The kingdom grows...
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Intro
Intro
Good morning, so today we are going to be continuing our Parables series. We are on the second week specifically of the Kingdom Of Heaven portion. Jesus says ‘the kingdom of heaven is like’ _____________ insert something into this blank.
So, we know a few things going into today’s sermon:
Jesus talks about the kingdom of God a lot
Jesus uses parables to describe what the Kingdom of God is like in the here and now but, ultimately, of its future state
Jesus talks a lot about plants and sowing things…and things being reaped. This is weird for your average 21st century resident… we simply don’t spend a lot of time with soil under our finger nails.
Sidenote: here’s your Tolkien reference for the week. In his stories the character who is closest to the ‘earth’ and by earth I mean gardening and in the natural world is the ‘ideal’ character. For example, Sam Gamgee is the gardener but ultimately the quest to destroy the one ring would’ve failed if it wasn’t for Sam. Tom Bombadil is nature personified. So, all of this to say, Tolkien got it. Those who spend close proximity to creation will ultimately be close to it’s creator.
Technology as a ‘connector’
I had a professor who used to say that technology, be it used for evil or for good, was our attempt to gain something we lost in the garden of Eden. So, even the best this world has to offer is a shadow of the former glory that is the Garden of Eden. The Kingdom of God in its final, glorious states is where we are headed.
So… this brings us to today’s verses. We are going to be reading through 2
English Standard Version Chapter 13
31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 13
13:31 mustard seed A tiny seed that grows into a 10-foot-high shrub. The shrub grew along the shores of the Sea of Galilee and may have been immediately in view of Jesus’ hearers.
31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
Let’s pray.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 13
13:32 the smallest of all the seeds Refers to seeds planted by farmers in Galilee. Rabbis used the mustard seed as a proverbial object to denote the smallest possible amount or size of something. Compare Matt 17:20.
We are also going
I’m also going to steal Kevin’s thunder and take us through
Let’s pray.
The mustard seed was this proverbial object that denotes the smallest possible size of something…
We see this in after the disciples failed to cast out demons:
English Standard Version Chapter 17
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Jesus states that the smallest amount of true faith would allow you to do the most seemingly impossible things. The smallest amount of faith can overcome overwhelming obstacles. In the context of Jesus is illustrating how small the Kingdom of God initiation seems....but how enormous it will be.
Jesus anticipated the misconceptions people would have about the kind of redemption and the type of kingdom he was bringing upon them. What is the kingdom of God like? It is glorious, full of wonders, pomp and power, right? Jesus says, “No, it is more like a mustard seed.”
The son of God will come and everyone will love and adore him and lift him up right? No, they’ll crucify him for your sins and mine. This is the upside down Kingdom my friends. Humble beginnings.
So, the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that is planted and then it grows into this splendid tree! Well, for any of you plant nerds out there. Mustard seeds don’t grow into trees… they grow into mustard weed looking plants. They can get pretty tall but not these extravagant red wood trees. So why does Jesus use this exaggeration?
We can look at two verses from the Old Testament to help us out:
The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.
All the birds of the heavens
made their nests in its boughs;
under its branches all the beasts of the field
gave birth to their young,
and under its shadow
lived all great nations.
Jesus is tapping into some of this cosmic tree imagery. We often forget that Jesus knew his Bible. Jesus knew himself some Old Testament. This cosmic tree has deep roots and it connects heaven and earth. This was a beautiful picture of the Kingdom of God. A house for every bird and beast and human.
BUT this tree hasn’t reached its full height… the seed is still growing.
Note: I love the Bible Project and everything they do. One of the resources that i’ve taken several guys through is their study of Heaven and Earth. We typically talk about Heaven and Hell. The world also notes this subtle nuance of ours. The “opposite”—if you even want to use that word—of Heaven in Scripture is Earth. This doesn’t mean that Earth is hell… and that’s not what i’m saying but in Scripture Heaven and Earth are talked about these two domains that overlapped in the Garden of Eden and after sin, separation ensued. Heaven and earth became separate....God then set in motion a plan to reunite these two separated domains and the plan began and ended with Jesus Christ.
The tree then represents the the Kingdom that will become. The new heaven and the new Earth.
The people rejoice, saying, “He is doing glorious things.” Jesus says, “You are right, for my kingdom shall grow into the cosmic tree—the new creation of resurrection.” But this is where irony and mystery come in. It starts off as a mustard seed—a puny seed that sprouts into a weed—how is this the kingdom? This humble, unimpressive beginning is contrasted with the glorious and universal end—God’s new creation.
This my friends is the God we serve. The paradox. Life through death. First through last. Lead through serving. Lay it down to pick it up. It doesn’t always make sense when we follow God… but what does make sense is that his Kingdom will come on Earth as it is in heaven. The tree will continue to grow and one day he will crack the sky and every wrong will be righted.
So what does this mean for us sitting in this living room? Life is busy…and sometimes it feels like between home and work we aren’t “getting much done”—shoot I know I feel this way. Between home, the classroom, and the football field it feels like not much is happening… it feels like i’m not pushing much back of anything. But I get to have little conversations and I grow in boldness and I proclaim Jesus explicitly and implicitly…I see the Kingdom grow a little.
Genesis 15:
9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
Genesis
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 13
13:31–33 The next two parables in ch. 13 stress the inevitable growth of the kingdom of heaven, despite the resistance it faces. The parable of the mustard seed contrasts the seemingly insignificant inception of the kingdom of heaven, in the world and in a person’s life, with its momentous results.
9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
It was typical for this type of covenant for the parties who were making a pact or a covenant to walk through the split animals together. The jist is…you break the covenant and you end up like these animals. Now I want to draw our eyes to verse 12. In verse 12…we are told that a deep sleep fell on Abram. The Hebrew word for that is tardemah. It’s a divinely induced stupor....
In verse 12…we are told that a deep sleep fell on Abram. The Hebrew word for that is tardemah. It’s a divinely induced stupor
God walks through these animals alone (the fire pot and flaming torch).
So on days where:
I don’t feel like i’m doing enough for the Lord
I’m not too sure what my job description in the Kingdom of God looks like
I’m not 100% certain on what God is doing because my life looks a little crazy
My family is going through a struggle and I start to question His goodness
comes to mind. In God’s Kingdom expansion… In his work on the cross and his work in bringing this mustard seed kingdom and expanding it into a redwood i’m reminded of the fact that I never walked through those split animals. Jesus walked through them and, forgive the expression, ‘put the team on his back.’
I just get to relish in the fact that I am so loved that the Lord found it fitting to die for a wretch like me. Let’s pray.