1. Mark 4:26-34

2. 1 Samuel 15:34 - 16:13

3. 2 Corinthians 5:6-17

4. Psalm 20

Featured Musician:Red Molly, “Summertime” from their album, Love and Other Tragedies, Redmolly.com, @redmollyband, Facebook

Mark 4:26-34

Initial Thoughts

• This parable is told a little differently in each of the Gospels- look for what stands out in this Gospel (you can see the notes from last year here!)

• This called back to the parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-25)

• Actually 2 parables- don’t lose the first one

• Let the Season of Kingdomtide reign on!

Bible Study

• vv. 26-29 ~ Parable of the Growing Seed

• Only parable (in this section) without a parallel in other Gospels

• How does the seed grow? Farmer may not know, but knows when a good harvest is produced

• We are asked to sow the seeds for the Kingdom of God, we may not know how they will grow, but we can have faith that the harvest is coming

• Part of the now but not yet Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is present (seed) but is not yet fully realized (harvest)

• Are we called to be passive? No- the farmer sows and reaps and actively waits and sees the growing 

• Is the coming kingdom of the work of humans or the work of God? Both!

• Go and sow the seed, the growing us the Mystery of God and cannot be controlled or understood

• “The parable is significant whenever and wherever we Christians take ourselves and our efforts too seriously, seeking by our plans and programs to ‘bring the kingdom of God.’ Against such arrogant self-importance stands a subtle allusion to God’s hidden presence and power.” (Lamar Williamson, Interpretation: Mark, p. 98)

• vv. 30-32 ~ Parable of the Mustard Seed

• CRAZY story - mustard is a weed in the Middle East

• Why would you plant a weed?

• Why would you want it to grow into a large treelike shrub with branches?!

• Why would you want birds in your field/garden?!?

• The Kingdom of God is like a place where the least expected are invited, nourished and grow to be a blessing to others

• The weed/mustard seed- seemingly innocuous thrive in the Kingdom of God

• who are the ignored and seemingly too small to care about? 

• The Mustard plant/weed grows to be a shelter and blessing to others - does not grow for its own accord, but to help others

• The Great Mustard Bush- what does it mean that the image for the Kingdom of God is a great bush but not a mighty tree (like in Luke and Matthew)?

• vv. 30-32 ~ Parable of the Mustard Seed

• Mustard-unclean weed (Robert E. Shore-Goss, God is Green: An Eco-Spirituality of Incarnate Compassion, p.65)

• Would never have been planted in a garden - was prohibited (and foolish)

• Spreads “underneath” the soil, secretly dominating the garden

• Birds in the garden

• Tree in the garden (Myers, Binding the Strong Man, p. 180)

• The image of the tree is seen in Daniel as a metaphor of political hegemony - “The tree you saw...in whose branches the birds of the air dwelt-it is you, O king” - said to Nebuchadnezzar - see Daniel 4:20, 22

• The image is also used by Ezekiel to describe Egypt, “[the tree] towered high above all the trees of the forest; its bough grew large and its branches long...All the birds of the air made their nests in its boughs” (Ezekiel, 31:4-6), but later that tree is cut down (Ez 31:10-11) so that the small shrubs in its shadow could bloom, “bring low the high tree and make high the low tree” (Ez 17:24).

• The power and mystery of God

• Those that seem unwelcome will flourish and attract other “unwelcome Guests”

• The power of God is such that a tiny weed seed can be made into a great tree that provides for others

• This parable “speaks of a kingdom which, for all its miraculous extension, remains lowly. Mustard is an annual plant; its perpetuation depends on renewed sowing, and its perennial promise depends on the life of the seed. It is an image which corresponds closely to the picture of the Kingdom of God in Mark: a mystery whose realization will come as a surprise; a reality whose weakness is its power.” (Williamson, p. 99)

Thoughts and Questions

• It is very easy to get discouraged by the events of the world and it is hard to be content simply “sowing the seeds” without seeing the harvest. Can we, like the farmer, have faith the harvest is coming and be content not knowing exactly how that is happening?

• This parable invites us to “let go” - not completely withdrawing from the world, waiting ro God to fix everything, but also realizing that the Kingdom of God is not contingent upon our actions alone. The spirit of God is moving through others - through creation- in ways we will never fully comprehend, we are called to do our part, but in the end it is God's kingdom that is being built not ours, nor our church’s, our nation’s, not our denomination’s.

• “Analogously, one would never imagine a liberation struggle that began with a few escaped slaves would lead to insurrections that led to the abolitionist movement that led to the Civil War that led to the Reconstruction that led to the Harlem Renaissance that led to the civil rights era. God’s liberating reign has certainly become large enough ‘that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade’ (v. 32).” Emerson Powery, “Mark”, True to Our Native Land, p. 130

• Who are the mustard seeds that need planting? Perhaps not the Millennials but the seniors and baby boomers (65+ is the fastest growing population in the US and will be for the next 10-20 years) or the working poor who cannot help on committees and can’t make big pledges or the children

1 Samuel 15:34-16:13

Initial Thoughts

• Great connections to the other passages

• 2 Cor. - Faith not sight. 1 Sam - Heart, not sight

• God’s work is beyond what we can see - God works through us to accomplish extraordinary things - great mustard trees of transformation

• This week and next week can be thought of as “The Rise of David.” Here is his introduction - an afterthought; an insignificant shepherd.

