The Power of Parables… by Roger Farnworth
Mark 4:26-34: Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.’
He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
Parables are intended to intrigue, to catch the imagination, to get people thinking, to draw out a response which when reflected on becomes a place where God interacts with us and changes us. For instance, there’s the parable of the shepherd who leaves 99 sheep in open country and goes looking for the one that is lost. Can you imagine Jesus’ audience’s response: ‘The fool. Who will look after the 99? He should cut his losses and look after what he still has. One in 99 isn’t that big a loss. Why risk the whole flock over one wayward sheep?’ And in responding, Jesus’ listeners are hooked. They go away full of a story that will provoke discussion next time they meet. Perhaps you can imagine that conversation: ‘What do you think he meant?’ ‘Perhaps he was just telling us a joke about shepherds.’ ‘No, I’m convinced that he said something very important, I can’t quite explain what I mean ...’
Recently, on a Sunday evening at St. Peter’s Church, in the reading from Mark’s Gospel at the top of this page, we heard Jesus telling parables about the kingdom of God. Picture stories about growing plants. His listeners knew all about growing plants, as many of us do. So, we say, that Jesus draws on his listeners’ experience to make his point. He uses stories to convey deep truths, usually focussing on an aspect of life that people would identify with. And that is part of the truth. But if that was all of the truth then surely Jesus would go on in these stories to apply the truth. A parable would be something like a fable. The moral would be underlined at the end of the story.
But that doesn’t happen with many of Jesus’ parables. And, in our Gospel reading, Mark is at pains to emphasise that Jesus didn’t explain what he was talking about, except to his disciples.
Parables are intended to have hidden meaning, to intrigue, to provoke questions. And Jesus chooses not to answer those questions or explain what he is saying to most of those listening.
Perhaps, in the case of those parables of the Kingdom, Jesus knows that having heard the story, the next time his listeners are out in the fields sowing their crops they’d be reminded of his words. As the farmer scatters seed in his field maybe he’ll suddenly be brought up short, exclaiming “Ah, now I see, that’s what the kingdom of God is like”. Perhaps he’ll think about the planning that is involved in seed sowing - reviewing how his crops have fared in the past, choosing the right place and time for actually sowing the seeds, and his hopes for a healthy crop to sustain him later in the year. And then he might think: for God’s kingdom to grow, perhaps we all need to make sure that it has the right conditions to grow - and what might these be? What can I do so that my hope in this kingdom is realised?
Or perhaps when the farmer sows his mustard seed he’ll look at it and notice for the first time just how small and insignificant it looks and remember again just how large a bush the seed would produce. Perhaps he or she might cotton on that the weakest and smallest of things can become something or someone of importance.
Rather than being told the meaning, Jesus listeners would have discovered a meaning for themselves. And because they had made the discovery, it would stick. Perhaps ..........
We all pray regularly for God’s kingdom to come. We do so every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer. We say that we desire to see a world which operates in line with God’s way of being; a place where his love is known by all and where all thoughts and words and deeds stem from this love. As with all prayer, we need to expect to be part of the answer, to have some part to play in the outworking of our desires. What does it mean for God’s kingdom to come here in each of our churches? What does it mean for our Parish? What does Prayer for God’s Kingdom to come mean for Ashton?
I’m not going to suggest answers for you. I am, so to speak, going to take a leaf out Jesus’ book. I’m going to leave you with his parables in Mark 4: 26-34. When you visit a Garden Centre, when you see the plant stalls on the Market, when you buy a packet of seeds or when you plant some seed. Perhaps when you put mustard on the side of your plate or on your hot dog at IKEA. At any of these times, you might just find yourself being reminded of these parables - don’t dismiss them from your mind but allow yourself to hear them again and ponder what they mean for you and for us all. The question to ask is: ‘What on earth was Jesus getting at?’
And you might want to consider approaching others of Jesus’ parables in this way.
Added: 14th July 2010 || Submitted by: Roger Farnworth.
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