In Mark 4, Jesus explains the "kingdom of God" to the disciples. You'd think he, of all people, would have the answer, the definitive explanation of what, exactly, the kingdom of God is.
But he gives a series of examples, parables, little stories. A lamp is meant to be on the lampstand, not under the bed, getting and giving...and who has what, scattering seed on the ground and harvesting, mustard seed.
The text says he "explained everything in private to his disciples," but I don't really see them getting or grasping a definitive explanation of what exactly the kingdom is--especially in Mark where the disciples are described as pretty dense.
At times, I long for the definitive. Other times, I am glad things are so murky. We humans certainly tend to plant a flag on any truth we can define and protect with the biggest guns. Kingdom of God may be better for us as a discovery. The simple elusiveness keeps us from naming ourselves keepers of the kingdom.
The discovery, not the answer, is the gift...
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