How the Kingdom Succeeds

Prayer

Heavenly Father, the entrance of Your Word gives light!

We ask that You will shine the light of Your Word into our hearts,

so that it may be reflected in our lives and illuminate the world around us.

Amen

Introduction

Jesus often used parables in his open-air sermons. They are the commentary of the common man. Expressing deep spiritual truths in every day language.

There are parables in the Old and the New Testament, and hundreds of rabbinic parables not found in the Bible. The parable is a Hebrew literary form that draws upon Old Testament themes.

Jewish society in the land of Israel was largely agricultural. Life was measured by the rhythms of the seasons, and the requirements of an agricultural economy.

Nowadays the examples used by Jesus often need explaining before we can unpack their application. But in the world where Jesus lived they were everyday realities.

The two parables that we are looking at today relate to well known Old Testament concepts: 1) the Kingdom of God/Heaven, and 2) the theme that the God of Israel often works through those who might otherwise be ignored, the people reckoned by others to be of no consequence.

The Kingdom in the OT

The idea of the Kingdom of God is prominent in both Judaism and Christianity. Lets take a brief look at the Kingdom of God as it is presented in the Old Testament.

The concept of the Kingdom of God begins with Moses. Although Moses had been brought up as a prince in Egypt, and led the people of Israel, he is not presented as their king. Moses is God’s prophet and his representative.

Israel was a powerless minority that was led out of Egypt by the Spirit of God. The redemption of the people of God came at Passover time. They were no longer slaves to the pagan rulers of Egypt, but were ruled by God. God is often presented in the Old Testament as the King of his people.

It is not until the time of the prophet Samuel that the people of Israel request a human king like other nations. Then God says to Samuel they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me (1 Samuel 8:7). Samuel had been judging Israel but his role would be absorbed by the kings that followed.

In the time of king Solomon, Jerusalem became the home of two palaces. One for the human king, and the other, which we call the Temple, was for God.

According to some Jewish teachers, anyone who says the שמע Shema prayer has taken upon themselves the yoke of the kingdom. In other words, God’s Kingdom is present wherever God’s subjects can be found.

The Kingdom in the NT

In the New Testament the concept of the Kingdom of God was taught by Jesus, the Prophet like Moses. Although the New Testament tells us that Jesus was from the royal line of David, yet he did not rule over Israel, and did not seek to do so.

His followers were a small and powerless band. Their redemption came at Passover time. As a consequence of Jesus’ redemptive work they were no longer slaves to sin, but servants of God. God presides over his expanded spiritual kingdom as Lord and King.

Believers receive the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead them into truth. As many as are led by the Spirit are the children of God (Romans 8:14). Anyone who truly repents and believes in Jesus can become a member of God’s Kingdom.

Christian Kingdom theology did not develop in a vacuum but is in many ways a reinterpretation and reapplication of that which preceded it. Jesus and his apostles shed new light upon old truths.

Jesus said to the Pharisees “the Kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17:20-21). Perhaps he said this meaning himself, perhaps he meant his disciples, or perhaps he meant the Pharisees with whom he was conversing. The speculation regarding this saying must have been interesting.

The Kingdom of God is within you, and Jesus is among us by the presence of his Holy Spirit Matthew 18:20).

The Parable of the Growing Seed

Mark 4:26–29 NIV

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

Growth in the Kingdom of God is like growth from seed on a farm. You need good seed, and you need to play your part by sowing, but ultimately the process of growth is out of your control. If you plant the seed and tend it, then there is a good chance that the harvest will come and the seed will produce increase.

The focus of this short story is upon the seed of the Kingdom not the one who plants it.

There is an element of mystery about the process of germination and growth. But, in accordance with its nature, given the right conditions, the seed will produce growth.

There is also a sense of inevitability to this story. If the sower plays his part, then God will play his.

There is an element of this story that is entirely beyond human control, and an element which is dependent upon human involvement. There is an element that is fairly predictable, but there are also aspects of cultivation that are difficult to predict.

It reminds us that it is our job to plant the seed but only God can make it grow. This is beyond our power. I am sure that we are all aware that some things are best left in God’s hands.

