Again he said,
"What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.
Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade."
Mark 4:30-32 NIV
Well I wish Jesus had explained this one for us!
Is this in the world, is the tree the church?
Is it inside, in the heart?
Who plants the seed?
Who are the birds?
What are they sheltering from?
Jesus listeners wanted political and physical revolution and power to be restored. A kingdom.
But Jesus often said it's a heart thing, so let's start there.
If our heart is like a garden, the seed, the seed of the kingdom, is small.
So small it could be missed, lost, trampled or discarded
It doesn't take over by force, but is planted, and slowly grows, to be the most important plant in the garden.
A tree.
With big branches.
A tree that provides shelter.
Is that the kingdom inside me?
#gospelofmark
#wordsofJesus
#somethingtochewon
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see - such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15-16 NLT OK so this is an English translation of a letter Paul wrote to a church 2,000 years ago, but does it feel like Paul is wrestling with words and ideas to try and capture all of who Jesus is, of who God is, of how does it work that the walking around Jesus was also there before the beginning of the beginning of everything we can see and touch and know. Not only that but Jesus was somehow the agent of everything that has been made in the physical, social, and spiritual. Jesus is at the centre of it all. Walking around Jesus. Cooking fish for breakfast Jesus. Heart aching as he ...
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