• Next week David is still in obscurity, but defeats Goliath and rises to prominence.

Bible Study

• Skips over the monarchy of Saul, but begins with a bombshell of a verse: “The Lord regretted making Saul king over Israel.”

• Saul, the king that the people demanded, did exactly what God warned he would do - taxed, and drafted soldiers.

• Lost favor first in ch 13 after he gave burnt offerings when he worried about Samuel’s late arrival. Here, his dynasty was cut off.

• Saul lost favor with God in chap 15 after giving in to the demands of his army, who wanted the spoils of war. Here, God decides he needs a new King.

• Both times that Saul fails, it is for capitulating to the pressures of his soldiers instead of listening to God (through Samuel). He is impatient and does not trust God’s word. First his dynasty is cut off. Then he is utterly replaced (though not without intrigue and bloodshed)

• Grief and Regret

• Samuel is grieved over Saul and the broken relationship. 

• Grief over the broken relationship or grief that he picked Saul in the first place?

• Even God regrets making Saul king.

• If God can regret, what does that mean for the omnipotence of God? What does it mean about the nature of the future? If God knows all - even the future, how can God regret an action from the past?

• God regrets God’s own action.

• Samuel grieves for Saul’s lack of faith.

• God pushes Samuel to move forward. There is a time for grief and regret, but God pushes Samuel to the next thing, and doesn’t allow him to wallow in grief and regret.

• Saul is no longer of concern to God, but is of concern to Samuel.

• Anointing a new king while there  is a king is dangerous business.

• God provides a cover story for Samuel, confident that the next thing is all that matters.

• David

• The most important figure in the nation of Israel. The turning point in the story - moving from Law and Patriarchs into Kings and Prophets. 

• The promise made to David is eternal and endures. The Kingship of David is unquestioned - and it is the House of David upon which Jesus builds his kingdom.

• When we meet David, he is an afterthought. Not first born - not even included in the “Parade of Brothers.”

• First born is Eliab, who makes a good impression on Samuel. God’s response “"Have no regard for his appearance or stature, because I haven't selected him. God doesn't look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the LORD sees into the heart."

• “Samuel is poised to repeat his error in being impressed by the ‘appearance’ and ‘lofty stature’ of Jesse's firstborn. This whole story is also a heightened and stylized playing out of the theme of the reversal of primogeniture that dominates Genesis. Instead of an elder and a younger son, Jesse has the formulaic seven sons, plus an eighth, the youngest of all, who will be chosen.” (Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: The Prophets, p. 240)

• Yet when we are introduced to David, the narrator can’t help but mention David’s looks.

• David is tending the flocks.

• Not even considered an option (like Cinderella among her sisters)

• “The tending of flocks will have a symbolic implication for the future leader of Israel.” (Alter, p. 241)

• For the rest of David’s life, when he is acting as a shepherd, he is doing well. He gets into trouble when he forgets his roots - the shepherd tending the flocks.

• God’s choosing of David does not have immediate effect. It is almost forgotten in ensuing stories, yet it is the lens through which we see the rest of the saga/struggle between David and Saul. From this point on, God is with David, and not with Saul. 

Thoughts and Questions

• What does it mean to worship a regretful God? Not even sure what else to say, I just think the question itself is so profound, it must be pondered.

• What can we learn of God who regrets? God moves onto the next thing. There may be a time for regret, but then God moves swiftly and decisively to a new thing. God regretted Saul, so God is intentional not to make the same mistake (outward appearance doesn’t matter). When we fail, how much to do we dwell in regret and grief? The next thing is all that matters, with a simple lesson from the last thing to go with us.

• God judges the heart. There is nothing about David that suggests he should be King. He is a shepherd boy, ignored even by his own family, yet it is upon David that God builds the Kingdom. This is especially good news for those who are not ‘credentialed.’ Those that have no business changing the world are the ones God usually choose to do just that.

2 Corinthians 5:6-17

• What does “In the body... out of the body”, etc mean? Be faithful to Jesus whether he is present to you or not (which he isn’t because he has ascended)

• In other words - always act as if you are in the presence of Jesus

• Crazy for God, Rational for you

• God is not rational- eye for an eye is rational, hating enemies is rational, sticking with your own tribe is rational - God is none of these things - God is crazy/foolish: saves a group of slaves, calls a boy to be king, lets the boy remain king after committing adultery and murder, repeatedly forgives the unfaithful, sends a savior who calls people that “don’t get it”, allows savior to be crucified, forgives those who crucify him - this is CRAZY! Love is Crazy and Strange!

• How do we translate the craziness of Grace and Love to the rationality of human minds

• Look at people like Christ looks at them- brothers and sisters and fellow citizens of the Kingdom of God

• This is not a small change- following Jesus means changing everything- how you act, how you live, how you see others

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND GET IN TOUCH:

Thanks to our Psalms correspondent, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (psalmimmersion.com,@pomopsalmist). Thank you to Scott Fletcher for our voice bumpers, Dick Dale and the Del Tones for our Theme music (“Misirlou”), Nicolai Heidlas (“Sunday Morning”,"Real Ride"and“Summertime”) and Paul and Storm for our closing music (“Oh No”).