Living in the Spirit
June 13, 2021
Scripture Reading:
Mark 4:26-34
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.’
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.
We need not only to learn the wisdom shared in Jesus’s parables, but we also need to understand the power of a story taking us out of our comfort zone and enabling us to see the world around us in a clearer light. The prophet Nathan did this with King David when he challenged David about his relationship with Bathsheba. You might remember the story Nathan described a man with a pet sheep he dearly loved. His wealthy neighbor was planning a feast and ordered his servants to slaughter the pet sheep and roast it for the rich man’s guests. At hearing the story, David became outraged and demanded the rich man be punished. Nathan responded that the rich man was David and the sheep represented Bathsheba*.
We rarely know the inside story of people we judge to be out of sync with our values. Jesus saw people for who they could become. We are called to do the same. I love the report of Jesus healing the man described in the scriptures as demon-possessed. He was a nuisance to the neighborhood. After Jesus returned him to wholeness, the man begged to stay with Jesus. But Jesus said, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ This formerly demon-possessed man had a mighty witness to share among people who knew him well.
Prayer: God of Mercy, help to see and serve others as you do. Amen.
*See 2 Samuel 12
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.