In my not-so-humble opinion, Mark 4:13 gives us a starting point when praying for, and seeking, God’s will.
According to that verse, Jesus said that we must understand the parable of the sower to understand the other parables. Without the teachings of Jesus, how can we comprehend the prophecies of Revelation or even the letters of Paul?
Jesus shared a few brief sentences, less than 100 words of vivid vignettes. “Listen! Look! He said. Did the audience listen and look through their minds’ eyes? Can we imagine the scenes today?
A sower seeded a field. We read no more of the sower. However, birds devoured wayside seeds. A few lively rockbound sprouts appeared, only to be scorched in the sun because they lacked root. Thorns grew to choke tender plants so tightly that they could not bear fruit.
Can any listener avoid sadness at the loss of seed and labor?
Suddenly, our moods must change as we “see” the bigger picture. The fruit-laden field flourished. The sower lost comparatively few seed. The small labor resulted in 30, 60 and 100 times growth!
Oh, we could simply learn to labor without fear of failure and we would have learned a great deal.
However, the word tells us so much more. Hopefully we will gain enough to do more than simply pray …thy will be done on Earth…
Mark wrote that the seed is simply the word. Without the other Gospels, we might wonder, “What word?” We hear many words today. Mindless media drivel shapes our lives and fuels our fears in common directions. Personal faith and growth allow us to blossom. However, personal fears and resentments often limit our growth.
Matthew reported that the seed is “the word of the kingdom” and Luke, “the word of God.” The word kingdom alienates some and confuses others, including me. Perhaps you are simply comforted to believe Jesus to be ruler of the kingdom. However, like Luke, I choose to see the seed as the word of God.
And what is the word of God? At this moment, I choose to continue with the teachings of Jesus unless those teachings lead me elsewhere.
