It was pretty big. It wasn't always big; it had been a little squirt of a plant, and we put it in the lawn just to see how it would grow. It went bonkers.
Every autumn, it was a pretty much a full-time job raking leaves and tidying up.
The kids loved it when they were growing up, and then the next generation of grandchildren really enjoyed it - climbing it continually. It was great.
We really had no idea it would grow as big as it got, but all the kids climbed it. I was always worried that one would fall out, but they all survived, and so did the tree.
In the Bible, in Mark 4:26-29, Jesus gave another parable, this time very close to his death on the cross, which he paid dearly for our salvation. The parable he told went like this:-
"This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself, the soil produces grain - first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts a sickle to it, because the harvest has come."
The parable relates so well to the growth of Christianity. Many times, way back, and unfortunately, even today, many Christians were and are still persecuted badly. Many were murdered just like Jesus was, and many were tortured horribly before they were also murdered.
Even today, Christians can pay the price of following Jesus as Lord and truly as our Saviour. I know as Christians we personally lead a very different lifestyle from many around us. But we are truly blessed living how and where we do.
There are so many people in today's world pushing ahead as fast and as harshly as possible, while others are really struggling with their lives, often having a hard and brutal life.
In this parable, Jesus wants to get through to us that the growth of Christianity will grow and continue to grow, maybe even inconspicuously, right in the middle of all the mayhem and inconsistencies of most of the countries. Christianity will continue to grow amid the many catastrophes that are happening even as we write this blog.
When you think about what is happening in the world, even as we write and read about this horrible, astounding war in Ukraine, it is unbelievably horrible. When we see it on the news, we can be overwhelmed by the disaster.
Unfortunately, it is not only in Ukraine, but it is pretty much worldwide. We read about all sorts of terrible things happening in our world as we know it. So, where does this leave Christianity or faith in Christ Jesus?
About 40 to 50 years after the death of Jesus, Rome was certainly multicultural and was in world dominance. The Roman people thought Christians were atheists because they only believed in one God, while all the Roman people had heaps of gods, all different and all overwhelmingly abstract in their thinking.
The early Christians, as in today's society as well, wanted so much to spread the Good News of Jesus and the fantastic and wonderful news of salvation, amazing love, and hope. And so they did!
The spread of Christianity, love, and hope in a turbulent and hostile world grew and grew and grew, much faster than we could ever have imagined, regardless of the persecution of the early church, especially in Rome.
Even today, there are so many countries persecuting and even killing Christians for their belief in Jesus as Lord of their lives. Hence, the parable of the scattering of seeds by the farmer, as mentioned above, and the rise of Christianity, even amid what looks like a devastating effect on many worldwide Christians.
As mentioned in one of the early blogs about Nero, the Roman Emperor who saw that his dedication in life was to kill Christianity. Did it work? No, Nero paid for his wilful dedication to killing as many Christians as possible by committing suicide.
For so many years, the Roman Empire flourished and tried so desperately to rid itself and the world of Christianity, but Christians grew and continued to grow. Amazingly, Constantine became the Roman Emperor in 306 AD, and he was the linchpin of Christian growth in Rome when he himself became a follower of Jesus Christ.
Jesus was so apt in this parable about how the seed grows - it takes its time in fulfilling its needs. Like Christianity, it will take its time, but then it sprouts and grows enormously.
Jesus himself was so right. At that very time, there was really only he and a few of his disciples who knew about what was going to happen. When he was crucified and not long after that, many people came to accept him as their Lord and God, and today His life on earth here and his crucifixion and more importantly his resurrection really pave the way to eternal life.
All we have to do is accept his great love for us and what he did on that cross when he gave his life to pay for our sins. Yes, we have to accept that fact and ask him to lead us and to take our lives and make him the priority in everything we do and say.
Jesus is indeed Lord, and he is so willing even today to accept us into his kingdom. What do you have to do to make Him the ruler of your life?
All you have to do is accept what he did for you on that cruel cross years ago. He rose again to live in glory and is so wanting to lead our lives, yes! every one of us. Accept him into your life and ask him to lead you in everything you do. Confess your life to him and ask his forgiveness.
No matter what you have done, he will forgive you if you genuinely ask him into your life.
God bless you as you go about your daily life, and I hope to see you next time.
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