Kingdom of God, also called Kingdom Of Heaven, in Christianity, the spiritual realm over which God reigns as king, or the fulfillment on Earth of God's will.
How does one explain the unexplainable, describe the indescribable, or comprehend the incomprehensible? Such was the challenge facing Jesus as he attempted to paint a picture of the Kingdom of Heaven for us. So Jesus explained by telling parables, earthly stories with heavenly meanings. Jesus said it might be: the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, a little bit of leaven, a treasure hidden in the field, a pearl of great price, a dragnet of fish. Let those who have ears to hear spiritual things be alert to these little metaphors of Jesus. Today, let us meditate on what the Kingdom of Heaven is like!
I. The Kingdom of Heaven is SMALL - Like a Mustard Seed.
The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. -Matthew 13:31-32
Jesus uses a lot of farming metaphors. The Last Adam had the imagination of the First Adam, a gardener. It could be simply because Jesus grew up in a farming community. The Galilee was filled with fertile farmland. A seed which, when planted, grows to be the largest of garden plants, large enough for birds of the air to rest in its branches.
In Jesus’ parables for today, we hear two important messages. One—that for God’s seed to be planted deeply within your heart, your heart must be "good soil." "Eyes to see and ears to hear" is the way Jesus puts it. The seed of God’s Word would be planted within God’s people, and would henceforth be passed down through generations as fruit-bearing, and re-seeding—what we might call generational evangelism! The Second Adam came to the world as a seed of a woman to save us. And Genesis 3:15, tells us, And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
The images of the "seed and ground" and the image of the "garden" are metaphors for the many hearts that are planted together in community. They are the primal images of the scriptures. And Jesus is using these images, especially dear to the hearts of farmers, in order to tell his stories that remind people how important it is to be in a relationship—in a close and intimate relationship—with God.
Then, secondly—Jesus uses the parables of the growing plant and of the mustard seed to tell us that once a seed of God’s kingdom is planted, it grows so fast, you turn around, and it’s the largest plant in the garden! Look at the big tree of mustard.
Mustard seeds are small, even smaller than the sand of the sea. Mustard trees are tall enough to give birds shade on hot, stuffy days. The Kingdom of Heaven, the rule of God, the new order of a better world, that is now but not yet, here but still to come, present but not complete, is small like a mustard seed but offers us a place of shade and rest on a hot, sul-try day.
We who worship big buildings, big stores, big stadiums, big churches, believe that "bigger is always better," whereas we want to pay attention to the parable about the power of a tiny mustard seed.
C.S. Lewis says, "The best thing about Christianity is that nobody could have guessed it." We have our Messiah born in a stable. We have our king ride into town on a donkey. We crucify our Lord on a cross. We converted the world with a handful of fishermen and a couple of tax collectors. How odd of God not to use our methods of promoting the Gospel.
Never let us underestimate the little things. In a seed lies a mustard tree, where all kinds of birds can find rest for their souls. Jesus himself said,"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there' and it will move. For nothing is impossible with God "(Matthew 17:20). Let those who have ears to hear, hear!
II. The Kingdom of Heaven is SILENT - Like Leaven in Bread.
The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened. - Matthew 13:33.
There is a story in Los Angeles about a baker who made the best pumpernickel bread in the city. No one could copy it, because his starter was unique. He used to lock the starter in a safe each night to protect it – because all you needed to do to copy the taste of his bread was to get some of his starter. The other ingredients you could figure out. What you couldn't do is copy the exact makeup of his starter.
Jesus' parable of the leaven, combined with the parable of the mustard seed, makes a simple, powerful point. From small, a tiny seed, an insignificant lump of leaven, can generate tremendous transformation. These changes are not simply cosmetic; they are organic. Bread is something different than flour.
Likewise the leavened community of faith, a community changed by the complete mixing of a spiritual leavening agent, is no longer just a geographic entity. It becomes a genuine incarnation of the kingdom of heaven.
