The Kingdom Is Like …
Mustard Seeds and Yeast
May 12, 2019
Matthew 13:31-33 NIV
He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." 33 He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."
Both a mustard seed and yeast are small and seemingly insignificant.
Both are hidden— one in the dirt, the other in the dough.
Both slowly work in their context.
One expands outward, the other works inward.
One is expansive, the other invasive.
Think about the life of Jesus and how purposefully and methodically he moved.
He was hidden for 30 years,
He walked everywhere and never ran.
Jesus moved at 3 miles per hour for three years.
Yet there are also important differences, and the listener— or, in our case, reader— is meant to notice the differences by placing the two parables side by side:
If the Kingdom is indeed like Jesus, then we, the followers of Jesus, must make our peace with the Jesus Way.
No one can lose 20 pounds in a day. Eating the right foods in the right amounts will mean weight loss.
The Jesus Way is sometimes hidden and slow, unlikely and improbable.
“Go Big, Or Go Home” vs. “Slow and Steady Wins the Race”
The Kingdom operates in both realms.
Sometimes, we get miracles and immediate change.
Many times, we get purposeful progress.
Think back 10 years. Remember the cool, hip movements that seemed like they were going to change the world.
Most of them do not exist. What remains is the slow, steady movement of the local church.
Remember, when we thought Block Buster Video would always be around. Today, we are live streaming and most people under 30 have never seen a VHS tape.
Notice the two outcomes:
The mustard seed becomes a tree for the birds of the air.
The yeast provided enough bread for a crowd.
God may be moving slowly, but his finished work is bigger than anything we can do on our own.
The Table:
Philippians 3:8-10 NIV
“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection …”
