The meaning of the parable today is that Christians have faced extreme difficulties but throughout the kingdom of God has not only survived but flourished. Christians of all nations and of every colour and race have found their faith in Christ and is the centre of their lives.
In the parable of the mustard seed, the kingdom will begin small but grow very big. Jesus gathered a small band of followers and through God’s power they were to become the people of God in the kingdom of God. Today the growth of God’s kingdom has continued and Christians need to live in the way of God, so the kingdom of God can continue to spread.
A parable is a story which conveys a teaching which has a single, simple meaning. The details of the story are always clear and give a vivid description but the meaning is not explained but is left for the listeners to work out for themselves. A parable has been described as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. A true parable relates to real life. It has a Palestinian origin. The parables are what Jesus used for his teachings.
The parable of the of the mustard seed is the smallest seed of all but when it is planted; it grows taller than all other plants. The kingdom is compared to a plant In Palestine, mustard plants could be as much as ten feet high, even though they started life as a tiny seed, Jesus work may seem to have little effect at the moment, but the kingdom will come as surely as a mustard seed grows into a mustard plant. It is exactly the same with the kingdom of God. From the small beginning of Jesus announcing the kingdom it will grow into a vast kingdom if God. Jesus gathered a small band of followers, and through God’s power, they were to become the people of God in the kingdom of God.
An allegory is a story where the message is hidden in a type of code, where the characters and events really represent other characters and events; a story where every detail has a meaning. Some allegories may be make-believe instead of everyday life. To understand the meaning of the story you have to de-code it. Some of the parables in Mark’s gospel may be reflecting the belief of his church. Mark uses two examples of an allegory, the parable of the Sower and the parable of the tenants in the Vineyard.
In Mark’ gospel the parable of the sower is an allegory, but the basic message is clear. Jesus is saying the kingdom will certainly come, despite its small beginnings in his own ministry and all the difficulties ahead. God is like a farmer sowing his seed. He scatters it about everywhere. Some finds good soil. Some falls on stony ground and some is choked in weeds. But he knew the harvest would come. The followers of Jesus should not despair when things seem to be going wrong: the kingdom is coming.
Jesus spoke in parables because of many reasons. Parables were simple stories, easy both to listen to and understand. Jesus used ordinary everyday images to illustrate his messages. Also parables are memorable, most people today remember something of the parable of ”The Good Samaritan.“ Jesus wanted is listeners to remember his teachings so that it would have some effect upon them. His parables were like buried treasure waiting to be discovered. His hearers had to interpret the parables for themselves. In Mark’s gospel Jesus parables had a double meaning firstly there is the literal meaning apparent to everyone who had experience with the subject, but there lies a deeper meaning a lesson about God’s truth and his kingdom. Jesus told his disciples ”To you it has been given to know the secret of the kingdom of God“ Jesus was not trying to confuse his listeners, he knew some who heard the parables refused to understand him because their heart were close to what Jesus was saying.
Today some of the parables we can relate to, like the Sower but some are confusing because of the different lifestyles of the Jews in Jesus time, the mustard seed is the smallest seed of them all, but when it is planted it grows taller than all the other plants. The mustard seed is not the same as that grown in Britain today as a salad like mustard and cress. So today we must interpret the parables to Jesus time and realise that the kingdom God grew from a small beginning into something large.
”This Earth will never be God’s kingdom.“ I disagree with this statement because I think that enough people in the world have enough faith and beliefs to make the earth God’s Kingdom. I believe that the kingdom of God is something present in the lives of men and women on Earth. Being a member of the kingdom goes beyond simply belonging to any individual church but receiving God inside you and responding to his teachings and repent ”The kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe in the Good News“ However others may not agree with this statement because they may feel that the world will always have disease, wars and fighting. Also other people are not willing to make sacrifices and others are frightened or ashamed to follow God, in the parable of the lamp Jesus tells the disciples not to hide their faith or to be ashamed of it, some people do not defend their faith and deny God even Peter did this ”I do not know the man you are talking about“.
People are easily distracted from the kingdom of God, they think that they want God in their lives but as in the parable of the sower it is those who receive the seed in good soil that hear God’s word and welcome it while others fall away with different excuses. Examples, of the world being God’s Kingdom include: people such as nouns, priests and aid workers, all these people give up their lives and time to look after those less fortunate than themselves. This shows that God’s word had been thought about carefully and understood by these people, and that God’s kingdom can be on Earth through these peoples lives but also the lives of everyday persons who are willing to receive God into their lives.
In Conclusion I think this earth will be God’s kingdom, the kingdom is a present in the lives of those who believe. The kingdom of God is significant to each person it is a way in which they will find God, by allowing him to reign in their hearts. Although this world is not perfect and not everyone followers his word there are lots of people willing to give up their lives for God. Through their actions, thoughts and behaviour and their willingness to repent God’s kingdom on Earth will grow as the parables of the mustard seed and the seed growing secretly point out. ”After a while it becomes the biggest of all plants.“