Leaven that a woman mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough. Leaven or yeast, does its work silently. A small amount of leaven placed in dough makes the whole loaf rise. It is not with swords loud clashing, nor the roll of exciting, thrilling drums, but with those silent deeds of love and mercy, that the heavenly kingdom comes. How silently God is at work in the world.
Jesus said, And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly -Matthew 6:5-6. How silently, how secretly the Kingdom of God is given. And in our noisy world we would be smart to listen. Let those who have ears to hear, hear!
III. The Kingdom of Heaven is SURPRISING, - Like a Buried Treasure
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. - Matthew 13:44
Thirdly, he said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field.In other words the kingdom is like a lot of loot stored away somewhere. The illustration about the Kingdom being a hidden treasure is a metaphor. It is a figure of speech using the word “like.” In his joy he went and sold all that he had and bought the field. In Jesus' day, the safest place to keep your money and your valuables was in the ground. You didn't put your treasures in a bank; you buried them in the earth. The only problem was that you had to remember exactly where you left them. One person's forgetfulness in this story becomes another person's fortune. It is not the luck of the plow but the wisdom of the farmer that is to be noted here. He sold all he had and bought this treasure that he found in the field. It came as a total surprise; plowing down and digging it out, and there is a box and it is full of treasure.
There are a lot of YouTube channels of Hidden treasure found. When we see that it would be more interesting and surprising for us. Have you seen that?
The Kingdom of Heaven, the greatest treasure on earth, may be closer than you think. You, who have ears to hear, hear!
IV. The Kingdom of Heaven is Priceless, - Like a Fine Pearl
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.- Matthew 13:45
Fourthly, Jesus said that heaven is like a merchant in search of pearls, and when he finally found it, he sold everything he had and bought it. The treasure for the farmer was a surprise. This time it is not a hidden treasure, which is found by accident but a pearl on sale in the marketplace.The pearl for the merchant was the end of a long search. He had dealt in pearls; he knew a good pearl from a bad pearl. He had searched all his life for that special pearl, the one that was more valuable, more important, that went beyond anything else he had ever seen. When he found it, he gave up everything he had to buy it.
His response? That’s the important part. His response tells us the meaning of Jesus’ parable. He sells everything he possesses in order to possess the pearl.
I like the ancient legend about the monk who found a precious stone, a precious jewel. A short time later, the monk met a traveler, who said he was hungry and asked the monk if he would share some of his food. When the monk opened his bag, the traveler saw the precious stone and, on an impulse, asked the monk if he could have it. Amazingly, the monk gave the traveler the stone.
The traveler departed quickly overjoyed with his new possession. However, a few days later, he came back, searching for the monk. He returned the stone to the monk and made a request: "Please give me something more valuable, more precious than this stone. Please give me the spirit which enabled you to give me this precious stone!" A commitment of the whole heart, that’s what heaven…the Kingdom of Heaven requires of its followers.
Jesus does not say the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl of great price. He says the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who finds a great deal on a flawless stone. That’s commitment to a greater cause. That’s sacrifice and hard work. That’s what heaven is like. Find the pearl of great price.
Will it be costly? Certainly! While you are counting the cost, consider the value. The merchant does not diversify his investments here. He sells all he has for that one priceless pearl. With all my heart I want to say, “It is worth it." You, who have ears to hear, hear!
V. The Kingdom of Heaven is MIXED,- Like a net of Fish.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. - Matthew 13:47
The problem with fishing is that you never know what you might catch. Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net, not the Internet, although there are some similarities, but a dragnet, let down in the water capable of dragging anything in its way to shore.
The Kingdom of God is mixed. It is not up to the fish to do the sorting. The angels do that at the end of the day. The dragnet brings in whatever it may, there is plenty of time for sorting at the close of the day. Let those who have ears to hear, hear!
It is the Kingdom, said Jesus; it is all about the Kingdom. It is small like a mustard seed, silent like leaven, a surprise like a treasure found in a field, and as priceless as a precious pearl. While it may be mixed down here, wait for it, watch for it, work for it. It is worth more than everything you have. Amen.
