The Kingdom of Heaven is like . . . .

18Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."
20Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." (Luke 13:18-21)

What does Jesus say the Kingdom of God is like? "It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches." This is how God is at work in the world!? Strange. A tiny tiny seed is planted then it grows into a tree big enough for birds to nest. It is a gardening image, you get the little seeds in May, spread them out, maybe water them, and do some weeding, but something amazing happens that, even those with a Masters in Biology still find amazing. The little dried seed becomes life, and life fosters new life in new seed, and participates in a larger ecological reality through relationship with others. Birds, bugs, worms, and of course people like us who eat the fruit and stuff of the plants.

What does Jesus say the Kingdom of God is like? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough. Yeast is placed amid all the flour. Hidden away amid the business of life, hidden perhaps by oppression whether in the home or outside, hopes crushed, plans gone astray, "the best intentions of mice and men", lives apparently wasted or over. Hidden amid oppressive and unjust systems at work or in government. Then God acts in secret, the yeast bubbling and warming and quietly expanding throughout the flour, changing it, converting it, until what is left is a table full of puffy, soft, and taste dough, ready to be bread shared with friends and others. An old reality is replaced by a new reality. The Kingdom of God is our new reality if we are open to its grace and blessings. God will change us into the best that we can be, despite our old reality.

Peace and love,

Sue






"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. " (1 John 4:9-10)