He told them another parable: “The
kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his
field. 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.”
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. 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. Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away
and sold everything he had and bought it. Once again, the kingdom of
heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of
fish. When it was full, the
fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good
fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will
come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied.
He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
*****************************************************************************
Throughout his ministry, Jesus consistently
talked about the Realm of God. Matthew says Jesus was calling people to
consider the Kingdom of Heaven, which means the same thing. But while used
parables to describe the Realm, he never actually defined it. He spoke in teaching
parables, and like all parables there was always a seed of a meaning that he
wanted the listeners to think about. And he wanted them to think about
loyalties and relationships.
So today, we hear Jesus saying, "The realm is like a mustard seed which someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs . . . ." Now, the mustard seed Jesus refers is likely the seed that a local farmer in Palestine might have planted, the black mustard seed which in fact was the smallest seed in the known world. It’s also true that the black mustard seed will typically grow to heights of 3.7 meters, or 12 feet – more than large enough for nests for birds.
We have to keep in mind that Jesus’
stories always used everyday examples – things that the listeners could relate
to, to communicate simple truth. So the simple truth in the parable is not that
the mustard seed is the tiniest – it isn’t as we now know – but for the people
then it was the tiniest, and could become something quite large. From this
example, Jesus teaches that the realm of God can start from the tiniest of
beginnings, and grow into something profound. Jesus was addressing a local lay
audience, not an international conference of botanists – and he was addressing
a very specific group of people in a specific place and time. That doesn’t detract
from the story – simply puts details into context.
The realm of God is like the
incredible things which can grow from one tiny thing – which no one considers
very significant by itself. Jesus was born, actually an insignificant child in
an insignificant part of a town, and was largely unknown until thirty years
later. And when he started teaching, it was teaching about little things: a cup of cold water, a
person with one talent, a widow's offering, a lost coin, kindness done for
"one of the least of these." How insignificant that movement must
have seemed at the beginning – an ordinary man teaching about small things –
and yet, those who heard could recognise wisdom, and came to listen. How many
great happenings begin so quietly that they are dismissed without much thought.
Jesus says in a roundabout way that a seed has been planted in every one of us;
the realm comes about when that small seed grows enough to become the tree, and
more seeds are produced.
Then Jesus says "The realm is
like yeast that a woman took and put into three measures of flour until all was
leavened." What happens when yeast is combined with a little sugar
and some warm water or milk? It looks like little golden brown nothings, but
after awhile it begins to grow – and when it’s mixed with flour and other
ingredients, it continues to grow – it increases in size. God’s realm is not
something which can be seen with the eye – but that it is the role of all of us
to encourage the world to grow into something better, something which feeds and
strengthens. Spiritual bread working within the lives of individuals, and
through them influencing the world. Christianity has often been too
optimistic about what the church can accomplish, and we have assumed that we are
to make the world into a Utopia of peace and prosperity. That is indeed
our vision – or we believe it is God’s vision for the world – then we also
recognise that tiny seeds are planted in many places, not just ours; that there
are many kinds of bread raised with yeast. We do not have the exclusive
responsibility for all that is to be done.
Jesus did not talk about an acorn becoming a
giant oak tree, or a seed becoming one of the great cedars of Lebanon, even
though his listeners would have understood. Instead, it is a tiny seed
that becomes a common shrub, something we might consider a weed. The dough
is affected by the yeast, which makes it different than it was before. The
vision is a world without war, but in practical terms binding the wounds of one
victim is what we can do; the vision is for a world where everyone has enough
food, but perhaps all we can do is ensure those around us have enough; the vision
is a world without ignorance, but teaching one person to read and think is a
start. We may think of them as not very significant things, but we are
teaching and living hope – and that is not insignificant at all.
What about “the realm is like
treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he
goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." Now, this might
sound strange to us, but such things were not unknown in Palestine. All
through its history the area was subject to invasions. Banks and deposit
boxes were pretty well unknown. In the case of an invasion, people would
often bury coins in a field somewhere, intending to come back and dig them up
when it was safe. The person might be alright or might be captured or even
killed and not be able to get the money. And perhaps decades later a farmer
might accidentally unearth the treasure and decide he had to own that field.
The point here is not ethics, but of the joy of discovering something special
in a stressed or mundane life, which is as significant as a great treasure.
The last parable says “the realm is
like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value,
he went and sold all that he had and bought it." , I interpret this
to mean that people of faith commit to
the realm because of the joy that comes from being part of it.
Here’s an example of how tiny things
can produce far more fruit than we might expect. By age 29, Millard Fuller was
a millionaire with a huge estate, a vacation retreat, two speedboats, a luxury
automobile, and shares in three cattle ranches. His wife left him, taking
their two small children. She commented that she had no husband, that all
he thought about was making money. The
shock pushed him to reflect on his life. He had planned to have ten
million by the time he was 39. When his wife left him, he realised what his so-called
"success" had cost. He asked for a reconciliation – and together
visited "Koinonia Farms" near Americus, Georgia. At the end of a
month, building homes for the poor, they had found a purpose.
They sold most of their possessions;
they decided to found a mission, and called it "Habitat for Humanity." Little
by little it grew; but Habitat could not have built itself – it started from a
tiny seed of an idea, and two people who saw how a vision might grow. Habitat has
now built homes in more than 25 nations around the world – but it has worked
because seeds were planted and grew in others, and the seed was scattered far
and wide. Not only Christians work for Habitat, but people of all faiths, who
have recognised what the Realm means.
The Realm of God starts out small,
but its influence grows; we find it in the ordinary things. For Jesus the realm
is always ‘at hand’, about to come, in the here and now, whenever a tiny seed
is planted. The realm is right here, in this church, in what we do together, in
how we relate to each other, in how we look at the world. Tiny seeds, which
have enormous potential. May it be so.
Sources:
1.
‘A Higher Loyalty’ Matthew 13:31-33,
44-52 By Dr. David Rogne
2.
‘The Realm is Like..’ preached July 2014
Rev. Fran Ota
No comments:
Post a Comment