The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Ordinary Time
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Ezekiel 17:22-24
In 2 Samuel 7, David wanted to build God a temple. God rejects that idea but, instead, God says God will establish a house and lineage for David that will never end. This will later be interpreted through Christ as the Messiah. The imagery in today’s verses harkens to those Messianic expectations. The image here is of God raising up something out of nothing.
The cedar tree is a key image in this passage. This was a tree not native to the land of Israel but grew in great forests in the Lebanon Mountains. These cedars were the most important building material in the ancient Near East because it was the only wood large and abundant enough to build structures of any size. King David’s house was built from cedar (2 Samuel 7:2). Solomon’s temple was built from cedars (1 Kings 6) as was his palace (1 Kings 7).
This passage is full of images and metaphors:
- the cedar tree – considered by ancient people to be the grandest of all trees
- starting a new plant from a piece of an existing one
- mountains as a place of newness and transformation
- bearing fruit
- birds nesting in a large tree
- anthropomorphized trees that see and know God
- things being turned upside down from the natural order
During Ordinary Time, we make the journey of discipleship, and every reading attempts to show us how to be good disciples. Some feel more challenging than others! Are there any images in this reading that shed light on your journey as a disciple following Christ?
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Last week we saw how Paul’s opponents wanted to discredit him because of his sufferings. They seem to say “if God were really with you, you wouldn’t be suffering.” Paul’s view in today’s passage is that suffering in this life doesn’t count for much because our true home is elsewhere.
The passage beginning in 4:16 and running through today’s reading is challenging because there are three unfinished sentences: 4:16, 5:3, 5:7. It’s like Paul starts a thought but can’t quite find the words to say what he wants to say. Most of Paul’s letters were likely dictated to a scribe. And probably that scribe cleaned things up a bit. But this passage gives us a sense of Paul speaking his mind, trying to find just the right words.
A key verse in this passage is that we walk by faith, not by sight. Paul draws a clear distinction between this life and the next. In the next life, we will see God face to face and enjoy everything that entails. This is in contrast to this life, where we do not see God face to face, and so we must move by faith rather than by the sight of God. Another way to understand this verse is sight being what we can understand in our human capacities versus faith, which takes us beyond what we can understand.
Recall times when you walked by sight – by what you could see and understand. Contrast that with a time you walked by faith.
Life is rarely black and white. An experience is rarely either sight or faith. Think about the experiences above. Even when you walked by your own understanding, how was faith present? And when you moved by faith, what elements of your God-given human understanding were functioning to help you?
Mark 4:26-34
Chapter 4 is a key teaching chapter in Mark. The other gospels weave Jesus’ teachings and actions throughout. Mark has chosen to give narratives largely about Jesus’ actions, while concentrating his teachings in this chapter. This tells us that Mark considers these parables to be some of Jesus’ most important teachings.
Mark 2-3 illustrates the various controversies Jesus faced. Chapter 4 is a collection of Jesus’ teachings and, like last week’s narrative, it is tightly structured:
A Introduction 4:1-2
B Parables 4:2-9
C Parabolic method 4:1-13
D Parable (in)comprehension 4:14-20
C’ Parabolic method 4:21-25
B’ Parables 4:26-32
A’ Conclusion 4:33-34
Another important pattern in this chapter:
The disciples question
Jesus explains his parabolic method
Jesus questions the disciples
In a way, this whole chapter is about productive hearing. All these parables also imply the ultimate triumph of the kingdom.
For more information on parables, see this article.
Parable of the seed and the harvest vv26-29
As with all parables, the kingdom is represented by the whole of the parable, not just the sower or just the seed or the harvest. The parable begins with “he said,” and the Greek verb indicates continuous or customary action. This is Mark’s way of saying that Jesus taught a lot about the kingdom with parables and this is just an example of what he said. John’s gospel says the same more plainly in John 20:30-31, saying that Jesus did (and presumably taught) many things beyond what was written. But what got recorded was done for a purpose – to lead us to believe.
The seed can be understood on many levels. It can represent the kingdom of God and the abundant harvest we look forward to at the end of time. It can also represent our present reality as we grow into the kingdom.
For the Jews, harvest is always a metaphor for the end judgment, the end of time. So this parable evokes not just individual growth but the entirety of salvation history.
Verse 27 is rhythmic, almost poetic, and references the process of growth which is largely hidden from us. Sometimes we’d like to analyze the spiritual life in great detail. I think of St. Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle and all the different “levels.” It’s all too easy to get caught up in analyzing where we are in that schema. Jesus reminds us that growth happens, and analyzing or worrying about it doesn’t help – growth just happens; we are where we are.
