Seed Pearls

Wars have been fought over differences seemingly smaller than the contrasts we see between the five parables in this passage from Matthew’s gospel. There were riots in the streets of Constantinople during the 4th century over whether Jesus was of “like” substance with the father or “the same” substance with the father. In Greek the difference is one of only a single letter. Martin Luther and John Calvin fell out over the exact nature of Christ’s presence in the sacrament of Communion, both quoting Scripture to support their understanding. Today many denominations dismiss or accept one another on the basis of women’s ordination - both, again, quoting Bible verses which support these widely divergent views. My old boss at the Pillsbury Company, the one who opened my eyes to the intellectual validity and moral power of Christianity, cut me off his Christmas card list after my ordination. Some people have rejected the authority of Scripture altogether on the basis of discrepancies between one account and another of the same event - whether it’s creation itself, or David’s first meeting with King Saul, or the exact details of Jesus’ birth.

What on earth do we do with these differences?

Well, obviously I can’t deal with each one of them. But there are three basic principles that are helpful whenever we come upon what appear to be contradictions. One, don’t deny that they are there. Two, don’t ignore them: everything in Scripture is there for a purpose. And three, remember that Scripture rewards the most intense scrutiny - if the Holy Spirit is invited to be your companion and tutor.

Well, are the differences between these parables really that important? Perhaps not. As far as I know, no-one has ever killed anyone over them. But I think the fact that Jesus chose so many ways to describe the kingdom of God tells us as much about what that kingdom is than each description by itself.

A mustard seed. A bit of yeast. A hidden treasure. An businessman. A fishing net. What’s going on here?

The first two are really fairly similar, at first glance. The mustard seed, which is very small, when planted becomes very large. The image of yeast is also one of growth, of spreading, of gaining influence beyond its original quite modest appearance.

So the idea is, isn’t it, that the kingdom of God grows out of very humble beginnings, that God works secretly with our small contributions to make extraordinary things happen. He takes a single faithful act - like the refusal of one woman or man to bow to Ba’al or to Pharoah or to Caesar or to Communism or to segregation - and nations can fall from the ripples that spread from that single act. Nothing has fallen yet as a result of what happened two months ago in Silver Spring, Maryland, but it made headlines all over the country. After a fellow student objected, and the attorney general agreed that prayer, even by a student, violated the Constitution, graduating senior Julie Schenk’s plan to deliver an invocation at the graduation ceremony was turned into a 30-second moment of silence instead. Into the middle of that silence a man in the crowd began to recite The Lord’s Prayer aloud; virtually the entire 4,000 member audience, including many students, joined in.

So yes, great things coming from small beginnings is certainly characteristic of the kingdom of God. After all, who would have expected that a baby born in a stable would be worshiped and followed all over the world?

The other piece of it is that the seed has to be planted, and the yeast has to be added to the dough. God doesn’t do it all by himself. Even the smallest action taken on God’s behalf and in Jesus’ name will have repercussions far beyond what we can imagine. And our inaction is equally significant. Like the yeast, which usually symbolizes corruption, actions taken and words spoken which do not honor God - or which ignore or omit God - can corrupt society as surely as godly behavior can preserve it.

But what about the treasure? The “treasure hidden in a field which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” How is a mustard seed a treasure?

Well, that’s not such a big leap, either, is it. It just takes us to the next step. That parable reminds us that the full flowering of the kingdom of God is still hidden from us, even though truly present. Jesus tells us to focus on the future, the promised inheritance, and urges us to cash in all our other assets to get in on the ground floor - even though to the unseeing eye what we take home with our purchase has no more value than a mustard seed or a bit of yeast. It’s not a glamour stock, so to speak.