Mtr Mary Trainor

Dear friend,

“The kingdom of God is as if…”

You probably have heard that each of us has a double, a doppelganger. Who knows if it's true—but I have seen people I thought were virtual doubles of someone I knew. 

I had this experience recently. And I was overjoyed when a friend came upon the scene and I could show him our mutual friend’s double.

But guess what? The person didn’t look the same to him. In fact, he saw little to no resemblance between the two people, where I had seen a virtual twinning.

Obviously it is difficult to achieve universal vision, understanding, interpretation. Maybe that is why Jesus kept the parables coming, in an effort to find different avenues to our spirits.

We know all about parables. Well, we know what parables do, not necessarily what they mean. Parables are the story-telling device that we associate with Jesus in which he likens one thing to another thing to help us understand the first thing.

“The kingdom of God is as if…”

Jesus began teaching in parables at the start of chapter 4 of Mark, right after choosing the twelve men who would be his disciples.

The Daily Office passage today from Mark (4:21-34) continues this teaching. In it we are peppered with parables. They come so fast and so close together we can scarcely catch our breath. But just because we encounter a plethora of parables does not mean we are necessarily closer to a full understanding of the reign of God.

Today’s examples, as is typical, relate to everyday life, and they seem quite obvious on the surface. Lamps need to be on lamp stands; if you have ears, listen; the measure you give is the measure you get; scattered seed grows, we know not how; tiny seeds can produce big plants.

While seeming to be simple analogies on the surface, parables are hard to grasp. The illustrations Jesus chooses seem so self-evident that we are astounded when we cannot figure out what they have to do with God’s nature. 

I like the way theologian Matt Skinner puts it: Parables provide a reflection “similar to the distortions that appear in a funhouse mirror.” We grasp a sense of the picture, but our human lens is unable to capture a clear view. 

Maybe that’s because there isn’t one clear view. When Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is as if…” it’s not about providing a single perfect illustration that each of us will understand in the same way. Quite possibly he keeps the examples coming to honor our diverse ways, our unique humanity, the varied life experiences we bring to relationship with him. So respectful of each person’s commitment to understand, he offers one pathway by which I might grasp the mystery. And yet another pathway for you. And another for our friend. And another... 

“The kingdom of God is as if…”

Mtr. Mary
...while Mtr. Kelli is away.