In the Genesis account of creation, it says over and over “there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” In Judaism, the day starts at sundown. This was adopted by Christians – the vigil liturgy is always connected to the following day. For the Jews, “night and day” is the expected order of things and indicates an ordinary, dailiness. Sleep and rise, sprout and grow – these indicate the passage of time.
“Of its own accord” in v28 is the Greek word automate, and could also be translated “without visible cause.” There is a hidden and gradual action that brings about the kingdom.
Parable of the mustard seed vv 30-32
The mustard seed is not technically the “smallest of seeds” nor does it grow into anything like the largest of trees. In reality, the mustard bush has a reputation for being invasive: plant one and it will soon take over the entire garden. Jesus is telling us that small beginnings can lead to great things. Don’t discount something because it starts small! In Mark’s gospel, Jesus is constantly keeping his true identity hidden. In some ways, he’s like a mustard seed which seems very ordinary and easy to overlook. Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6 will interpret the mustard seed as faith.
One scholar sees the mustard seed parable as a comic contrast. In the Old Testament, the cedar was the most majestic of trees and, as such, symbolized the majesty of God’s ultimate reign on earth. Jesus comes along and compares that same reign to a common, scrubby, invasive bush that was all around his listeners. Cedars were not native to Israel – they were imported from Lebanon. Jesus says the kingdom is actually something that’s all around you, that you often don’t even notice because it feels so common and ordinary. Mustard was also considered an invasive species because once it took root, it was next to impossible to evict. Were Jesus speaking this parable today, he might liken the kingdom to Kudzu!
Speaking in parables vv33-34
One of the points of this passage is that mere hearing does not get us there. We have to hear and understand, and to do that, we have to ask Jesus to enlighten us. This chapter makes clear that you can’t understand what Jesus is saying independent of knowing Jesus. We can sit and listen to homilies for a lifetime but it does us absolutely no good if we are not changed by Christ.
Verse 33 says Jesus spoke to them “as they were able to understand.” A more literal translation is “To the extent that they could listen.” Although usually translated in a more positive sense, the Greek implies a negative sense: he spoke to them only in the way they could understand. Perhaps he wanted to speak more but they wouldn’t understand so he was limited in what he could say. “The word” should be understood to refer to Jesus’ message of the kingdom.
In 4:11, Jesus seems to confine explanations to The Twelve. In v34, it is “his disciples,” which is a broader category.
Putting it all together
Growth of any sort is a mystery beyond our comprehension or control. We have a vital role to play but it is God who controls the process. I am reminded of my first day on the job at Newman as RCIA director. It was the first week of classes and I was expected to launch an RCIA process within a month. And there was no one signed up. Not one single person! I had no idea what to do or how to fill my roster. In the end, we had 19 people that year, and every single one of them came to the process in a way I could not have engineered if I had tried.
This section speaks to the whole process of spiritual growth: rooted in small beginnings, something God does, beyond our control; but it needs our contributions. And it is both personal and communal.
One frequent name of God in theology is Mystery. This is not the use of the word that indicates something we don’t yet understand but are working on figuring out. Mystery in this sense is something hidden from natural sight, something that lies beyond the edge of human understanding. Mystery calls for a different way of seeing and living.
I am writing this in the month of March. A few days ago we had snow but now the sun is out. Buds are just beginning to be visible on the trees. Green shoots are coming out of the ground. I look around and see the promise of new life. What promise of the kingdom can you see around you? Remember that the kingdom breaks through in what often seems small and insignificant.
One important thing this passage reminds us is that the mystery of the kingdom and God’s work in our lives unfolds gradually. I remember when my daughter was an infant. I never noticed the growth taking place but everyone at the monthly moms’ group meeting always remarked on it. And in those early days, I certainly couldn’t imagine the young woman she has become! Such is the work of God in our lives: it often takes others to show us our own growth and help us appreciate what is happening within. This is why spiritual conversation with others and spiritual direction is such a great help in the journey. We need other people to help us see what is hidden.
How are you looking for the kingdom to appear? Are you looking for a majestic cedar or are you on the lookout for something more common, maybe even more like a pesky weed?
Connections
Out of small beginnings come great things. Another connection is the image of trees. Trees actually play an important role throughout scripture. Think of the many stories associated with trees and the many important events that happened in the context of a tree. What do these stories have to say to us about the life of discipleship? What do trees themselves have to teach us?
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© 2023 Kelly Sollinger