Jesus spoke of His Kingdom often. Sometimes He spoke of it directly: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Other times he used parables to explain it, such as the parables of the Sower, the Weeds Among the Wheat, the Mustard Seed, the Yeast, the Treasure, and the Pearl of Great Price, all found in Matthew 13. In today’s Gospel passage, Mark 4:26-34, Jesus gives us two analogies to help us understand His Kingdom: the seeds that are scattered and grow on their own in the night and the mustard seed that begins as a tiny seed and grows into a large tree that becomes a place of shelter and nourishment for birds.
Christ’s Kingdom is such a mystery that it’s difficult for us to grasp its full meaning with just one explanation. Each example is a facet of how to understand it. But to truly understand the Kingdom, it has to become personal to us. Origen, one of the Church Fathers, wrote, “Those who pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God pray without any doubt for the Kingdom of God that they contain in themselves, and they pray that this kingdom might bear fruit and attain its fullness.” Both of the analogies of the seeds growing point to this reality that the purpose of the Kingdom is to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28).
“He [Jesus] poured out on His disciples the Spirit promised by the Father. From this source the Church, equipped with the gifts of its Founder and faithfully guarding His precepts of charity, humility and self-sacrifice, receives the mission to proclaim and to spread among all peoples the Kingdom of Christ and of God and to be, on earth, the initial budding forth of that kingdom. While it slowly grows, the Church strains toward the completed Kingdom and, with all its strength, hopes and desires to be united in glory with its King.” – Lumen Gentium, 5
Indeed, Jesus Himself told us, “The kingdom of God is here, within you” (Luke 17:21). We experience the Kingdom of God when we encounter the King, Jesus Christ. He is the sovereign ruler of the universe. Where the King is, there is the Kingdom. This reminds me of the verse that strengthens me when I experience weakness and fear about my role in building up His Kingdom: “It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). It’s the King Himself inside me who allows me to be fruitful. The seed grows without my help, but by grace: “Of its own accord the land yields fruit” (Mark 4:28).
Each of us has a mission, a role, within Christ’s Kingdom. We have all been given different gifts, different types of seeds, you might say, that will bear different kinds of fruits for the Lord. A point to consider in prayer: how is God calling you in your unique way to establish and extend the Kingdom of Christ? How is Jesus inviting you to follow Him more closely and be his apostle of peace, his ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20) in the world today?
Jesus, send the Holy Spirit to be with me as I seek to establish and extend Your Kingdom through the unique talents and gifts You have blessed me with. May Your Kingdom come, and may I be a part of its coming!