The kingdom of God, as taught by Jesus, has some surprising characteristics.
It will not come by political conquest or force; it has elements of secrecy and slow hidden growth. At the same time, something about it is to be openly disclosed (vv. 22-23). There is also a hint that some will be inside it and some outside. There will be those like the bad soils, who either never listen at all (v. 15) or do not take it seriously (vv. 16-19)
