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The Kingdom and the Ministry of Jesus

In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3–9, 18–23; Mark 4:2–9,
13–20; Luke 8:5–8, 11–15) the farmer sows the seed, which is the word
of God. The seed falls on different types of soil, resulting in different
types of harvests. According to York, “This parable is central to Jesus’
teaching and hence to understanding the kingdom of God. It is placed at
the beginning of three major parables in all three Synoptic Gospels. In
Mark 4:13 Jesus asks, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How then will
you understand any parable?’” (York, 67). York concludes, “Harvest is
central to the teaching of Jesus and the kingdom of God.” (67).

Why is harvest a key theme of Jesus’ kingdom parables? Because
harvest is the key concern of the missio
Dei. The kingdom of God exists to carry
out that mission. We will discuss this
issue in more detail in Chapter 12. Harvest is central

to the teaching
The harvest theme is found in other
teachings of Jesus. One day while He of Jesus and the
was on a preaching mission, Jesus told kingdom of God.
His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but
the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the
harvest, therefore, to send out workers
into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37–38). On another occasion, He gave
seventy-two disciples the same instructions (Luke 10:1–2). On yet another
occasion, at a well in Sychar, He won a Samaritan woman to himself. He
then said to His disciples, “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then
the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are
ripe for harvest” (John 4:35). Harvest is an overarching theme in Jesus’
kingdom teaching, including His parables.

The Upside-Down Kingdom
In his book “The Upside-Down Kingdom,” author Donald B. Kraybill
described the flipped nature of the kingdom of God. This means that the
rules and principles governing the kingdom of God are often just the
opposite of the rules and principles governing the world. For example,
Jesus’ disciples were once arguing about which one was the greatest
among them. Hearing their argument, Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be
first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35).
Figure 7.1 illustrates this upside-down principle of leadership. It shows

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