By Colleen O’Sullivan
Thus says
the Lord God: I, too will take from the
crest of the cedar, from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot, and plant
it on a high and lofty mountain; on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant
it. It shall put forth branches and bear
fruit, and become a majestic cedar. (Ezekiel
17:22-23b)
(W)e walk by
faith, not by sight.(2 Corinthians 5:7)
Jesus said
to the crowds: “This is how it is with
the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and
would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and
grow, he knows not how. Of its own
accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full
grain in the ear. And when the grain is
ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come…. To what shall we
compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is
sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and
becomes the largest of plants… ” (Mark 4:26-32a)
Piety
From
eternity to eternity you are God.
(Psalm
90:2b)
Study
It seems to me that the “good old days” are by and
large someone’s cherished myth. Some
times and places are undoubtedly better than others, but trouble abounds, if
you look for it, in every generation.
When I turn on the news or pick up a newspaper, there
are grisly details of vicious attacks and murders not far from here, reminders
that racism is alive and well in our country, accounts of the hardships of life
in war-torn areas in the world, and stories about the latest atrocities carried
out by ISIS members. Polar ice caps are
melting. Weather patterns seem changed.
Problems abound.
But other people in other times and places have had
their share of troubles, too. The
prophet Ezekiel spoke to a people carried off into exile in Babylon. Their captors called the shots. They wept and mourned the loss of all that
was familiar to them. They wondered if
they would ever see their homeland again.
Mark is believed to have recorded his Gospel around
70 A.D., about the time when the Romans devastated the city of Jerusalem and
destroyed the Temple. There were
problems between Gentiles and Jews throughout all of Palestine as a result. We
know the church was made of of people of both backgrounds. Christians had been persecuted. It
must have been a frightening, uncertain time in which to have been a believer
in Jesus Christ.
Our Scripture readings today sound notes of hope
for the fearful, persecuted or downtrodden of any time or place. Ezekiel used the image of a cedar tree as he
addressed the exiles in Babylon. God is
going to bring you home, the prophet says.
God will tear a shoot from the top of the tree, representing those of
you stuck in Babylon, and plant it high on a mountain top for all to see. It will grow and prosper, bear fruit and
become a great cedar. No matter how far
you have wandered or been taken, it’s not too late. God will restore you to your former stature
and make you fruitful once again.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus illustrates two truths
about the Kingdom of God. In the first
instance, he tells us that the Kingdom is everlasting. No matter what the troubles of the day, God’s
reign is eternal. The scattered seeds
sprout and grow, whether we’re asleep or awake.
Nothing you or I do can stop that process. The Kingdom will go on.
Then Jesus says the Kingdom of God is like a
mustard seed. It may start out very
small, but it will become a huge shrub.
I read that once the roots of a mustard shrub take hold, they are like
kudzu; there’s no getting rid of them.
They spread like wildfire. The Kingdom of God is growing and here to
stay.
Action
The Kingdom of God is not always readily apparent,
but the apostle Paul reminds us that, as Christians, we walk by faith, not by
sight. Pray for the courage to put your
faith in what is lasting. Don’t get
sucked into the “good old days” myth.
Troubles come and go. Good times
come and go. The only thing that is
forever is God’s reign.
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