UNSTOPPABLE
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, my refuge and strength, thank you that there is nothing good that you withhold from me. Please use what you teach me in Scripture to build my confidence and trust in you.
Read MARK 4:26–34
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
The Parable of the Growing Seed
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.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
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.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Give thanks for growth you have seen in yourself and in others.
Think Further
Mark’s gospel is often said to have a particular focus upon suffering and it is thought that this may be because his first readers faced persecution.1 Although we may not suffer in the same way these early Christians did, none of us lead a trouble-free life in this fallen world. We can all point to times when Jesus did great things in our lives but also to other times when troubles loomed and God seemed distant. God’s kingdom has broken into our lives through Jesus but, until he returns, the world is still plagued by evil. Mark reflects this tension between ‘the now and the not yet’ of the kingdom in Jesus’ life too: he believes that Jesus’ healings, exorcisms, and teaching make it clear who Jesus really is. However, he also shows us that many, including religious leaders and members of Jesus’ own family, rejected his ministry. Mark also describes Jesus’ caution in revealing his identity: teaching those outside his inner circle only in parables, silencing evil spirits when they declared him to be God’s chosen one, and asking people not to tell others of their healing.2 Although he came to reveal God’s kingdom, he had to do this carefully, in a world where many would oppose and misunderstand him.
The parables in today’s reading must have encouraged Mark’s original audience in their suffering and can encourage us too. It’s easy to despair when we see church numbers dwindling and when we find it tough being Christians in an unsympathetic world. These parables encourage us that, no matter how unpromising things may appear, nothing can stop the miraculous growth of the kingdom. The mustard seed, despite its tiny beginnings, could grow up to become a tall tree. So, let’s not lose hope, for nothing can stop the progress of God’s kingdom.
Apply
Share with God any ways in which you feel disheartened and thank him that he is at work even when we struggle to see it.
Closing prayer
Thank you, Lord, that you are always with me and at work for me—in the hard times as well as the good times—and that you use all things for my good and for your glory. Help me to persevere.
1 John Drane, Introducing the New Testament, Lion Publishing, 1999, p198 2 Mark 1:25, 34, 43, 44; 3:11, 12; 5:43; 7:33–36
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