Some commentators suggest that this parable is about the inevitability of growth. So Jesus could be saying to his audience, “no matter how you respond, the kingdom will continue to grow”. But you can make your own mind up about that idea.

I guess that parables speak to different people in different ways, but like all parables they are meant to spark thought and discussion.

Parables normally pull in at least two different directions. Some people will focus upon the importance of the seed, and others might focus upon the activity of the sower.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

Mark 4:30–34 NIV

Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

This parable resembles the old saying about mighty oaks coming from little acorns.

The mustard seed was a well known emblem of smallness within the Jewish tradition.

The image of a tree, in which birds can nest, is reminiscent of the books of Daniel (4:9-37) and Ezekiel (17:22-24).

In both of Jesus’ parables we have the image of something large coming from something small. In the first instance it is a harvest and in the second it is a garden shrub that is as tall as a tree.

In both parables we also have an image of death and resurrection. An image of life coming from death. The seed falls to the ground and is buried, then it produces new life. So it is with the Kingdom of God.

The theme of God working through the small, the powerless, and the insignificant is prominent throughout the Bible. It features in the parables of Jesus and in the teaching of the apostles.

In a world that often mistakes fame and fortune for importance and value, these parables come as timely reminders that God is not limited by such considerations.

We are going to look at some examples of the principle that God can work through the humble, the powerless, and the insignificant as we consider the stories of Gideon, Saul, and David.

Gideon - Defender of Israel

When the angel of the Lord spoke to Gideon and told him that he was going to deliver Israel from the power of Midian, he replied that he was from the most insignificant clan in Manasseh. But the Lord said “I will be with you”.

Gideon summoned an army and asked God to give to him signs, the sign of the damp fleece and that of the dry fleece, and God gave them to him.

When Gideon had a big enough army, he thought that he was ready to go. But God said, “Hold on you are not ready yet. Your army is too big!” So Gideon had to slim down his army to a troop of 300 men before he was ready to deliver Israel.

The reason being that it was important that all Israel knew that deliverance came from God. The story goes that by the 300 men of Israel the opposing armies of Midian were scattered (Judges 6-7) because Gideon listened to God.

Kings of Israel: Saul and David

When the prophet Samuel came to Saul it must have been overwhelming for him. Samuel was a prophet and the judge over all Israel, but who was Saul?

Samuel told him that he had been chosen by God to rule over Israel then -

1 Samuel 9:21 NIV

Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”

But when Saul became king, he forgot himself and took upon himself tasks which God had not called him to do, and so he was rejected by God and replaced.

The Lord sent Samuel to find David, the one who would be king in place of Saul. God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to select one of his sons as the new king. Jesse asked seven of his sons to pass before Samuel, but the Lord had not chosen any of them -

1 Samuel 16:11–13 NIV

So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

Later on in the story, David, the young shepherd, went up against the Philistine champion who was an experienced soldier, who was fully armed and armoured, and David defeated him with a sling and a stone that was lying on the ground (1 Samuel 17).

God did not need a grand display or a famous face. What he needed was a man after his own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).

What Does All this Mean to Me?

Jesus told these parables of the Kingdom at a time when the power of the Roman Empire prevailed, and it appeared to be unstoppable.

Popular opinion asserted that the only way to deal with the brutal military power of Rome was to meet it with an equally brutal military force.

But Jesus had another way. He tells people that the Kingdom of God needs human participation, but is not dependent upon human power.

It starts off small, even vulnerable, almost invisible, but gradually grows to huge proportions (WBC 34), so that all the nations can shelter together under its banner.

I guess that all of us have felt small and inconsequential at one time or another. But this is not a bad thing, because the battle belongs to the Lord (1 Samuel 17:47).

The Early Church was a small sect of a minority religion within a vast empire that held it in contempt. And yet the tiny Early Church carried with it the seeds of something great that would eventually change the world forever.

Don’t despise the day of small things, for it is at such times that the power of God is most clearly seen (Zechariah 4:10; Micah 5:2).

The Lord works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform.

“Oh Lord, may your Kingdom come, and your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever, AMEN!”