The Growth of Christ's Kingdom
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Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”
20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Introduction
Introduction
Luke continues with his Gospel message, and includes for us at this point a particular section that speaks about kingdom expansion. This brief section, which includes two one-liner parables, marks the end of a section or train of thought in Luke’s Gospel narrative.
Now, we've seen that religious leaders have not been responding appropriately to Christ and who he claimed to be. The crowds have at least enjoyed the presence of Christ and the manner in which Christ was confronting the religious leaders.
But even with them, they didn’t have noble intentions in terms of their obedience to Christ. For the most part, they had selfish intentions. Their reasons for following Christ were in fact quite self-centered. In fact, it’s true to say that most of them would end up deserting Jesus....
Certainly we cannot think that this applied to everyone (on either side of the opinions chart) but there was a very real sense in which Christ was not really being followed by the majority of the crowds in terms of His true character and nature… the very Son of God.
But note that for the most part, those with the power to direct the religious affairs of that day were in opposition to Jesus.
Nonetheless, the reality was that this kingdom of God, with Christ as the Messiah and King, would continue to radically expand, despite the opposition faced. Despite the fact that the religious leaders were opposed to what was happening, and failed to respond appropriately to Jesus.
In this brief section, two parables are spoken by Jesus.
Each of them has to do with the growth of the kingdom of Christ.
There are some slightly different applications that we can take from each, but each is nonetheless important in terms of the expansion of the kingdom of Christ.
Each of these parables is introduced in a similar manner.
In verse 18...
18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?
And again in verse 20...
20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?
Christ poses this as a question to his audience in order to invite their consideration of the kingdom...
And what he really is going to do is to encourage them, as Luke seeks to encourage Theophilus to whom he wrote, with the fact that the kingdom is most certainly going to expand.
Let us then consider these two very short parables individually...
1. The Parable of the Mustard Seed (v.18-19)
1. The Parable of the Mustard Seed (v.18-19)
We are introduced to this parable in verse 18.
18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?
The very first word there in the NIV is “Then...” or in other translations, “therefore...” (ESV) or “So...” (NASB).
But the word used by Luke links what he is outlining here with the preceding paragraph.
In other words, there was something about the miracle that Jesus has just performed that led him to teach on the expansion of the kingdom. And there are things that could be said in terms of the link of his teaching here with the buildup to this point in general, and the previous encounter in particular.
(The previous encounter was Christ’s healing of a woman bent over).
Firstly (more generally) Christ was responding to opposition. It was the synagogue ruler that had opposed Jesus in light of him healing a woman on the Sabbath Day. This opposition would be continuous. This opposition is something that we’ve seen regularly as we’ve studied through Luke. And so that is the first possible point of connection.
Another point of connection, a little more specific to the healing of the crippled woman, is that the healing of a woman may have appeared to be something rather insignificant in terms of establishing a kingdom rule. If you’re going to establish a kingdom that is worth anything, especially in the day of the military power and might of Rome, it’s going to require a little more punch than healing individual people.
But either way, two things are clear. Christ was teaching the people that the kingdom rule that he was coming to establish was going to take place. And Luke is conveying a sense of hope and encouragement in the heart of Theophilus, and to all readers of the Gospel.
The question of Jesus in this verse is, “What is the Kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it?
The first picture is in verse 19...
19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”
It is like a mustard seed...
Now, Luke doesn't specifically emphasize the smallness of the mustard seed. If you had to read Matthew’s Gospel, or even Mark’s, you would note that they emphasize the fact that the mustard seed is smaller than all the other seeds. Luke doesn’t include that in his account, but we must keep in mind that for the people of that day, the mustard seed was proverbially small. So, the people of the day understood that it was that small.
But the more important point that is being made through the parable is the fact that when you plant a tree or something similar, the seed of that tree is extremely small when compared to what it will become.
Man threw into own garden...
According to the parable, Jesus portrays the action of a man who takes this mustard seed and throws it into the garden, to plant it.
One aspect to note about mustard is that it grew wild, and would itself spread extensively once planted. Pliny the Elder lived between the years 23 and 79, and he wrote a natural history… a mammoth work detailing all kinds of things concerning nature, plants, their uses, etc. He wrote concerning mustard:
“...it will grow without cultivation...on the other hand, it is extremely difficult to rid the soil of it when once sown there, the seed when it falls germinating immediately. (Pliny the Elder. (1855). The Natural History (J. Bostock, Ed.; p. 4197). Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street.)
