In Matthew's gospel, Jesus is born, his family flees to Egypt, he returns to Nazareth, is baptized by John, spends 40 days in the wilderness, moves to Capernaum, and then begins his public ministry. The first words of his ministry are the same words that John proclaimed: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. Now, hold onto that for a bit.
We are still in Chapter 13, which means we continue to get kingdom parables from Jesus. Today we get five of them in quick succession – the mustard seed, yeast mixed with flour, a treasure found, a pearl of great value, and a catch of fish. Now . . . I could break down each parable with explanations and meanings, but none of us want an hour-long sermon.
As I mentioned, both Jesus and John say that the kingdom of heaven is near. And this idea of the nearness of the kingdom of heaven is prominent in Matthew. In a number of ways and contexts, the word “kingdom” appears in Matthew more than any other gospel. And in a quick, very unscientific look through Matthew, I counted about 16 times that Jesus was specifically talking about the kingdom of heaven. For Matthew's Jesus, the kingdom of heaven isn't some pie-in-the-sky dream or post-death fantasy. For Matthew's Jesus, the kingdom of heaven is near NOW. It is within our grasp NOW. It is something to be worked for and expected NOW. Luke is the other gospel that has a lot of kingdom references, and between the two there are almost 100 references to the kingdom. Not coincidentally, it's in these two gospels where we find the Lord's Prayer in which we pray, “Your kingdom come.”
We all know the two versions are not identical, and Matthew adds, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” That's another reference for working toward the establishment of the kingdom of heaven in the here and now, not in some distant, future fantasy world.
These five kingdom parables, and the ones from the previous two weeks, aren't about a future kingdom, but are designed to get us thinking about the kingdom in the here and now. They are designed to get us to look for and help usher in the kingdom of heaven NOW. And in looking for the kingdom in the here and now, these five parables point to something big – the kingdom of heaven – coming from something small.
The small mustard seed represents the small beginnings of the kingdom that grows into something so large that many birds (i.e., people) make nests in its branches. Think about Abraham and Sarah, two people who were the mustard seed of all the people of Israel. Think about the twelve apostles, that small group of men who, when mixed with the flour of Israel, made a change so profound that it became the Church. Think about St. Francis whose search for meaning and inner peace led him to find the pearl of great price that was monastic orders and leading the restoration of both Church and chapels.
The kingdom of heaven is like something that begins small but disrupts the world as we know it. That's the way God always works. God doesn't do big, grandiose things to prove his existence or to make people believe. I remember reading a story years ago where God got tired of being ignored, so started doing very public things to get people to pay attention – like lowering Australia 20 feet for five minutes. But that's not how God works, as much as we may want that.
God calls Abraham to follow. Jesus calls twelve men to follow. People are sent out to proclaim the kingdom of heaven has come near. That small thing that is planted in here – in each of us and in this congregation – has the potential to do great things one person at a time.
It's like the old Faberge shampoo commercial where a woman tells two friends and she tells two friends and so on and so on and so on. We aren't here to conquer the world, despite what some Christians think. We are here to make the kingdom of heaven known and present in the here and now, one person at a time. We are here to plant that small seed in hopes it will grow into something grand and/or make a lasting change.
I leave for clergy conference next week and the bishop has us reading a book by Richard Rohr, a Roman Catholic priest and Franciscan friar. In that book Rohr writes, “The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the good.” This gets at what Jesus is saying in these parables. The kingdom of heaven is a good, small practice that will ultimately overthrow the bad.
It was Gandhi who said, “Every revolution begins with a single act of defiance.” Whether that is Rosa Parks not moving, a church feeding the hungry, a member of the dominant class speaking up for minorities – respecting the dignity of every human being begins with you. And that tiny seed or bit of yeast has the power to change lives and help usher in the kingdom of heaven in the here and now.
And speaking of revolutions, these parables remind me of the old Star Trek episode Mirror, Mirror. In that episode, Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura are transported to a mirror universe where diplomacy is replaced by war, everything is done for a price, and promotions are attained by murdering your superior. At the end of the episode, just before they are transported back to their own universe, Kirk tells mirror Spock that he can change the trajectory of the empire. Spock says, “One man cannot summon the future.” And Kirk replies, “But one man can change the present. Be that man, Spock.”
These are the small seeds of loving your neighbor. This is the yeast that disrupts systems of oppression and inequality helping to create the bread of heaven for all to eat. This is the pearl of great price that we search for in every person. These are the small acts of the kingdom that make it known in the here and now.
I began by reminding you of Jesus' first words in his public ministry: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.
Sin, remember, is the seeking of our own will instead of the will of God. To repent means to turn from our selfish ways and desires back to God. Our repentance, if it is honest and done with a true desire to change paths and get right with God, will sow the seeds of change. That change in us can lead to sowing seeds of the kingdom in others, which can lead to God's kingdom arriving on earth as it is in heaven.
In all of these parables we are shown that if we expect the kingdom of heaven to appear with power suddenly overthrowing “the bad people,” we will miss it. Instead, the kingdom of heaven appears in very small ways that will eventually grow and disrupt the world for the better.
Be the seed that starts something big. Be the yeast that disrupts the status quo in favor of God's ways. Search for the pearl of great price in others. Start small and then watch how it grows into the magnificent kingdom of heaven in the here and now.
Amen.
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