To read this reflection on Mark 4 and Matthew 13 click here:
Here’s the challenge, Jesus seems to be saying: Whenever I start talking about the Kingdom, you start picturing earthly kingdoms of industry, weaponry and political power (Right-handed power).
When I call it the Kingdom of Heaven, you start picturing a far-off place unrelated to the world you live in (distant and irrelevant).
And when I describe it being already here, you start asking what you have to do to make it happen—as if all depended on you.
But it’s not like industrial, military or political power (Right-handed). This is a living Kingdom, like something that grows all around you.
It’s not a far-off place unrelated to your home. It has already begun right here among you.
And I don’t want the focus to be on you making it happen. The Father already produces the growth. I want you to focus on the Good News: that God is already here at work and wants you to be with Him.