And so, apart from the contrast that will be brought across in terms of the size of the seed compared to the size of the tree that it produces, there may be another element in the back of the minds of the hearers in terms of how this plant could spread, particularly when Jesus combines the parable with the parable of the yeast which follows.
But the greater emphasis here is on the eventual size of the mustard tree in comparison to the seed.
Grew and became a tree...
Jesus says in the parable that this tiny seed, when planted, went through its transformation and became a tree. What started out as something small, seemingly insignificant, ended up being that which was large and couldn’t be missed.
Now, just to ensure that our thinking is not taken too extreme… The tree itself usually (on average) didn’t grow much more than 2m high. It could reach to a little over 3m, but it wasn’t a massive tree like an oak, or the cedars of Lebanon…
Nonetheless, it became sufficiently large so that...
the Birds of the air nested...
The tree became big enough to have a wonderful impact on the birds of the air. They would be able to come and perch in the branches, and find shelter in the branches.
When Jesus speaks these words concerning the birds in the branches, he draws on similar pictures used elsewhere in Scripture. In various different places kingdoms are pictured as trees in order to demonstrate the positive effects that these trees will have in sustaining life, and proving to be valuable and beneficial.
We read something like this in the book of Daniel… in reference to Babylon and its greatness... Nebuchadnezzar had a dream...
12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.
21 with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air—
Essentially from that dream, Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar that he is the tree… by which he means the kingdom that is Babylon, represented by Nebuchadnezzar, is like this tree that provides cover, and provisions etc.
We find a similar idea in the book of Ezekiel...
22 “ ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.
And agan, in Ezekiel 31:6, God speaks about the Assyrian nation and its greatness, and speaking about this, we read...
6 All the birds of the air
nested in its boughs,
all the beasts of the field
gave birth under its branches;
all the great nations
lived in its shade.
The picture is clear from these various passages, that a great kingdom such as these - Babylon or Assyria - would provide a form of shelter, protection, and supply of needed resources for those that come under it’s protection.
Now, coming back to the words of Christ, we must note that the emphasis on Christ’s teaching here is that the kingdom of Christ, while presently small and seemingly insignificant, would expand to be of significant size and prove to be a great blessing to people.
Again, the important emphasis by Jesus in this parable is on the contrast of the present insignificance of the kingdom, as opposed to what it would eventually become.
With that in mind let us consider the second parable…
2. The Parable of the Leaven (vv.20-21)
2. The Parable of the Leaven (vv.20-21)
The second parable reinforces the first, but adds some additional considerations. Jesus begins in verse 20...
20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?
That is simply a restatement in contracted form of how he introduced the first parable.
But in verse 21 we read...
21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
It is like yeast...
The yeast that is spoken of here is not what we typically think of when yeast is mentioned. For us, yeast is something that is bought in little packets, and we pour a bit of this powder into our bread in order to make it rise.
In the day of Jesus, this was actually old, fermented dough. The new dough that the people would use for baking bread etc. was brought into contact with the old fermenting dough (also called sourdough) which would then initiate the fermentation process in this new dough.
Importantly, this fermentation process could not be seen. It was not a visible thing, but it was extremely effective at getting the job done that needed to be done. In fact, once the fermentation process had begun, it would not be able to be stopped.
Christ says that this kingdom of heaven is like this yeast / leaven...
“...which a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough...”
The NIV is a little vague here in terms of the volume. Luke’s original says that Jesus gave a measure here - 3 pecks. The unit of measure in that day - a peck - is equivalent to our 13 litres. So here would have been about 40 litres worth of flour, which the NIV simply says was a “large amount.” Indeed it was!
But the emphasis here is on the pervading effect that a small batch of fermented dough has on a significantly larger batch of unfermented dough. The spread of the fermentation through the batch is certain, and it is pervasive.
Kingdom Expansion in Scripture
Kingdom Expansion in Scripture
K.1. The Life of Christ
K.1. The Life of Christ
The immediate consideration in terms of the insignificance of the starting point, and the comparitive significance of the consequence / result in the kingdom is seen very clearly in the life of Jesus Christ.
