Parables of The Kingdom
Passage: Matthew 13:31-35, 44-46 - Parable of the Mustard Seed + 3 mini-parables
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” 33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” 34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Recap: Sermon 10-2-11 – Parables of the Kingdom – It Started Small
We went to Disney World (Florida) as a kid pretty often. When I went there was the Magic Kingdom park, plus 2 hotels (The Polynesian + the Contemporary), and the Ft. Wilderness Campground, where we usually stayed. There was also Disneyland in California. Taking my family last month to Disney, I was amazed at how much Disney has grown. Now there are 3 other parks in addition to the Magic Kingdom: Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. There are 2 waterparks. There are 26 Disney hotels, and that’s not counting all the hotels just outside of Disney World. It is huge and still growing. We could see they were building another hotel, and they are adding a new section to the Magic Kingdom. Not only has it grown in Orlando, but has spread throughout the world: there is EuroDisney in Paris, as well as Tokyo Disney and Hong Kong Disney. And they are building Shanghai Disney. Of course there are also the partnerships with movie studios (Pixar) and a Disney Channel on cable. I saw a t-shirt being advertised with the phrase, “It all started with a mouse,” referring to Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney’s first cartoon character. This small idea has grown into a mammoth kingdom.
It is not the first time that a worldwide kingdom developed out of something small.
Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a tiny mustard seed that grows to a huge plant:
· Jesus began with 12 disciples (and lost one of them) but from that start the kingdom of the Lord would spread and grow throughout the world.
· Now about 2 billion people would call themselves Christians – 33% of the world population.
· Christianity is worldwide and is growing the fastest in Africa and Asia. (while declining in Europe). Some estimate China has 60 million Christians, many in unofficial home churches.
· There are 20-30 million in India, and even 10% of Egypt at 8 million Christians.
· Just as many birds find their home in the mustard tree, so many have found their home in the kingdom of God, established by the Lord.
Jesus compared his kingdom to a woman spreading a small amount of yeast into a large batch of dough. The yeast would “leaven” the entire batch of dough:
· Not only has Christianity grown numerically but it has impacted every aspect of our society. Many of the values and institutions of our culture have their roots in Christianity.
· The Romans valued might and power, and had no qualms about enslaving their enemies. Christianity has lifted up the values of compassion and humility. Our record is by no means perfect, but the institution of slavery was eventually eliminated at the instigation of those who argued in Christ’s Name.
· Innumerable orphanages, hospitals, schools, prison ministries, food pantries, soup kitchens, disaster relief organizations have been started by Christians or churches that wanted to serve those in need for the sake of Christ.
· The Yeast of the Christ has leavened all of society, even those parts that reject Him. It should not surprise us that as we have turned away from the Lord we’ve seen decay and disintegration in our society.
Jesus compared his kingdom to a man who finds a great treasure hidden in a field and sells all his other goods to buy the field and gain that treasure:
· The truth of the kingdom is “hidden” from the sight of many, but for those who have ears to hear the message it is the greatest treasure we can discover.
· The man does not buy the treasure itself, but gains the treasure when he purchases the field. In the same way we cannot purchase the treasure of God or eternal life, but receive it as a free gift when we take Jesus Christ as our Lord, and trust all that we are to Him.
Jesus compared his kingdom to a merchant who finds the one perfect pearl, and so sells all his other pearls to gain possession of it:
· Jesus is the thing we are looking for, the one true thing we need in our life. When we find Him, our search is over and we have what we need. He is the Light of the World, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the way the truth and the life.
· Jesus is worth selling all we have to gain. The disciples left their nets to follow Christ. Matthew walked away from his tax collector’s table. Zacchaeus gave up over half his wealth. They all gave up the stuff of this world for Jesus with great joy and no regrets.
A few questions for you:
³ Is Jesus Christ the best thing that ever happened to you?
³ Is Jesus Christ the greatest treasure in your life worth selling all else to gain?
³ Has the seed of the gospel taken root in your soul? Is it growing in your life?
³ Has the yeast of the gospel leavened the whole of your life? Or are there parts of your life you have closed off to God’s Spirit?
Further Thoughts: What is it, this kingdom of heaven?
Jesus started off his ministry by announcing that the kingdom of heaven/God is near. He spoke as if by his coming he was bringing God’s Kingdom to earth. He taught us to pray that God’s Kingdom would come and that God’s will would be done on earth as it is already in heaven. What is it exactly that Jesus is talking about? He says the kingdom of heaven is like this or like that, but what is it that he was bringing into this world? Jesus doesn’t spell it out completely because:
One: He is in the act of establishing it
Two: The crowds are not ready to hear it, so he speaks in parables and then gives the explanation to the disciples.
If you had to describe what it is in one word, that word would be the “Gospel.”
· The Gospel is the good news of the coming Kingdom of God
· The Gospel is the message of what God has done – the news of what God is doing – and the promise of what God will one day do.
The Gospel has a component of Past, Present, and Future
r Gospel Past – Jesus was the Son of God in our midst, he died on the cross, God raised Him from the dead, and God exalted Jesus to be the Lord of the Universe.
r Gospel Present – God is making known to all peoples the offer of life everlasting. Through Christ, God will forgive our sins and receive us as a child of God.
r Gospel Future – God will one day set things right in this world. Sin and evil will be judged and dispensed with and those who have received forgiveness in Christ will live forever with God in His eternal Kingdom
This message of the coming of Christ and his death may seem small in comparison to the might of Rome, but it would spread and overcome the powers of this world. The small seed would grow large, and become the basis by which many would live, like a tree in whose branches many birds could perch.
Further in the Scriptures:
Read Matthew 13 – the parables +
³ Gospel Descriptions in the Bible: I Cor. 15:1-8 + I Peter 3:18 + Colossians 1:15-23
Take and Seal It - An e-mail follow-up to Sunday morning’s message
By Pastor Mitch Reed - Immanuel UCC, Zanesville – Ohio
e-mail: cowcountry94@yahoo.com