The coming of the Kingdom of God was no secret to pious Jews but it was the manner of its coming in the person of Jesus that confounded many and was met largely with unbelief. They expected the Messiah to come with great power and establish God's reign unopposed with complete victory over their enemies. They could not foresee that prior to the eschatological manifestation of the glorious power of the Kingdom, God's reign would break into human history in the person of Jesus and in the vulnerability of the word that he would speak.
Apart from revelation (the secrets of the Kingdom) they were unable to receive the truth that God's word was like the vulnerable seed of a Jewish farmer in the midst of an inhospitable and sometimes hostile environment. Yes, there would be a glorious harvest but not without opposition and at times apparent defeat. This parable helps us to understand the reality and power of God's Kingdom today powerfully at work in the midst of much discouragement, reversal and defeat - not unopposed but powerfully contested by the powers of darkness. The assurance for those who persevere in hearing, retaining and obeying the word of God and who do not give up (the good soil that receives the seed of God's word), is the promise of a joyful and glorious harvest.
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Ray is Senior Pastor at Coromandel Baptist Church, South Australia. Before being appointed to this role in January 2012 and during his years of theological study at the Bible College of South Australia, Ray was Student Pastor at the church. Prior to this he was a high school...
