Signs of the Kingdom

Mark 4:26–34 ESV

26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” 30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” 33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

Introduction

Throughout much of church history, Christians understood the kingdom of God as this transcendent and eternal rule of God in heaven. There have been various positions and debates about how we are to define what Jesus meant when he talks about the kingdom of God. However, what we see in the New Testament through Jesus’ and the apostles’ teaching is what we call the “already/not yet” view of the kingdom. What this means is that the kingdom of God has in fact already been inaugurated in the person and ministry of Jesus Christ but will not reach its consummation until his return in glory.

With this view, there is a tension between the present and future dimensions of God’s kingdom. We know that Jesus is spiritually reigning now over all things. But we also know that the fullness of that reign has not yet happened. Oscar Cullman used the metaphor of D-Day in WWII. D-Day was the decisive turning point in the war but V-Day was the final victory. In Cullman’s assessment, Jesus fought and won D-Day on the cross, but the war will continue until V-Day when Jesus returns in full glory.

The parables that we read from today are significant for their dual emphasis on both the beginning and the end of the operation of the kingdom as well as the process that lies in-between.

1. The kingdom of God spreads by the power of the Holy Spirit. (vs. 26-29)

Mark 4:26–29 ESV

26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The kingdom of God is something that is dynamic and not dependent on human behavior. We are part of the kingdom and swept up in that kingdom, but it is God who is doing the work to bring that kingdom to fruition. We are not sitting idly by and watching as God does all the work. We spread the seed so to speak. We scatter the seed by telling others about the kingdom of God and the nature of that kingdom. But we do not control what happens once we do that.

I think we can get really frustrated at times when we do a ministry and it is not as successful as we wished it would be. We have these expectations that lots and lots of people will show up and we will be able to share the gospel with them. Or we can witness to someone who we know needs the gospel and there just doesn't seem to be any movement toward acceptance of Christ. All we can do is spread the seed. (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)

1 Corinthians 3:5–9 ESV

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

Paul’s argument in this passage is laid out in 1 Corinthians 1-2 where he speaks about God’s wisdom being greater than human wisdom even though it seems to be foolish and focuses the message of the gospel to the cross and the resurrection. He makes the point that seeking worldly status so that others can see all the great things that you are doing is not the objective of the kingdom. In fact, we are not the ones who truly make the kingdom grow at all. It is God in the power of the Holy Spirit that makes the kingdom grow and flourish. We are there to spread the seed of the gospel. How that seed germinates and grows is not something we do. We can try to create the best conditions possible for that seed, but in the end, it is God who does the work.

God gives each of us gifts to be used for his glory in the kingdom. God will be the one who will gather the harvest. In verse 29, Jesus is using an image that would be familiar to many in his audience from Joel 3:13.

Joel 3:13 ESV

13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.

It is a vision for when the kingdom of God does come to its fruition, God will bring the harvest of those who trust and believe in him. That harvest will come when Jesus returns and the fullness of the kingdom is consummated. Until that day, we are laborers and God’s fellow workers.

2. The kingdom of God begins in small ways. (vs. 30-31)

Mark 4:30–31 ESV

30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth,

The second parable is one that we are familiar with in the image of the mustard seed. Jesus tells us that this is the smallest of all the seeds on Earth. We might use the old phrase: “Great oaks from little acorns grow.” Those who witnessed the initial preaching and healings of Jesus could not despise small beginnings. From this small beginning something great will come.

The kingdom begins in small ways. What are the small things that you do everyday to help with the kingdom of God? Do you care for those around you? Do you reach out to those in need? Do you call a friend who may be having a bad day? Do you listen when someone is distraught about something in life? Do you collect food for the Family Food Basket? Do you pray for the lost? We look at them and think they are small and don't make a difference in someone's life or that it does not spread the kingdom of God in some way. But it does. The small things add up. Just because our church or we personally do not do some grand gesture for the whole world and community to see does not mean that we are not helping to bring the kingdom of God into someone's life. The small things that we do lead to the biggest.

At a previous church, I would go and visit a man who was in the veterans' home in Kinston. He was confined to a wheelchair and was not able to do very much. But he could talk. A lot of the men in the facility would be down because they missed their family or their spouse. He told me one time that he felt that it was his calling to talk to the guys who we down and give them something to smile about. He would get in his chair and motor around the facility, and if someone was by himself or didn't seem to be doing well, he would make sure that he could do something to cheer them up. It wasn't something that was advertised everywhere. It was something small. But he made a difference in that one person's life that day.

3. The kingdom of God grows to encompass the nations. (vs. 32)

Mark 4:32 ESV

32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

As those small things add up, the kingdom of God grows to encompass the nations. This is an important point that we cannot overlook. One of the things that we mentioned last week was that Satan has been bound by Jesus, and he cannot stop the gospel of Jesus Christ from reaching the nations. The kingdom of God shall prevail over the power of Satan. He cannot defeat us because he has already been defeated. Satan will try, but he will not overcome us.

This image of the large branches and the birds coming to nest in those branches is reminicent of passages in Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 17:23 ESV

23 On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest.

Ezekiel 31:6 ESV

6 All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth to their young, and under its shadow lived all great nations.

Both of these passages reflect the fact that there will be a day when all the Gentiles will be able to nest in the branches of Israel and be a part of God’s kingdom. It is this expansion of the kingdom of God that is great that it cannot go unnoticed by the world. Everyone will know that the kingdom of God is advancing across all the nations. God’s kingdom is unstoppable. We have the opportunity right now to help that kingdom to grow through the spreading of the gospel to the nations.

Closing

We cannot underestimate the significance of the proclamation of the kingdom of God, however unimpressive its initial impact may be. What has begun in the Galilean ministry of Jesus, by the power of God, has proven to be of ultimate significance. We may not see the entire impact right now, but we can be certain that the growth of the kingdom will be spectacular.