Sermon: Parable of the Growing Seed

Date Preached: Sunday June 14th 2009

Bible Reference: Mark Chapter 4, verses 26-34

As we saw last week with the ambiguous image of the old and young woman, sometimes things are not as they appear to be. And this parable has long been used to describe the amount of faith one would need to be used by God: it’s about our littleness - his greatness; a lunch pack of a few loaves and a couple of sardines – and Jesus feeding 5000 people.

But this story is much more than that – like the different notes that make up a chord of music.

In the day of ‘big is best’, we can easily believe that as small churches we’re not significant or that we don’t have a central role to play in bringing forth God’s Kingdom. And we’re in good company. The Kingdom movement Jesus inaugurated probably seemed pretty insignificant to those on the outside. There was nothing magnificent or grand about what Jesus and his small band of 12 disciples represented. Christianity (for certain) had a small and obscure beginning.

Even the teachings of this Jesus seemed to be doomed from the start. Who ever heard of loving your enemies? (Surely it’s best to get them before they get you? Attack being the best form of defence) But turning the other cheek? And walking an extra mile? (what about a proper return on my investment?) Receiving lots by giving everything up? (surely that’s not prudent – what about contingency plans for a rainy day – or a credit crunch?).

I you think about it, Jesus’ teachings are as subversive and revolutionary now as they would have been in the ancient near east two thousand years ago. But let’s not miss the main point here. The parable is comparing the smallness of the seed to the greatness of the results produced (when God gives the increase – and we’ll be saying a little about the faithfulness of Gladys Priest and Kate Skilton in a moment. Note for reader: dedication of new altar linen at the 10.00 service).

There is such potential for ‘Kingdom-building’ from small beginnings. Shocking results came from such a small seed that was expected to yield nothing. Jesus said the mustard seed produced a plant that became greater than all herbs.  So you might be wondering - why a mustard seed?

Today we’re rather spoiled with our canned, bottled, freeze-dried, and cook-chill packaged food. But in Jesus’ day almost all people had their own gardens (of necessity). And an integral part of the garden in Jesus’ day was the mustard plant. In those days mustard was well known for a number of properties:
It was effective in combating disease; it could even neutralize poisonous venom
 
And because it was fiery spice, it was one that poorer people used as a condiment (my mother always used to say ham without mustard was bland – and if you ever had a hot dog in the States without ‘the works’ people would look at you strangely!)

Whether you like mustard or not, it has a pungent taste that’s a good reminder of the quickening, stimulating power of the gospel.
So for such small, innocuous beginnings, there comes a greater potential than what you would expect – including what people would assess as the face value of the One sowing such seed. – Jesus Christ himself

One itinerant preacher and 12 disciples – a motley crew if ever there was one. Yet (if you do a bit of arithmetic) Jesus + 12 + the 70 who were sent out + the 500 he appeared to after the resurrection + the 3000 who were saved – who committed their lives to Christ - and were added to the church at Pentecost. Well then we begin to see the gospel spreading all over the world in the hands of transformed, uneducated, ordinary people who we’re told turned their world upside down!

God using ordinary unlearned people to start a programme of global evangelism. And he can use us too - if we are willing to become seed in his hand.
We should never think of ourselves as being too small to make a difference. It may seem at first glance that we’re not really having an effect (and there are some weeks when it’s tough to just keeping going), but if we continue to sow the smallest of seeds and repeat the process faithfully (like these lovely saints we’re remembering today), soon we can see the effects of our small beginnings being repeated and results becoming more noticeable.

I suppose another way to look at this is through the process of evangelism. (So how’s your maths today?).

Here’s a question: Which would you take in a 30 day period? Someone like Billy Graham preaching and 3000 people giving their lives to Christ each night? (& I am indebted to him for introducing me to personal faith as a teenager) Or just one Christian winning one person for Jesus on the first day and then these winning two others and then those four winning four others and so forth and so on for thirty days? (How’s the calculation going?) Billy Graham would have seen 1,095,000 persons becoming Christians. But at the end of 30 days, the one-to-one, relationship-building method, which started small – perhaps with a personal conversation about why we go to church – or how important God is in our lives (a bit like the mustard seed) well this would end up with, (now hold onto your hats) 376,870,952! This is exponential growth

And why does the personal approach work? Well life comes from life. The God-breathed vitality and growth of the Christian church comes from sharing our relationship with others and submitting to the indwelling power and love of the Holy Spirit. Each member is a self-propagating mustard seed – it’s quite a reminder of our calling – and our connection with those faithful souls who have been a vibrant witness in this community.