I WROTE earlier that the parable on the kingdom of God in the Gospel of Mark 4:26-29 tells us that kingdom of God follows the law of nature. It is like a seed that is sown in the soil and it grows and develops like any other seed. Its growth escapes our notice but it is happening. ”Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.” The saying that “grace builds on nature” is affirmed in this parable. Our spiritual life or religious or life ought to grow according to the natural processes of human growth and development. Although the miraculous is always part of the way God deals with us it is evident in the Bible that God wants to wean us from expecting his miraculous intervention whenever we have problems. It is true that God performs miracles in certain instances to save us. There are times when we are helpless and at a loss in the face of many problems in life. However, a miracle is something that we can only pray for but ought to leave to the wisdom of God. Meantime we do our best in using the natural and ordinary means to be saved from our problems in life by relying on the wisdom of God that has been instilled in nature especially in our human nature. The parable on the kingdom is like this word of God that Jesus has sown in the world which if we heed will bring about the order and balance in life that we sorely need. When Jesus fasted during his retreat in the desert he was tempted by the devil to break his fast and perform a miracle by turning stone into bread for him to eat. He was fasting to teach us a lesson to have discipline on the matter of enjoying food and other material goods of the earth. The devil tempted him to reject the need for discipline and just enjoy. The devil tells him that he could perform a miracle and have as much food and material goods that he can enjoy and not bother with discipline on the matter of enjoying these. Jesus however responds by saying “man does not live bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Our enjoyment of material goods ought to be guided by the wisdom of the word of God. If not it will cause havoc in our life. Our problems with our health, our environment, the ecological imbalance in the world, etc…since time immemorial is caused by not living by the word that comes from God in the way we use the goods of the earth. The spiritual life or religion is supposed to be a life that strives for the betterment or the perfection of one’s human nature because more than anything else it puts us in touch with God and opens oneself to the renewing or healing power of God. When Jesus said, “I have come not to abolish the laws but to perfect them” we should take that to mean first of all that he came so that the natural laws of nature, above all, that which is at work in our human nature which has been wounded sin may be healed and perfected. The application of this saying of Jesus to man made laws like civil laws is only secondary.