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How does the Kingdom of God arise within me?
Jesus reveals a mystery to us: “For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. Listen therefore to the parable of the sower ” (Matthew 13:17-18).
Jesus' words show us what we should do daily so that the Kingdom of God may increase, and that we may thereby have eternal life permanently within us.
Through parables, Jesus reveals to us mysteries about the Kingdom of God that have been hidden since the foundation of the world (cf. Mt 13:35). In the parable of the sower, we see a truly impressive process: from the scattering of a single seed to a plant bearing a hundredfold fruit; from the proclamation of the Gospel to the full measure of the greatness of Christ (cf. Eph 4:13).
There are four types of people. Which type of person are you?
Jesus shows us four landscapes that receive the seed differently: the path, stony ground, thorny ground, and good soil.
The seed cannot penetrate the soil on the path. It is trampled underfoot and eaten by birds. The path is comparable to people who, in their stubbornness, refuse to acknowledge God and completely surrender themselves to other things. Therefore, evil has easy access to them (cf. Rom 1:18-32). The Gospel is immediately stolen from these people so that they cannot come to faith and be saved (cf. Lk 8:12).
The rocky ground consists of stone and earth. The seed may sprout here, but no root can grow, and it dies. These are people who joyfully accept the gospel and the forgiveness of their sins. But their hearts are narrow and hardened. The stone represents aspects of their mind that refuse to submit to God's commandments and close their ears. Such a person may be unwilling to forgive, think only of themselves, or envy others. The Word of God says that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (see Galatians 5:19-21). When difficulties and persecution arise, it becomes clear that the root is missing. Then these people will turn away from God.
The thorny soil describes people who accept the good news of the Gospel. They are not hardened and want to live out God's will. They understand that it is good. But thorns begin to grow in their lives. These thorns are the worries of this world, deceitful wealth, and desires for other things (cf. Mark 4:19). It starts small. But they increasingly think only about earthly things, waste more and more time on fleeting matters, and don't realize how their thoughts and actions are distancing them further and further from God. The thorns can grow so large that they destroy their spiritual life. What will lead to the downfall of rocky soil could still be the salvation of thorny soil. Through difficulties and persecution, they would refocus their gaze on Jesus and remove the thorns (cf. 1 Peter 4:1-2).
The fertile soil represents people who accept the gospel and surrender their whole being to God. Stones are broken and thorns are pulled out. And so Christ himself takes on more and more form in them, and they are "transformed into the same image from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18). "Their deeds follow them" (Revelation 14:13).
A love that sacrifices itself from the depths of its being and surrenders its thoughts is the key to eternal life.
Why did three fail and one not?
All four landscapes received the same seed, but it couldn't sprout everywhere. What was so different? The path has no soil for the seed to penetrate. The rocky ground has too little soil. The thorny ground has soil, but it's also used by thorns. The good soil has plenty of soil. What is the soil that allows the Kingdom of God to grow?
The landscapes are the hearts of people, and the earth is a self-giving love for God! Faith becomes effective through love (cf. Gal 5:6).
If we say, "Lord, this spot in my field is yours. You may plant whatever you want here, and I will follow," then that is "earth." But if I say, " I don't want to forgive, I want to think of myself, I want to enjoy my life to the fullest, and I want to be well," then that is like a "stone."
The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews compares immature and mature people in Christ at one point and says how they differ: “Solid food is for those who are mature, whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14).
They have trained their thinking through practice! Not everything we want, and not every thought that arises within us, is good. For example, if a selfish thought comes along that seeks only its own advantage, then we must learn to say, "I don't want to think about that any longer!" The battle within our minds against the desires of the flesh is a practice.
A love that sacrifices itself from the depths of its being and surrenders its thoughts is the key to eternal life. Where this love is, the plant ripens unstoppably, in a growth wrought by God, and the Kingdom of God arises. Jesus himself will reveal himself to these people (cf. John 14:21). Such a person becomes capable of true knowledge and increasingly recognizes the love of Christ. This communion and this knowledge will fill him to the fullness of God (cf. Ephesians 3:14-19). He will love others as Christ loved. He will do good as Christ did good to people, without expecting anything in return. He will weep for the lost as Christ wept for Jerusalem. He will pray for his enemies as Christ prayed for those who crucified him.
The Kingdom of God is Christ in us and at the same time eternal life. This is also the grace that “has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).
God's grace is not just a gesture from God in which He forgives us all our sins, but it is a life-changing process.
The Power of the Gospel
Isn't it impressive what happens when a person surrenders to God? How the Kingdom of God arises from the Gospel through God's sole power:
He grants prosperity, and what was spoken through the prophet Ezekiel will be fulfilled: “ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you […] I will put my Spirit within you, and I will cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. […] I will cleanse you from all your impurities” (Ezekiel 36:26-29).
Humanity receives a new mindset, as foretold by the prophet Jeremiah: “ I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). Then God’s law is not merely written somewhere in the Bible or on tablets of stone, but we ourselves have the intrinsic desire to live according to God’s will.
The less we say "I want" to ourselves, the more God will say "I want" to us!
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). “Filled with the fruits of righteousness through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:11).
We are merely the field! Everything that has grown and every fruit is not from us, but by God's grace we are what we are. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8). The parable of the sower helps us to better understand God's grace.
God's grace is not merely a gesture in which He forgives us all our sins, but a life-changing process. Eternal life is not bestowed upon us only after our physical death. The Apostle John speaks in the past tense: "That God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son" (1 John 5:11).
Jesus Christ is eternal life (cf. John 14:6). Christ is eternal life in us and with Him. If Christ lives in us, we will live eternally (cf. Colossians 3:4-5) and we will become one spirit with Him (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:17). Thus, Christ in us is the hope of glory (cf. Colossians 1:27). “This mystery is great” (Ephesians 5:32), too lofty for me to grasp. But it is prepared for those who love Him (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:9).
The Kingdom of God can only exist where Christ is allowed to reign as King! God gives us the choice. But He will draw us because He loves us. That is why Jesus still works with unwilling people and says: “Lord, let him wait this year until I have dug around him and fertilized him, to see if he might still bear fruit” (Luke 13:8-9).
Mathias Dojan
Municipality of Blomberg-Istrup