19. Parables of the Kingdom (Mark 4:21 - 34)

Mark highlights three 'parables of the kingdom' in this 'chapter of parables.' Each of the parables relies on the idea of a seed to illustrate a point related to the mystery of the Kingdom of God. The first parable, the sower, speaks of the beginnings of the Kingdom. The second, the growing seed, describes the process of growth, and the final parable, the mustard, points of unexpected and dramatic conclusions of the kingdom. Taken together, the three parables give a remarkable and instructive introduction to the great purposes of God in history, and in the lives of those who belong to Him.