“What is the kingdom of God like?" Luke 13:18-20

“What is the kingdom of God like?" Luke 13:18-20

　

Let us pray.

 

God the Father of Lord Jesus Christ, today we will learn from a parable which Jesus told. These two parables are short, but they tell us something very important.  Let us hear your words.  I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

　

Jesus often speaks in parables.

The parables that Jesus told are stories - Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), Story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-36), and the story of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16).

Some are long and some are short.  Today’s parable is a short one. It is a metaphor.

 

Jesus used metaphors to teach the kingdom of God, "What is the kingdom of God like?"

 

The "Kingdom of God" is referred to as the "Kingdom of Heaven" in Matthew. Both have the same meaning.  In the Japanese bible (old) it is translated as "heaven."  In the new Bible version, it is translated as "the kingdom of God."  When you hear the word “heaven,” you may have an image of a place where the deceased go.

 

However, the "Kingdom of God" this time does not mean a specific place.  It means dominion.

It is used in the sense which does not refer to a specific place, but to a place where God rules.

 

Jesus uses metaphors to show how God's rule.

 

"God's reign is like a mustard seed. A man takes it and sows it in his garden, and it grows into a tree, and the birds build their nests in its branches."

"God's reign is like yeast. A woman takes it and mixes it with 60 pounds of flour, and the whole thing rises."

 

Mustard seeds are so small but they grow and become large trees. Its branches grow large enough for the birds to build their nests.

 

When yeast is added and mixed when baking bread, it ferments and makes the flour to rise. Yeast is essential in making delicious, fluffy bread.

 

Both mustard seed and yeast are small, but leads to bigger products.  These two parables of Jesus are short and are easy to understand.

 

What the two parables have in common is that the kingdom of God is small at the beginning but will grow.

When it grows, it means that there are people who will rejoice and the whole thing swells . . . mustard seed becomes a big tree, yeast mixed with flour becomes a delicious bread

 

What is the difference between the two parables?

A mustard seed grows into a tree and yeast helps the bread to rise.

 

When thinking of the mustard seed, I think it is our work of preaching the gospel will grow through our church.  As it grows, worshipers will gather.  Through the church, God's rule and work will grow, around

your house and your community.  You are sowing the mustard seed, the seed of the gospel.

 

In the Corinthian church, there were two groups: the Pauline sect supported Paul, and the Apollo sect supported Apollos.  Factions were formed. Because neither Apollos nor Paul was involved in the conflict within the church, both Apollos and Paul were rather embarrassed.

Paul wrote about this in his letter to Corinth.

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ” (1 Corinthians 3:6,7)

 

God is the one who makes things to grow.  The kingdom of God is grown by God Himself.

 

Now let's talk about yeast next.  When thinking about yeast, I started to think about "Funabashi Flood Control Group" that we, Funabashi Church have been involved recently.

 

My encounter with this group was pure coincidence. . .

One day, they decided to rent a room at the martial arts center near the church to hold a study session in regards to flood related dangers due to the urban development of the upstream area of Ebigawa (Ebi river).  A former university professor who is an expert was going to make the presentation and they needed a projector which was unavailable on that day. They immediately asked me if they could borrow the church’s projector. Egawa-san was one of the members of this group so I gave the permission. 

 

Worried that they might not be able to operate the church’s projector, Matsuzaki-san and I also joined this presentation as a back-up operator.  After all, the professor did not use the projector at all, but we encounter something we didn’t imagine.

 

Until this lecture, I never knew about Funabashi City's "Funabashi Medical Town Concept". In the lecture, I learned the danger of a serious human disaster if the project proceeded as planned. 

 

Heavy rains due to global warming are increasing. If this "Funabashi Medical Town Concept" proceeds as planned, the risk of major flooding will increase, threatening the lives of residents.  As life is given to us by God, I also attended the city's briefing session, informed the church members to understand this movement, cooperate with the signature campaign, and lend out the church's facilities (meeting rooms). 

Recently, the hall was used as a press conference.

 

This campaign is not to preach the gospel of Christ. But I think we can assist like yeast to spread to foresee the danger.  One can’t see yeast, but it is there and the bread swells. I believe this is in accordance to the will of the Lord.

 

Jesus teaches us to pray.

"Thy kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)

This is the archetype of what we call the "Lord's Prayer."

Mustard seed and yeast have one more thing in common…  In both cases, we have to take the first step.

 

As for the mustard seed, it is said that a man takes it and sows it in his garden.

As for the yeast, is it mixed with 60 pounds of flour.

 

Unless someone sows the mustard seed or mixes yeast, nothing happens.

If you sow the mustard seed, if you mix the yeast, God's reign will flourish.

We believe the parables of the Lord Jesus.

 

Let us pray.

 

God the Father of Jesus Christ, as we gather, as we take the mustard seed and sow it in our garden, let us take the seed of your gospel and sow it.  As we take the yeast and mix, let us mix our gospel.

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen