Mark 4:26-29
He also 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.”
Ah, now we get to the parables “proper.” Parables, that is, that aren’t about parables but about the kingdom. And what’s the first clue about the kingdom, the first insight wrapped in a riddle, the first truth delivered sideways? That we’re not in control.
That’s it, you wonder. Yeah, that’s pretty much it. But as minor as this initial lesson about the kingdom may seem, it’s one we’ll have to learn over and over and over again. We’re not in control.
Why is this so hard? Because from an early age we learn that gaining mastery over our environment has distinct advantages. From all these experiences – ranging from learning to stand up in the crib to cooking whatever meal we want to planning for our futures – we become accustomed to being in control. Which is what makes being out of control so challenging. Whether it is a minor illness or a major one, a slight setback at work or tragedy at home, each indication of our impotence in the face of the vagaries of life reminds us that we are vulnerable, mortal beings.
I remember this sinking in – really sinking in that is, not just thinking it but experiencing it to the core of my being – when my wife was hit by a car while crossing the street outside our apartment. She was close enough that when I heard from a neighbor what happened I ran outside to be with her. But there was, finally, nothing I could do while we waited for the ambulance to arrive, and in that instant I knew that I would forever be held hostage by fate and captive to destiny because I loved my wife and couldn’t control all the variables of this life to keep her safe.
If we can’t even control our own lives, how much more true is that about the kingdom of God, indeed, everything about God. The kingdom, Jesus says, comes of its own, we do not know how. But it does come. For as much as I hate being out of control, it does serve to remind me that I am dependent on God’s grace and mercy. God will bring the kingdom in God’s good time, even though I don’t know how or when.
There is a certain freedom in this recognition. For we are ultimately not responsible for bringing in the kingdom, God is. And God is both faithful and trustworthy. But we do have a role to play. Even though farmers do not know how the seed grows, yet they are called to plant, to wait, and to harvest. So also, we are invited to participate in the kingdom even though it is beyond our comprehension or control. And precisely because it is not up to us, we are free to throw ourselves into the work of the kingdom; that is, we are free to work, to risk, to love, to sacrifice, to wait, to wonder, to hang on, to persevere, not with the hope of ushering in the kingdom but because God has promised to bring the kingdom in good time. In the meantime, therefore, we can throw ourselves into the tasks at hand, not hoping to save the world but, because God has done that, do our best to take care of the little corner of the world we find ourselves in.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to accept our dependence on you and by relying on you discover the freedom to live in the present and care for those around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I think the hardest thing for Christians to do is to allow God to work THROUGH us. We are conviced we know what we are gifted at and how those gifts should be used and then we are so very dissappointed when things don’t go “our way.” Maybe we should let God decide how to use our gifts! It’s a struggle. I wonder sometimes if it isn’t so much about letting go of control as it is about being able to hear God’s words. I keep waiting for the memo in the mailbox, but it’s never quite that straight forward 🙂 As always, thanks David!
So what happened with your wife?
Or do you intend to leave us hanging, without the whole story?
That is like the blackout at the end of the movie, The Grey.
Does Liam Neeson survive that alpha wolf attack?
Shoot, I’m sorry Jeff – I usually begin this story with “don’t worry, she was fine.” And she was, banged up, but just a minor concussion. Thanks for asking!