Jesus must have been some kind of a teacher, he certainly had the gift of metaphor, simile and parable down pat. In this morning's Daily Office reading from the Book of Common Prayer, Jesus moves through several images in order to try to find one that might stick to the brains and hearts of his followers. First: lamp under a basket; Second: the measure you give will e the measure you get; Third: scattered seed grows miraculously and the planter will also be the reaper; Fourth: that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that becomes a large bush.
It is easy, sometimes, to try to offer the tidbit that explains each of these short parables/images, however, our rush to interpretation probably leaves our understanding rather flat, and we (perhaps) feel self-satisfied in the supposed knowledge that we know what Jesus was talking about. The early church heard these teachings over and over again, and probably recounted them many dozens of times, interweaving interpretation with the storytelling. One of the wondrous things about reading scripture daily is that it has to be fit into our daily life, it "lands" in the midst of getting ready for work, folding clothes, feeding children, caring for our parents, mowing the lawn, paying the bills. The stories become a part of the stories of our lives and (ideally) we might find new understandings for these bits of ancient wisdom as they are written on our hearts each day.
So, I encourage you to say Morning Prayer, and also to use the Daily Office Lectionary, in order to get a healthy dose of Holy Scripture - so that these stories of God might be interwoven with the story of God that is being written in our lives.
Ok, on to the tasks at hand,
Have a Blessed Day,
~The Rev. Peter M. Carey
Mark 4: 21- 34 (NRSV)
21 He said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. 23 Let anyone with ears to hear listen!" 24 And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. 25 For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away." 26 He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come." 30 He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." 33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
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