Christ came into the world in the form of a servant…
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
He was born, not in a palace, but in a manger. A place where animals are kept and fed.
He was from a place of insignificance… Nazareth… can anything good come from Nazareth.
He did not come as a powerful ruler, but as a servant of people.
This was the beginning of the kingdom.
Consider the ocassion where the people wanted to come and make Jesus king by force…
14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.
Taking this a step further...
K.2. Growth in the Early Church
K.2. Growth in the Early Church
The early church was truly established through the work of 12 disciples that were hardly the epitome of kingdom reign.
But here is what is so important.... through this seemingly insignificant means, insiginficant people, Christ would continue to establish His kingdom rule in the world…
And the manner in which Jesus described the kingdom spread in these two parables would be perfectly demonstrated in what would follow in the New Testament teaching.
In particular, the work that God did through the Apostles is found in the book of Acts… The Spirit came down upon the people gathered in Jerusalem, and the Gospel truth concerning Jesus was proclaimed by Peter...
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Acts 2:47 (NIV84)
47 ..... And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Later on, because of the preaching of the Gospel, the disciples would face stiff opposition from the religious leaders. In Acts 4, we have the account of Peter and John being brought in before the Sanhedrin, the religious leaders, and confronted because they were causing a disturbance.
3 They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
A little further on, we find the Apostles performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.
12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.
There are a good number of other verses through Acts that bring across the expansive growth of the kingdom reign of Christ....
7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
1 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.
5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
What a profound thought, that this humble man named Jesus, who refused to take power by force through a military revolution (even though as the Creator God he had the power to do this) had his rule and reign extending powerfully in the hearts and lives of the people.
Just to take us back a step… I’m always fascinated by that account of the Jewish religious leaders that wanted to persecute these men, and actually wanted to put a complete stop to them.
Turn to Acts 5…
17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.”
And so, they did this. They went into the Temple courts, and were proclaiming the message of the kingdom.
But word got to the religious leaders, and they were puzzled and perturbed by this… The Captain was sent with his men to escort these disciples to their presence, and effectively the disciples were confronted because they didn’t want them preaching this Gospel...
There was an interaction, where the disciples said that they must obey God rather than man…
READ: Acts 5:33-39
33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
The reality was, that God was in control of these circumstances. Gamaliel gave wise advice to the religious leaders, because this was indeed a work of God.
And this is an important point of consideration…
K.3. Growth comes from God
K.3. Growth comes from God
The reason that the kingdom spread is so pervasive is that it is God that is truly at work in this matter. The Scriptures clearly indicate to us that the kingdom expansion in this world was a work of God Himself.
Paul makes this clear in his first letter to the Corinthian believers. The context of him writing there was that the Corinthians were all divided in terms of who they followed or supported. They would boast about their preferred leaders… And Paul rebukes them, and reminds them that essentially these leaders are nothing really… it’s God that is at work.
6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
When he writes to the Philippian believers, Paul encourages them by the fact that God is the one that will continue to do his work in their midst.
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is precisely because of these truths that the church has continued to expand and grow, and we see that expansion in our day.
Not only did the church expand
Application…
Application…
With this in mind, I want us to consider practical application, but focusing on what the Scriptures teach in terms of this Gospel progress and kingdom growth.
A.1. Kingdom Growth is a Given
A.1. Kingdom Growth is a Given
It is to be expected that the church will grow.
18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
This is found in Christ’s commission to His disciples...
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
It is seen in the picture in the book of Revelation…
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;
10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
Friends, we must anticipate the expansion of the kingdom of Christ.
What an encouragement!
Kingdom Growth flows out of the Exercise of Personal Responsibility
Kingdom Growth flows out of the Exercise of Personal Responsibility
But bringing that down a step, we need to consider that growth and expansion in the church is intricately linked to personal growth through discipleship.
Believers Should Put Away the Sinful Self
Believers Should Put Away the Sinful Self
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
Believers Should Grow in Faith
Believers Should Grow in Faith
1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Believers Should mature in Thinking
Believers Should mature in Thinking
20 Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Believers Must Work Together for the Building up of the Church
Believers Must Work Together for the Building up of the Church
11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.