where it could be seen. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. And he was saying to them: Be taking heed what ye are hearing, with what measure you measure it will be measured to you and added to you; for he that has, it will be given to him, and he that has not, even what he has will be taken from him.”
The first-century lamp was an
oil vessel with a floating wick. Many things could be used as a “lampstand”
to better illuminate a room, including something as simple as an overturned
basket. The English term “measure” translates the Greek word modios,
a transliteration of the Latin word modius, the Roman grain measure
of approximately eight quarts or one peck.
The size and shape of the lampstand are
irrelevant to the story. Whether one conceals a lamp under a bushel basket or a
couch, the point is the same. No one would do such a thing. To hide a lit lamp would
make no sense.
His question expects a positive answer and
provides a clue to the parable’s meaning (“A lamp is not brought to be put
under a measure, is it, or under a bed?”). Light is provided so those who
enter a house are not left in darkness. Light reveals what is hidden in
darkness.
Jesus referred to a “lamp that does not COME.”
The Greek verb translated as “come” indicates that this hypothetical
lamp represents him. He was the light-bearer who “came.” The story
was not about judging others. It concerned the man who had “ears to hear”
and who must listen carefully since the standard for judging was the teaching
of Jesus.
The “measure” one gives to hear his
teachings is the measure of what a man receives. Individuals receive God’s
blessing (or not) by how they respond to the Nazarene’s teachings when they
encounter him.
GROWING IN SECRET
The next story addresses the
question: How can Jesus proclaim the Kingdom yet not work more
actively to bring it about? The issue arose because he was not implementing
the Kingdom in the manner expected by so many. He was not a warrior king
who conquered territory and slayed his enemies.
- (Mark 4:26-29) - “And he was saying: Thus is the kingdom of God. As a man may cast seed upon the earth, and be sleeping and rising night and day, and the seed is sprouting and lengthening itself, how he knows not. Of itself, the earth bears fruit; first, a blade, then, an ear, after that, full corn in the ear. But as soon as the fruit yields itself up, immediately, he sends forth the sickle because standing by is the harvest.”
This next story is told from the
perspective of a first-century farmer who did not understand how seeds
germinated and grew. He only knew that the harvest resulted after the seeds
were sown. The farmer did little after planting until the time of harvest. In
the interim, the seeds germinated and grew of their own accord.
Jesus compared the Kingdom to something ordinary rather than mighty or grand, namely, seeds. The mundane activities of planting and harvesting portray the paradox of the Kingdom. The “Son of Man” sowed the initial seed, an action that did not produce spectacular results easily observed.
He also likened the Kingdom to the process
of growth. Within itself, the seed contained life-giving power. Once planted, it
puts in motion the process that culminates in a large harvest at the
appropriate season. The farmer could not hurry the final harvest, but it did
come if he waited patiently until the end.
The inauguration of the Kingdom began modestly
in the person, words, and deeds of Jesus. The “harvest” would come when the
task of Gospel proclamation was completed (“And this Gospel of the Kingdom
will be proclaimed in all the inhabited earth, for a witness to all the
nations, and then the end will come” - Matthew 24:14).
THE MUSTARD SEED
The “mustard seed” represented something
that was especially small. It was approximately 1 millimeter in diameter. Later,
Jesus used it to represent a small amount of faith - (Matthew 17:20 - “Faith
as small as a mustard seed”).
- (Mark 4:30-32) - “And he was saying: How shall we liken the kingdom of God, or in what parable shall we put it? As a grain of mustard seed, which, whensoever it may be sown upon the earth, is less than all the seeds that are upon the earth. And as soon as it is sown, it springs up and becomes greater than all garden plants and produces large branches so that under the shade thereof the birds of heaven can find shelter.”
The “mustard seed” is tiny
and unimpressive. However, a shrub grows from it measuring up to five meters high.
His question indicated what this parable was about (“With what can we
compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?”).
Many of his contemporaries expected the Messiah to usher in the Kingdom with powerful signs and demonstrations of his royalty and sovereignty. But his ministry was small and unimpressive, though it would become the Kingdom of God and fill the Earth.
His reference to “birds of the air”
referred to ritually impure creatures like ravens and hawks. The Kingdom preached
by the “Son of Man” attracted individuals considered “unclean” outsiders
by the religious insiders of the Jewish nation. His words anticipated the opening
of the Gospel to the Gentiles - (Psalm 104:12, Ezekiel 17:23, 31:6, Daniel
4:9-21).
The version of the parable in Matthew
adds a quotation from the Psalms (“All this Jesus said to the crowds in
parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to
fulfill what was spoken by the prophet” – Psalm 78:2).
- (Mark 4:33-34) - “And with many such parables as these, he was speaking to them the word, according as they were able to hear. But without a parable, he did not speak to them. Privately, however, to his disciples was he explaining all things.”
Jesus
taught in parables but only as his audience “was able to hear.” It was the
responsibility of the listener to heed his words. Only those “with ears to
hear” were willing to hearken regardless of popular beliefs and
expectations, and so it remains to this day whenever his message is proclaimed.
Thus,
the “Kingdom of God” does not come in obvious and expected ways, and it has
been progressing in the world ever since Jesus began to announce the Good News in
the backwater regions of Palestine.
His
Kingdom advances unseen by most men whenever the Gospel “seed” is sown.
As the Word is proclaimed and received in faith, hostile “territory” is
conquered, and citizens are added to his realm. The process will conclude only at
the end of the age when God’s sovereign rule is consummated after the Good News
has been announced to “all nations.”
SEE ALSO:
- The Kingdom Herald - (After his baptism, the Spirit drove Jesus to the wilderness to be tested by the Devil. But he overcame and succeeded where Israel failed)
- His Authority - (He is the Son of Man foreseen by Daniel, the Messiah who has absolute authority from Yahweh over all things)