Many of the stories of Jesus called ‘parables’ centered around the theme of KINGDOM. What is this ‘kingdom’? First of all, it is not a place. The Greek word basileia (basileia) is an abstract word which means ‘kingship’ or ‘reign’ rather than ‘kingdom’, which in English suggests a territory or place. ‘Kingship’ or ‘reign’ on the contrary suggest power. To belong to the kingdom or kingship of God, then, is to put oneself fully, consciously and deliberately under the power of God, to experience that power and be empowered by it. That power is above all the power of love. It is a creating, enfolding or embracing power, an encouraging power, a power that lifts up and enables us to be what we are called to be. It is not a coercive power which achieves its ends by threats, still less by violence.
When we say in the Lord’s Prayer, “Your Kingdom come”, we are praying that people everywhere put themselves under this loving power of God. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is giving an image of that kingship or power of God at work. He compares it to the situation of a farmer planting seed on his land. The miracle in a seed, the dried-up kernel full of potential is not visible externally. Then without the help of the farmer the seed sprouts and grows. The meaning is very direct: the building of the kingdom is God’s work. It goes on whether we are working with it or not, whether we are aware of it or not. It will not be frustrated by any opposition or passivity on our part. Many powerful people and regimes have tried to destroy the Church all these many centuries. These powers have disappeared but the Church lives on. The reason for this is that the values that the Kingdom stands for (which are also the same values that the Church stands for) are so totally in harmony with the nature of things and the deepest aspirations of the human person that no intervening force can neutralize them for any length of time. And this nature and these aspirations come, of course, from their origin and creator — God. The choices we make must be in tune with the values of the ‘kingdom’ or we will find ourselves fighting against God and hurting our very selves. The second parable focus our attention on growth of the kingdom from tiny beginnings to immense size. Our sense of wonder will be triggered if we stood before a tree with a seed in our hand. The little communities that were formed along the Mediterranean, following the preaching of the small group of Apostles that Jesus left behind, have spread to all corners of the world. While the power of God is evident in the growth of the kingdom, we are called to do what we can do — plant and nurture. God will do what only God can do — produce the growth. It is important for us to remember certain facts when we feel somewhat apprehensive or pessimistic about the future of Christianity in certain parts of the world: a) the Church thrives on persecution, b) powers that fight the Church will spiral into self-destruction, c) our role as missionaries to plant and nurture the Church is especially important and, d) God is at work through us.When we say in the Lord’s Prayer, “Your Kingdom come”, we are praying that people everywhere put themselves under this loving power of God. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is giving an image of that kingship or power of God at work. He compares it to the situation of a farmer planting seed on his land. The miracle in a seed, the dried-up kernel full of potential is not visible externally. Then without the help of the farmer the seed sprouts and grows. The meaning is very direct: the building of the kingdom is God’s work. It goes on whether we are working with it or not, whether we are aware of it or not. It will not be frustrated by any opposition or passivity on our part. Many powerful people and regimes have tried to destroy the Church all these many centuries. These powers have disappeared but the Church lives on. The reason for this is that the values that the Kingdom stands for (which are also the same values that the Church stands for) are so totally in harmony with the nature of things and the deepest aspirations of the human person that no intervening force can neutralize them for any length of time. And this nature and these aspirations come, of course, from their origin and creator — God. The choices we make must be in tune with the values of the ‘kingdom’ or we will find ourselves fighting against God and hurting our very selves. The second parable focus our attention on growth of the kingdom from tiny beginnings to immense size. Our sense of wonder will be triggered if we stood before a tree with a seed in our hand. The little communities that were formed along the Mediterranean, following the preaching of the small group of Apostles that Jesus left behind, have spread to all corners of the world. While the power of God is evident in the growth of the kingdom, we are called to do what we can do — plant and nurture. God will do what only God can do — produce the growth. It is important for us to remember certain facts when we feel somewhat apprehensive or pessimistic about the future of Christianity in certain parts of the world: a) the Church thrives on persecution, b) powers that fight the Church will spiral into self-destruction, c) our role as missionaries to plant and nurture the Church is especially important and, d) God is at work through us.