1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 Psalm 20 2 Corinthians 5:6-10,[11-13],14-17 Mark 4:26-34

There is a children’s poem said to be based on the account of the death in battle of King Richard III of England.  Richard was the last king of the House of York.  He reigned only two years from 1483 until his death in 1485 in the Battle of Bosworth Field where he was slain by the forces of Henry Tudor, later to become Henry VII.  Perhaps you have heard the poem:

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Here is the story of The Horseshoe Nails:

The Horseshoe Nails

A blacksmith was shoeing a horse.

“Shoe him quickly, for the king wishes to ride him to battle,” said the groom who had brought him.

“Do you think there will be a battle?” asked the blacksmith.

“Most certainly, and very soon, too,” answered the man.  “The king’s enemies are even now advancing, and all are ready for the fight.  Today will decide whether Richard or Henry shall be king of England.”

The smith went on with his work.  From a bar of iron he made four horseshoes. These he hammered and shaped and fitted to the horse’s feet.  Then he began to nail them on.

But after he had nailed on two shoes, he found that he had not nails enough for the other two. 

“I have only six nails,” he said, “and it will take a little time to hammer out ten more.”

“Oh, well,” said the groom, “won’t six nails do?  Put three in each shoe.  I hear the trumpets now.  King Richard will be impatient.”

“Three nails in each shoe will hold them on,” said the smith.  “Yes, I think we may risk it.”

So he quickly finished the shoeing, and the groom hurried to lead the horse to the king.

The battle had been raging for some time.  King Richard rode hither and thither, cheering his men and fighting his foes.  His enemy, Henry, who wished to be king, was pressing him hard.

Far away, at the other side of the field, King Richard saw his men falling back.  Without his help they would soon be beaten.  So he spurred his horse to ride to their aid.

He was hardly halfway across the stony field when one of the horse’s shoes flew off.  The horse was lamed on a rock.  Then another shoe came off.  The horse stumbled, and his rider was thrown heavily to the ground.

Before the king could rise, his frightened horse, although lame, had galloped away.  The king looked, and saw that his soldiers were beaten, and that the battle was everywhere going against him.

He waved his sword in the air.  He shouted, “A horse!  A horse!  My kingdom for a horse.” 

But there was no horse for him.  His soldiers were intent on saving themselves.  They could not give him any help.

The battle was lost.  King Richard was lost. 

Henry became king of England.[1]

Richard the Third was known as one of England’s worst kings.  Henry, the Duke of Richmond, made war upon him; our poem affirms that Henry defeated him in this great battle – all for the “want of a horseshoe nail,” changing the course of England’s history.

In the kingship of Richard III, a tiny horseshoe nail carried great significance.

In our lesson this morning from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus shares parables as metaphors describing great things accomplished from tiny beginnings.  Jesus is sharing parables of the Kingdom of God.  A better understanding of the Kingdom of God by Jesus’ disciples was of great urgency for Jesus.  The coming of the Kingdom of God is a dominant theme throughout his preaching; this section of Mark’s Gospel is devoted to parables of the Kingdom.

Perhaps an easier way of understanding and, actually, a more accurate translation of the Greek term basileia, used in these instances, is “kingship” rather than “kingdom.”  Kingdom has geographical and political connotations; “kingship,” scholars advise, more accurately describes the “kingly rule of God.”[2]  So, as we move through our study of the parables of the kingdom, I invite you to think more in terms of the kingship of God.  The kingship of God is both present and, yet, being made full in the future.

In the kingship of God, our consistent yet seemingly tiny efforts bring about great things – great things come from tiny beginnings.  The great King David, whose star remains the icon of Israel, is described in our Old Testament lesson from 1Samuel as the youngest of the seven sons of Jesse.   David was the least of the handsome and robust sons; he was the keeper of the sheep, his father not even taking the time to call him from the pasture to be among the sons paraded before Samuel.  One by one the sons of Jesse passed before Samuel; Samuel awaited God’s commanding choice of the king who would replace Saul as the king of Israel.  One by one the older brothers were declined; only when David appeared did Samuel hear the voice of the Lord, “Rise and anoint him, for this is the one.”

The seeds we plant in the kingship of God often seem tiny and insignificant; perhaps we are not even aware of the tiny seeds we sow.  But, in God’s kingship, God gives the increase; our seeds grow into great sources of comfort for those who suffer.  Our seeds, given God’s increase, bring about the kingdom of God now even as the kingdom is being brought to fullness in the unforeseen future.

For the want of a horseshoe nail, the kingdom was lost.  Without our tiny mustard seed-size efforts, who among us might never have sight of the kingdom of God?