The Mystery of the Kingdom
In Ephesians 5, in the context of his teaching about marriage oneness, Paul wrote, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
In First Corinthians 15, he wrote, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.”
Then in Second Thessalonians 2:7, in the context of the second coming of Christ, Paul wrote,“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.”
In Ephesians, Paul says the marriage relationship and our union with Christ IS a great mystery. Can you fully explain how the marriage relationship mirrors Christ’s relationship with the Church? I didn’t think so. Then, in Thessalonians, he says the mystery of lawlessness IS already working. Again, the spirit of the antichrist is working in our world, but we don’t fully understand how it will manifest itself just before the coming of Christ.
However, in First Corinthians 15, Paul informs us that he is SHOWING us (literally, telling us) a mystery. In other words, he is revealing something that wasn’t known before. That’s the biblical definition of a mystery; it’s the revelation of what was previously unknown.
In Mark 4:11, Jesus said to His disciples, “To you, it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables…”
The portion of Scripture for our study this time follows immediately after the parable of the soils and is directly related to it. I’ve titled my teaching, “The Mystery of the Kingdom,” and our text is Mark 4:21 to 34. So, listen carefully as I read this text and see if you can pick out the steps that reveal to us the mystery of the kingdom.
In this text, we observe the several STEPS that reveal to us the mystery of the kingdom.
Before we get into our study, I point out to you Jesus’ emphasis on hearing! In verse 9 of this chapter, He says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Then, in verse 23, He says, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And verse 24, “Take heed what you hear.” Let’s keep this emphasis in mind as we work our way through this text.
The First STEP (that reveals the mystery of the kingdom) is,
Its Proclamation
Jesus continues directly from “the parable of the soils” into additional teaching about the kingdom of God. He moves from the field to the house and uses a common item to illustrate His teaching – a lamp.
Every household in Jesus’ day had these small clay lamps. A small lump of clay was formed into a shallow bowl that would hold a couple of teaspoons of oil, and then one side was pinched into a crude spout. A wick was laid in that little bowl of oil and out over the spout. After the wick was saturated, you lit the exposed end, and there was your lamp. In the house, these were usually placed on a small shelf or a stone that was left protruding from the wall for that purpose.
Interestingly, Mark invests the lamp with motion. He asks, “Does the lamp come to be put under the basket or the couch? Doesn’t it come to be set on the lampstand?” Is Jesus referring to Himself and/or His teaching as the lamp? In John 8:12, He said, “I am the Light of the world.” Furthermore, His teaching was also designed to illuminate the truth of Scripture.
Jesus’ question is rhetorical; the expected answer is No. Putting the lamp under a basket or under the couch where people recline to eat is ridiculous; it defeats the whole purpose of lighting it in the first place! What’s the point?
Jesus didn’t come to obscure the truth but to proclaim it. Notice verse 22. “For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.” Jesus admits that some things are presently hidden at the time He is speaking. However, the time would come, and it wasn’t too far distant, that those previously hidden things, those mysteries, would be revealed.
Early in His ministry, Jesus forbade people and demons to speak publicly about who He was. In Matthew 16, when Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus “gave His disciples strict orders that they were to tell no one that He was the Christ.” But in Matthew 10:27, Jesus told them, “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.” Peter and the other apostles did that after Pentecost when they boldly taught in the Temple courts!
The point of Jesus’ coming to earth was to proclaim the Truth, to illuminate the teachings of the Old Testament, and to show how those Scriptures spoke of Him. Do you remember what Philip said to Nathaniel? He said, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
And then, again, Jesus calls attention to the importance of hearing. “If anyone has ears to hear let him hear.” He follows that up immediately by saying, “Pay attention to what you hear, With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
Isn’t that interesting? Jesus used this principle of multiplication in relationship to giving and to how we use our abilities to serve Him. Those who give generously are entrusted with more. Those who use their talents to serve the Lord are rewarded with more opportunities. But here, He uses it about hearing, that is, to the level of our obedience to what we hear.
As we hear the teaching of Jesus and obediently put it into practice we understand more, and that understanding opens further revelation to us. If we refuse to hear and obediently practice what we’ve been given, our understanding decreases and we have less revelation.
So, what is Jesus teaching us here? First, remember the context. He was teaching them kingdom concepts that were meant to be shared with others – not hidden under a basket or a dining couch. Today, we know our job is proclamation; it is no longer a mystery.
In addition, this revelation of the mystery was progressive. What Jesus told this small group of disciples privately was ultimately to be shared openly. Are you and I guilty of “hiding” the light of the Gospel under a basket or the table? Or do we boldly hold it high so that it gives light to everyone around us? Do we understand how to lead people from the milk of Scripture into the solid food that it offers? We’ll explore this more in just a few moments.
Furthermore, understanding the mystery would depend on how well the hearers heard. How well they heard would be proven by the change that took place in their lives. Are you proclaiming the mystery of the kingdom by your words and by the life you live? Jesus is counting on you and me to take this first step in revealing the mystery of the kingdom.
