Psalm of Praise: Psalms 128:1-2
Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.
You will eat the fruit of your labour; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
Bible Reading: Matthew 13:31-33
Jesus told them another parable:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.
Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants
and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches."
He told them still another parable:
"The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough."
A Reflection
Baking homemade bread, whether it is with a bread-maker or by hand, is fairly straight forward, but occasionally things can go wrong. Sometimes the bread might rise unevenly or even fail to rise at all. Maybe the yeast was no good. Or maybe I forgot to put it in!
Jesus used many parables to describe what the Kingdom of God is like; each one shines a light on a different aspect of the Kingdom, though I doubt any of them gives a full picture. Here Jesus likens to Kingdom of God both to a mustard seed that grew into an enormous plant and to yeast that permeated a large batch of dough.
Part of the reason Jesus taught using parables was to make people think and use their imagination. I wonder what these two parables say to you about God's kingdom.
To me they both speak of the far-reaching impact of the Christian gospel; a tiny seed continuing to grow beyond all proportion and to provide a place of refuge and safety for all, and a microscopic organism dividing, replicating and being worked into the whole batch of dough, causing it to rise, to have structure and to provide something that will nourish and sustain the hungry.
Like the small amount of yeast in the dough, it only takes a few people with influence a group of people for good. Thinking of the places or organisations that you are involved with; is there something you can do to have a positive influence for the Kingdom of God?
I also think there is a personal dynamic to these parables. As we follow Jesus, as we seek first his Kingdom, so the influence of the gospel will permeate through to the many different aspects of our lives. Not just church on Sunday, but also our relationships with family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues and the strangers we meet each day. And then there is the way we use our time and our skills, and the way we spend our money.
As we allow the kingdom of God to influence the different areas of our lives, so he will enhance and enliven them, just as the yeast enhances and enlivens the dough into which it is mixed.
A Prayer
Thank you, Lord Jesus, that your Kingdom continues to grow, may the principles of your kingdom influence the way I live my life today.
Amen
Your Kingdom come.