SHARING BREAD
31 He told them another parable: “The
kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his
field. 32 Though
it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of
garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch
in its branches.”
33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Matt
13:31-33 (NIV)
In the first of the two parables presented here in our
verses for today, Jesus refers to the kingdom of heaven as a tiny mustard seed of
faith planted in the field of the fertile heart. Though the Gospel begins ever so small, its
progress and end will demonstrate a powerfully great increase as did the largest
tree in the garden which sprung from the smallest of seeds. The Gospel is commonly very weak and tiny in
its beginnings – the breaking of the Gospel light is as the dawning of the day. Young converts as small lambs are first “carried”
in His arms - close to His heart - as Isaiah so sweetly states:
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the
lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those
that have young. Isaiah 40:11 (NIV)
Yet faith is not to remain small in the heart rather like
the mustard seed it is to grow to greatness.
The seed itself is small yet within it carries the disposition to grow. Gracious habits confirmed and continued,
growing knowledge of the Master, increasing love and ardent zeal all point to
the seed sprouting and growing. Indeed,
Paul chastises the Corinthians for their lack of spiritual growth – they should
have been on meat concerning the Gospel yet remained as babes lapping down milk
– to their own harm:
1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as
worldly--mere infants in Christ. 2 I
gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you
are still not ready. 3 You
are still worldly. 1 Cor 3:1-3 (NIV)
Peter also adds the following for our enlightenment -
encouraging us to persevere in the faith and to grow up into all that God has
purposed in advance for us to be and do.
The goal of our faith - the salvation of our souls - is to grow up in
our salvation becoming ever more like the Master:
1 Therefore,
rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of
every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure
spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now
that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1
Peter 2:1-3 (NIV)
“The
Lord Jesus received is holiness begun, the Lord Jesus cherished is holiness
advancing, the Lord Jesus counted upon as never absent would be holiness
complete….He is most holy who has most of Christ within, and joys most fully in
the finished work. It is defective faith
which clogs the feet and causes many a fall.” Hudson Taylor
“The
first thing God requires of His child is obedience.” Charles H. Spurgeon
Next,
our Lord likens the kingdom of heaven to yeast mixed into much flour until it
permeated the dough. Most often in the
Bible yeast is compared to sin or of evil but in this instance Jesus uses it as
a positive symbol of growth and permeation.
He implies that just as the yeast has great impact on the flour –
transforming it – so too the kingdom of heaven should advance and permeate the
culture.
12 From the days of John the
Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and
forceful men lay hold of it. Matt
11:12 (NIV)
The original
disciples had no rule books on Discipleship 101 - they merely followed in Jesus’
footsteps with the indwelling power of His Holy Spirit and they turned their
world upside down – on foot by the way.
Nothing much has changed since these guys’ dusty sandals walked the
earth regarding the responsibilities of our faith – we are still called to walk
as Jesus walked in His power. We are to
be as cities on hills that cannot be hidden – lights that point others to the
Way, the Truth and the Life. So how are
we doing in this extraordinary endeavor?
Does it even cross our minds as we go out our very “daily” days? Are we more consumed with our own agendas rather
than Gods? We rob our own selves when we
willingly choose to disregard His purposes for why we are even here.
“God
wants us to be victors, not victims…..to overcome, not to be overwhelmed.”
William Arthur Ward
Live in
peace with each other. 14 And
we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the
weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make
sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each
other and to everyone else. 16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's
will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do
not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do
not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test
everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid
every kind of evil. 23 May
God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole
spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 The
one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 1
Thess 5:13-24 (NIV)
What I glean from this:
· Faith
begins small yet grows big.
· I am to
walk as Jesus walked.
· I am not
to hide the Light of Jesus by my words and deeds.
