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A Happy Ending?
Joe Killian • Jun 15, 2018
Everyone loves a good story, right? Did you hear the one about the raccoon climbing up the outside of a skyscraper in St. Paul Minnesota? It was first reported by Minnesota Public Radio News and quickly became an internet sensation. The raccoon's story began trending on social media with the hashtag #mprraccoon. Some people were reported as following the story until 2:30 in the morning when the raccoon was finally captured. Why were so many people captivated by this story and how does it apply to this week's Gospel?
Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”
He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private. Mark 4:26-34
In 46 different instances, Jesus uses parables to deliver His message. In these particular ones, Jesus speaks to the growth cycle of the Kingdom of God. As is typical, there is dual meaning in Jesus' stories. The literal meaning of the message is meant for the "general" consumption of the crowds. The symbolic or deeper meaning was saved for the disciples.
What were the crowds seeking as they listened to Jesus? We never really know. What we do know is that it is a part of human nature to be captivated by a "good" story. Here is a photo of people who stopped to watch the raccoon in Minnesota.
With their eyes turned upward they wait to find out whether or not the raccoon will make it. Is that why we follow these stories, with hope for a happy ending? Or is there something deeper at work? Jesus understood that not everyone sought the deeper meaning that His "stories" contained. The bottom line for you and me as His followers is that we need to seek to understand Jesus' message. This is true as we observe and live life. With our eyes turned upwards we look to the Kingdom of God and the happy ending that awaits us.
The story continues...I'm still working on the pondless waterfall in our front yard. I shared this project with you two weeks ago in Playin' In the Dirt. Since then I've had to rework sections of the stream three different times because we were losing too much water. I am now an expert on evaporation rates and excessive splash, two causes of water loss. This morning I tore the whole thing apart and I'm starting over.
Have you ever watched DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda? I stumbled across it recently and thoroughly enjoyed Jack Black's performance as a bumbling, noodle selling, kung fu enthusiast, giant panda named P o. Set in ancient China, it is more than a humorous slapstick comedy. The core message of the story jumped out at me as I have been focusing recently on the concept of being. Po is shockingly identified as the Dragon Warrior and he reluctantly enters training. The goal of the training is to receive the Dragon Scroll, which is believed to hold the secret to limitless power. Now I don't want to spoil the big reveal but I will say that what Po realizes is the same as what I speak to in the concept of being and authentic identity. So, where do we find the secret to our "power?" I praise You, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works! My very self You know. Psalm 139:14 God knows it; and we must seek Him with all of our hearts in order to find it. As it was in the movie, the answer is stunningly simple. Our authentic identity is already within us. The challenge for Po in the movie was in seeing himself accurately and not the way others saw him. Even his teacher scoffed at the idea that Po was anything more than an underachieving dreamer who overate when he was anxious. Po's problems are rooted in the fact that he believes the lie of his false identity much more than he does his authentic one. Is it possible that you do the same? Who could have imagined that beneath all of Po's girth lived the Dragon Warrior? What's hidden from view in you? Seek God for understanding as to who He created you to be. Spoiler Alert: the secret of your limitless power is already in you. God placed it there and He wants you to be who He authentically created you to be.
Maria and I have been playing in the dirt a lot recently. First we replaced our French drain and then we embarked on a creative project intended to change the entire look of our front yard. My brother Jeffrey and I installed a new front step.
