Jesus gives us a couple more examples to explain the Kingdom of Heaven. It seems to be a complex thing to convey so he uses different pictures or parables to help us understand. It’s not clear if the people listening understood. We know the disciples asked for clarification. Jesus wants us to think through it, too. The beauty of a parable should be rich and memorable.
So what do we know from these readings about the Kingdom of Heaven? That it is like a field of good seed being sown, that it is like a mustard seed, and like yeast. Now if that doesn’t make it clear as mud, I don’t know what else to say! If you have insights I haven’t thought of, please share in the comments! Let’s break each of them down just a little bit.
The Kingdom of Heaven was designed for everyone to be in harmony. The good seed was planted and a good harvest was expected. Then evil broke in and planted weeds among the good seeds. The farmer said to leave them be. It’s better to have the co-exist then to uproot them.
Jesus is warning us there will be “weeds” among us. In our world, in our neighborhoods, and even in our churches there will be “people who belong to the evil one.” Their judgment of destruction will come. If we understand that the Kingdom of Heaven has come with Jesus, we also know that Satan is standing by ready to pounce, disillusioning good people to walk away from God.
If the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed we can be sure that Jesus intends for it to grow bigger than we can imagine. It is God’s desire to have as many of us in the Kingdom with him as possible. Our faith will be a lot like that seed. It starts small, but as we learn and grow closer to Jesus it expands and has no limit, except the limit we impose.
I love bread, and yeast is a big part of that. I can almost imagine the aroma of baking bread as I write today. The smell of yeast breaking down as the bread rises is a special smell promising something delicious. If you’ve ever baked bread or worked with yeast, you know that “a little dab will do ya!” Again, the Kingdom of Heaven started small but its power permeates everything it touches. We can only hope that our ministries are filled with yeast-like growth.
So how does this speak to you today? Not everyone belongs to the Kingdom of Heaven. There are those who “belong to the evil one.” I don’t know about you, but I want to be one of the righteous ones, that is, one of those who belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”
Let’s pray. Lord, I have ears and I want to be listening for your voice. The world is shouting loudly. Help me to stand firm. Continue to grow my faith. Give me your eyes to distinguish between the wheat and the weeds around me. Protect me from the evil one who is doing his best to get to me. I stand on your truth and look forward to seeing how you are going to reveal yourself in my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
