‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ (Mark 4: 3-8)

The original ending of Mark has provoked several postscripts. Over the next few days I will offer my own.

The Gospel of Mark is an action adventure. It describes Jesus on the move: healing, feeding, and cleaning. He teaches by example.

When Jesus speaks in the Gospel of Mark he is almost always answering a question or trying to explain the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus regularly refers to the kingdom of heaven as something that seems small but can become substantial. A seed is probably his favorite analogy.

Jesus is realistic about seeds. The potential of most seed is lost to birds, bad soil, heat, weeds, and more.

Despite so many seeds being lost, just a few successful seeds can produce a hundred-fold.

In most cases a lively seed is the result of a dead host. The rich potential of grain is the final expression of the dying stalk. Most trees produce their fruit in the weeks just before the long-sleep of winter.

There are exceptions. Given good soil, rain, and moderate temperatures a fig tree will perpetually bare fruit.

A seed holds the potential for new life, but this potential is dormant within the seed. For the potential to be realized the seed must be eaten or buried.

In dark moisture a seed is transformed. The dormant potential is released.

When eaten the energy of the seed is transferred. When buried in the soil the energy of the seed may be amplified.