Jesus now has 12 disciples and they are listening to him as Jesus continues to teach the crowds of people. Jesus starts teaching, though, in parables and we see him speak about, and explain, the kingdom of God. For example:
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Mark 4:26-29
Jesus is the king in the kingdom of God. He told his disciples that he has all authority in heaven and on earth. He is the king!
In a kingdom, what the king says is how it is. That is the way that it works. Jesus is the king in the kingdom of God, so when Jesus says that this is the what the kingdom is like, we should pay attention! He is explaining how this should work.
Jesus explained the parable of the four different soils, explaining that, those that receive the word of God should produce a crop. That is the good soil. I wrote more on this in another post here: Am I Good Soil?
Then Jesus continued on with another parable saying that the light that we receive shouldn’t be hidden. It should be placed on a stand. It should be used to light the whole room.
Then comes the parable of the growing seed that I mentioned above. We can see there a process for growth and a harvest that is taking place. Here is a video that helps explain further:
And finally, Jesus compares the kingdom to a mustard seed that starts as the smallest of all seeds but grows into a large tree.
To me, it is clear what Jesus is teaching his disciples. He is explaining that the kingdom moves forward. The kingdom takes more territory. The kingdom doesn’t stop growing. And those who are truly disciples, those who are truly subjects in the kingdom, they are part of this work. They take part in seeing the kingdom grow.
Jesus is explaining to his disciples how his kingdom works and is about to start traveling with them to show them practical examples of what he has been explaining to them. Let us not miss the point and imagine that we can be still and believe. Jesus shows us that, in his kingdom, he and his disciples are on the move with the message, the good news of the kingdom of God. Let us do the same!