Today, Paul repeats his exhortation to the Hebrew Christians not to give up on the faith to which they gave such strong witness in the past (Hebrews 10:32-29). He asks them to remember the days when they first heard and “had been enlightened”. At the time of their conversion, the Hebrew Christians had to go through many trials and difficulties, sometimes being “publicly exposed to insults and afflictions” either because of their conversion or because they had close connections with people being so treated. In addition, they showed their solidarity and compassion with those Christians who had been thrown into prison because of their faith. They even happily accepted their possessions being taken away from them in exchange for a treasure that was so much better and more lasting.
In confirmation of what he is saying he quotes the prophet Habakuk (2:3-4): “… in a very little while, the one who is coming will come and will not delay, but my righteous one will live by faith. My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back.”
This reflects the belief, mentioned many times in the New Testament, in the expected final coming of Jesus to take all his faithful followers to their future and unending life, face to face with God. The necessary condition was that the Christians maintain their total faith and trust in the promises of God and of Christ: “… we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so preserve our souls.”
Paul praises the Hebrew Christians, and himself, because they are not the kind of people to pull back and so be lost. Rather they are the sort who remain faithful and so win salvation. It is this ‘shrinking back’ that these Hebrews are threatening to do, however, and he is giving them many reasons as to why it does not make any sense for them to do so.
We, too, must continue to move ever forward, remaining faithful to the core of the Gospel message, and living it out effectively and meaningfully in an ever-changing world.
In our gospel reading (Mark 4:26-34) we are presented with the two last parables told by Mark in this part of his Gospel. They are both images of the Kingdom of God, of God’s truth and love spreading among people all over the world. They are both taken from the world of agriculture, a world that would have been very familiar to Jesus’ listeners.
In the first parable, God’s work is compared to a farmer planting seed. As in the parable of the Sower, the seed is the Kingdom. Night and day, the process of growth continues without any human intervention. Whether the farmer is awake or asleep, the process of growth continues. The seed sprouts and grows and the farmer does not know how. However, the outcome is certain. Once the seed is ripe, it is for the farmer to bring in the harvest. And that is our task—to bring in the harvest which has been planted in the hearts of people. In the words of the other parables, it is up to us to shine the light which helps people see the truth and love of God already present in their deepest being.
In the second parable, the Kingdom is compared to a mustard seed. Although one of the tiniest of seeds, it grows into a sizeable shrub in which even birds can build their nests.
Both of these parables are words of encouragement to a struggling Church living in small, scattered communities and surrounded by hostile elements ready to destroy it. How amazed would the Christians of those days be if they could see how the seed has grown and spread to parts of the world of whose very existence they were totally unaware! Today, we still need to have trust like theirs, and confidence in the power of the Kingdom to survive and spread.
Mark says that Jesus spoke many parables, or even that he spoke only in parables. But the full meaning of his teaching was explained only to his inner circles of disciples. Those staying ‘outside’ were not ready to take in the message. They are the ones who were not ‘hearing’, as Jesus told his disciples to do. How sensitive is my hearing?
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!