26 Jesus also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like…
I am sure people listening to Jesus were expecting something profound and amazing. If it was 2019, I am sure we would expect to hear the Kingdom of God is like Wakanda (home of the Black Panther) or some alternate universe. Jesus builds this great tension and I am sure it was a little anticlimactic when He shared the rest of the story.
…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. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29
Jesus relates the Kingdom of God to a seed. A seed by itself seems insignificant, when you planted becomes invisible, and often we are ignorant to its potential yield. The parable is let the dirt do its work. There are always layers to parables. One of them in this parable is that when you plant Jesus into the soil of your life, you have to let the dirt do its work. What is the dirt of your life?
Disappointment
Insecurity
Rejection
Trouble
So pretty munch every part of your story that you wish wasn’t there. We are often tempted to let Jesus into the pretty parts of our lives and not the mess. However, Jesus’ power is revealed in the dirt. Jesus can take your dirt, all the things that you think disqualify you and turn them into a harvest of good. Either by the work of the enemy or your own bad decisions, or a little of both you have things in your life that you would think should keep God from using you. The scripture says: No weapon formed against you can prosper and what someone did to harm you God intended for your good.
I hope you are starting to get it… Jesus is looking for you to let him into your dirt. You pray a prayer and it is like a seed. It appears to be insignificant, invisible after prayed, and we often are ignorant to its potential. You plant a seed and it will not produce harvest for months. Why? The dirt has to do its work. The sun has to shine and there needs to be rain. There is a process to the miracle of planting one seed and get a hundred in return.
The dirt by itself has little potential until the seed is planted in it. The seed will take things out of the dirt and put new things in. Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a farmer who plants seed in the dirt. What dirt in your life needs the Seed to be planted?
Helping People Live a Better Story
Brandon Sereg
