Growth of the Life of Faith Unser Herr lebt, Issue 49, 2018 Gotthold Beck He was also saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn’t know how. The ground produces grain by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come.” (Mark 4:26-29) [International Standard Version] In this article, I would like to discuss with you the “growth of the life of faith” for the Christians. In chapter 4, verse 26 of the Gospel according to Mark we cited at the beginning, it is written, “the kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground,” which implies the beginning of the life regenerated through the belief in the Lord. And this expression in verse 27, “he sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow,” illustrates how the regenerated life continues to grow.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed (2) Unser Herr lebt, Issue 48, 2018 Gotthold Beck
からし種のたとえ（2） 主は生きておられる48号 ゴットホルド・ベック
He was also saying, “How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. Although it is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, when it is planted it comes up and becomes larger than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that the birds in the sky can nest in its shade.” With many other parables like these, Jesus kept speaking his message to them according to their ability to understand. He did not tell them anything without using a parable, though he explained everything to his disciples in private. (Mark 4:30-31)[International Standard Version]
In our previous issue, we discussed two things through the parable of the mustard seed; firstly, what the kingdom of God is, and secondly, how the kingdom of God is revealed to us at this present time. In this article, I would like to discuss with you briefly the third point; how the kingdom of God will be realized in the ages to come.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed (1) Unser Herr lebt, Issue 47, 2018 Gotthold Beck からし種のたとえ（1） 主は生きておられる47号 ゴットホルド・ベック He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom from heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field. Although it is the smallest of all seeds, when it is fully grown it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, and the birds in the sky come and nest in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom from heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable. This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet when he said, “I will open my mouth to speak in parables. I will declare what has been hidden since the creation of the world.” (Matthew 13:31-35, International Standard Version). So Jesus went on to say, “What is the kingdom of God like? What can I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches.” Again he said, “What can I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” (Luke 13:18-21sion). In this article, I would like to discuss briefly the parable of the mustard seed. Let us divide the discussion into three parts.
Growth of the Life of Faith
