SUNDAY HOMILY OF 11TH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: THE LITTLE BEGINNING
BY: Fr. Karabari Paul
Ezekiel 17:22-24; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Mark 4:26-34
“It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches…..”
The Gospel passage of today (Mark 4:26-34) presents the parable showing the humble and little beginning of the Church. In other words, the common interpretation of this parable is that the mustard seed represents the Kingdom of God, which began tiny, and over time, expanded or grew into a worldwide system, becoming the home for many nations or many people. They dwell there in peace, safety, and harmony.
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The mustard seed was famous for its incredibly small size. Its diameter is less than a tenth of an inch. Seven hundred and fifty mustard seeds put together weigh only a single gram.
In today’s society, we think that bigger is better. That having more means we are more successful. But throughout the Bible, we see God using small things and those who seem to have little to offer to bring about His plan and advance the kingdom. When God gave Gideon victory over the Midianites, He used an army of just three hundred to defeat an enemy that was hundreds of thousands strong (have a read of Judges 7). That wasn’t because there weren’t more soldiers available; it was because God wanted to demonstrate His power in ‘the day of small things.’
Jesus could have chosen any number of followers, but He handpicked twelve to reach the world with the gospel. One day He fed five thousand people with five bread rolls and two small fish from a child’s lunchbox. In the Gospel, Jesus compares God’s kingdom to a mustard seed. And He said: ‘Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much’ (Luke 16:10).
When the temple was being rebuilt, many people were upset at its progress. But God said to them: ‘Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They will change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!’ .
It is easy to end up despising the small beginnings or the little we feel we have got to offer. We want to do more, be more, and for God to work in us quicker. But the small beginnings are so valuable. Let us not despise them, but instead rejoice in them, confidently knowing that God’s got bigger and better things in mind for us. Some people are even ashamed to start a little or identify with their humble family background. We must know that what we despise, God cherishes. When we walk by faith and not by sight, we realise that growth comes from God and not from man. Don’t be afraid to begin a little. Begin first and leave everything in God’s hand to grow.
Many of us have a God-sized dream within us, but we are so afraid of failing that we never even try. We can’t imagine how it could possibly happen. So, we don’t act on it. Here is a challenge: don’t worry about the outcome. That is not your responsibility. ‘Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus’ (Philippines 1:6).You simply need to act on it. It doesn’t have to be something big; in fact, it will probably be something small. Everything that is big starts small. But if you do little things like they are big things, God will bless them and use them. A.W. Tozer said, ‘A low view of God is the cause of a hundred lesser evils. A high view of God is the solution to ten thousand temporal problems.’
We can’t imagine what God is capable of. This means we can’t imagine what we are capable of if we give God control of our lives. First Reading ( Ezekiel 17:22-24)), presents the immensity of God’s power this way, ‘And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’ His power initiates a chain reaction. And with His energy working within us, we can accomplish all He has called us to do.
God always gives you something to start with. But you have to look for it, recognise it, and put it into His hands. The miracle of multiplication happened when a boy took what he had and made it available to Jesus. The Church was going to spread, but the human agents had to be used, and like the seeds in the Gospel, how they spread against the odds, they didn’t know. The Bible says, ‘Do not despise this small beginning, for the eyes of the Lord rejoice to see the work begin’ (Zechariah 4:10). Don’t be afraid to take a small step. Just make sure they are steps of faith, and God will work through you. Jesus said, ‘I will build my church’ (Matthew 16:18). And he used twelve flawed people just like us. But when He poured Himself into them, the mix was so concentrated that when two of the disciples got together, they could turn whole towns upside down (Acts 17:6). We all come to the Lord damaged and in need of repair. But we can be strong in some areas and struggling in others, and God can still use us. We just have to be willing to come as we are. God, the Creator of the biggest, the largest, the highest things, is not ashamed nor afraid to begin a little. The problem some of us have is that we are afraid to start a little. Most of us hate raw materials, and we want finished products.
God concerns Himself with the little things. Nothing is too big for our great God, and nothing is too small for Him either. ‘Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you’ (1 Peter 5:7). Note the words ‘all your care’. If it matters to you, it matters to your loving heavenly Father. ‘In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths’ (Proverbs 3:6). Note the words ‘all your ways’. Today, God wants you to share every detail of your life with Him and never be afraid to start a little. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our country, Nigeria, bless and protect us all through Christ, our Lord Amen. Good morning.
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