The Next STEP (that reveals the mystery of the kingdom) is,
Its Progression
In this context of the parable of the soils, Jesus reveals another aspect of the kingdom of God. He said it is like a man who scatters seed in his field. But instead of focusing on the seed or the types of soil, Jesus highlights the miracle of growth.
The farmer sows the seed and then goes on with normal life. He sleeps, rises in the morning, works all day, eats his evening meal, and sleeps again. All the while, the seed is growing, but how it happens is a mystery to him. The soil seemingly produces a crop all by itself.
The soil produces the crop, but the secret of growth is in the seed. First, the stalk emerges as a tiny shoot. As the stalk develops, it forms the head, and eventually, that head fills out with mature grain. This is the law and order of nature, but it is also the order of grace in the kingdom of God. This reality is what makes it worthwhile to preach and teach about this kingdom.
When Jesus was here on earth, He sowed the seeds of the kingdom. When He left, he charged His followers, including you and me, with the responsibility of continuing that process. This law of growth and fruitfulness created the confidence that Jesus showed in the ultimate establishment of His kingdom despite the obstacles which will try to obstruct its progress.
Ultimately, this sowing of the seed results in a harvest, verse 29. “But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come.” The phrase is literally, “he sends in (apostello) the sickle.” The apostles were the initial “sickle,” as it were. They were the first to begin gathering the harvest in the kingdom of God. Now, we have that privilege.
So, we learn that the kingdom of God is self-propagating; it has life in itself. Even though the sower doesn’t understand how or why the seed grows, he does his part by scattering it. The seed grows and matures according to the laws of nature, and so does the kingdom of God.
In the natural world, the sower gets to participate in the harvest, but in the kingdom of God, one sows, others water, and others reap the harvest. In John 4:38, Jesus told His disciples, “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
Today, the kingdom of God is growing. In some places, that growth is dramatic. An organization we partner with in Bible distribution works primarily in West Africa in a disciple-making ministry. They disciple new converts to Christ and then train them to become disciple-makers. Those trained then pass that training on to others, repeating the cycle. Churches are being planted in villages where child sacrifice is regularly practiced! People are being delivered from the power of Satan. The kingdom is progressing!
This progression will continue until the kingdom of God comes to its fullness. Our part isn’t to figure out when that time arrives. Our part is to faithfully sow the seed of the kingdom with confidence that God will bring about the harvest in His own good time. As you hear and obey the mysteries of the kingdom of God, is spiritual progression taking place in your life? Are you experiencing the joy of being part of the reaping process?
The Final STEP (that reveals the mystery of the kingdom) is,
Its Potential
In verse 30, Jesus asks His listeners to help define the kingdom of God. He asks, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God or what parable can we use to describe it?”
He chooses the mustard seed to illustrate the potential of the kingdom. I imagine that when you held a mustard seed in your hand it didn’t look like it could amount to much of anything. But Jesus said that this seed, despite its size, grows and becomes larger than all the garden plants. It puts out large branches so birds can nest in its shade.
How is that like the kingdom of God? Think about the power of the religious establishment, backed by the imperial power of Rome, compared with Jesus and His disciples. Jesus didn’t have an army. He didn’t have access to the Temple treasury. He didn’t control the levers of power in religion or government. From the world’s perspective, He and His followers were a tiny, annoying minority; they were first ignored and later supposedly stamped out.
Remember how the religious authorities and the Roman soldiers mocked Him at His crucifixion? This man is no threat; look at Him, He can’t even save Himself!
But what would those same people say if they came back today? The Roman Empire is long gone. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day have long been forgotten. But where is the kingdom of God, that tiny, insignificant mustard seed? It has grown and become a large tree and people from all over the globe have accepted its mysteries and have come to rest in its shade.
Initially, those finding shade were mostly Jewish believers in Jesus. But it wasn’t long until Gentiles were welcomed into the shade of that tree too. Through the witness of the disciples and the apostle Paul, people from Africa, Asia Minor, Europe, and Asia found rest in the shade of the tree. Today, that tree continues to grow until Jesus finally ushers in the kingdom in its fullness.
Why did Jesus speak to the crowds in parables? The text says He taught them as they were able to understand. The mysteries of the kingdom couldn’t be grasped all at once, especially in that current environment. Progressive revelation was the only possible way it could be done. That progression could only move at the speed with which His disciples grasped the kingdom’s concepts and incorporated them into their lives. Privately, Jesus explained the parables in detail to His inner circle but even then, they failed to grasp much of what He told them.
From our vantage point, we now understand many former mysteries of the kingdom of God. Jesus no longer speaks to us in parables. Many things that Jesus spoke of cryptically we now understand clearly. Our obedience to His commands and our understanding of the kingdom of God are proven or disproven by our lifestyle choices.
Do you understand the mystery of the kingdom? Are you engaged in its proclamation? Are you holding your lamp high so others can see the light?
Are you participating in the kingdom’s progression? As you hear and obey the mysteries of the kingdom of God, is spiritual progression taking place in your life?
And do you understand the kingdom’s potential? If you do, your life will give evidence of your understanding. That understanding will result in action and you will use your resources to help fuel that growth. Let’s ask God to help us better understand the mystery of the kingdom.