Parables Of The Kingdom

The Parables of the Kingdom

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

The 13th Chapter of Matthew contains seven parables of Jesus which each begins with the words” The Kingdom of Heaven is like….” Two of these parables, the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the wheat and Tares were given separate treatment in the Lectionary. Todays text groups the remaining five, The Parable of the Mustard Seed, The Parable of the Leaven, The Parable of the Hidden Treasure, The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price, and The Parable of the Dragnet. There are some similarities between some of the parables as well as some differences. But as a whole, they together give us a picture of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us take a look into these five parables and try to discern what Jesus was teaching them, and us.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed takes a lesson from common experience. Unlike the mustard which gives flavor to meant and salads, the mustard tree was a common weed in Palestine. It was, therefore, considered a trash tree. This is unlike the Pearl of Great Price or the hidden treasure. No one would sell everything he had to buy a mustard tree. So why does Jesus tell the parable? At one level, one of the characteristics of the mustard was it’s tiny seeds. It is heard to believe that such a tiny sed could produce this large shrub which could give shelter to the great birds. One might summarize this with one of our proverbs: “Great things come from small beginnings. If this is followed here, it is an illustration of how the church would grow to great size by the work of the disciples and those who followed them. This will certainly preach. But I would like to bring out a little more in this parable. Although the mustard tree was useless to the Jews, it was quite useful for the birds. The birds built their nests there and raised their young. Generally speaking, most birds were unclean and useless to the Jews for food. The birds who nested in the mustard probably were. The Gentiles were likely held to be unclean as well. Could this be an allusion to the Gentiles coming to find rest in the tree. It was a different tree than the palms, figs, and olives which characterized Israel. But we are reminded that God told Peter to not call unclean that which God has cleansed. The inclusion of the Gentiles into the new Israel is a major theme in Matthew. Jews and Gentiles would be incorporated into a new tree.

The Parable of the Leaven has a twist in it as well. Leaven was often used as a metaphor for sin. One could use the action of leaven as a warning to not let little sins go unchecked, as they will become the gateway to greater sins. The Jews at Passover would carefully search for and remove all leaven in the house before the Feast of Unleavened Bread. They were directly commanded by God to do so in the Book of Exodus. But leaven was useful as well when taken in its normal sense. It made bread tastier and fluffy. The Jews certainly enjoyed their leavened bread for most of the year. Unleavened bread was dry and tough. The purpose of it was to remind Israel that life was once hard. At the Passover, they remembered the bondage of their ancestors, and it was the grace of God who had delivered them from Egyptian slavery. The leavened bread reminded them that they had to prepare to leave quickly on Passover Night. There was no time for the bread to rise. The bitter herbs reminded them of the bitterness of slavery as well. The rest of the year, the leavened bread was received with thanksgiving and joy. Life could be harsh, so the taste of warm bread was a treat.

Jesus uses leaven in a positive way in this parable. It mirrors the mustard seed in that yeast is tiny. Compared to three measures of bread, it was a small ingredient. Usually a little dough was left unbaked so the yeast culture could grow. A piece of this old batch of dough was added to the new dough. The bread would be thoroughly mixed so the yeast could do its work. Soon the entire batch of dough rose and was ready to be baked. Like the mustard seed, one can see that great things would come from small beginnings. What is added is that a little of the old would be mixed in with the new to produce the final result. It would be one lump of Jew and Gentile together. If one follows the Parable of the Wheat and Tares as well as the dragnet, the Kingdom of Heaven would come into its fullness at the end of the age.