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Mark 4:26-34

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 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.” With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

By: The Very Rev. Robert S. Munday

This Gospel lesson deals with the Parable of the Mustard Seed. Jesus says that this seed, when sown, is like the Kingdom of God. But what is the seed itself? In the verses just preceding this lesson, we see that the seed that is sown is like the Word of God being proclaimed. And, just as the seed falls on different soils, the Word when it is proclaimed, or preached, or taught, falls on different kinds of ears-it is received differently by different kinds of listeners. The seed of the Word sown in our lives is to bear fruit. If the word does not abide and take root in our heart, we cannot bear any fruit for God. Bearing fruit is the sign that we are disciples of Jesus. (See John 15:5-8.) Fruitfulness is essential to being a true disciple of Jesus. And since the abiding Word is the key to fruitfulness, our discipleship is at stake if Satan takes the Word away. Satan works overtime to keep people from giving serious attention to the Word of God. He may put a dozen different distractions around us to take our minds away from the Word. He will use distraction; he will use persecution; he may even use prosperity and material things to take our thoughts and our priorities away from the Word of God.

So how do we combat the strategies of the devil and let the Word bear the fruit that God wants in our lives? First we must prepare the soil of our hearts. The more we take time to humble ourselves and purify our hearts in prayer, and tune the receiver of our minds into the wavelength of Christ, the more powerfully we will hear the Word and the more deeply we will commune with him when we worship. Second, we must, in the words of the well-known Anglican collect, “hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” the Word of God. In more contemporary English, it means that we must hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate on the Word of God in order for it to be planted deeply in our hearts and bear its life-giving fruit in our daily lives.

So set your mind to be open to the Word of God, even if it is new or demanding-in fact, be open to God’s Word especially if it is challenging to you. Have a receptive attitude, not a resistant one. Love the Word of God. Snatch up the Word of God as though it is gold, silver, or precious pearls-because the fruit that it will bear in your life is far more precious than even these. It is out of fruitful disciples that the Kingdom of God is built.