The kingdom of heaven is going to be gathering for an evaluation...

At the church where I serve, we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” During this series, we are spending our time together looking at a series of statements that Jesus made that are recorded for us in an account of His life that has been preserved in the New Testament of the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew.  During this series, we are discovering how Jesus described the kingdom of Heaven. During this series, we are discovering how one enters into the Kingdom of Heaven. During this series we are discovering how one should live as part of the kingdom of Heaven.

And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit, in our heads, hearts, and hands in such a way that we would live lives that reveal and bring the light and love of the kingdom of Heaven into the areas of influence we have been given.   This week, I would like for us to take a front row seat to an event from history where Jesus told a fishing story that reveals a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. So let’s take that front row seat to this event from history together, beginning in Matthew 13:47:

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.

Matthew begins to give us a front row seat to this event from history as Jesus is telling the disciples a parable about the kingdom of heaven. As we have been talking about through this series, a parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a dragnet cast into the sea.

Now a natural question that may have popped into your mind at this point is “what is a dragnet?” A dragnet was a type of net that the Jewish people would use to fish in the Sea of Galilee. The disciples, along with the large crowds that were listening to Jesus, were very familiar with a dragnet and with fishing, as it was one of the primary sources of food for the Jewish people who lived in this region.  

This net would be thrown into the sea by fishermen and then gathered back, either into a boat or dragged by the boat onto land. And as this dragnet was gathered back by the fisherman, whatever fish were in its path would be caught into the net and captured.

Jesus then explained that this dragnet would gather fish of every kind.  Scientists believe that there are between 20 and 24 different species of fish that lived in the Sea of Galilee, which is where the disciples and the large crowds that were listening to Jesus lived and fished. You see, a dragnet is indiscriminate; it simply gathers all the fish that are in its path. The fishermen would simply throw out the dragnet and then wait until they believed that it was sufficiently filled with fish. The net would not be pulled out prematurely, as that would allow some fish to escape the net’s grasp and would cause the fisherman to be less productive in their catch.

Now of these 20-24 different species of fish, there were several that would be considered “unclean”, as Jewish dietary laws permitted that only fish with fins and scales could be eaten. Also some fish that would be caught in the dragnet may have been too small or diseased to be kept to eat. Because of these realities, Jesus explained what every fisherman and disciple already knew: that after the dragnet was filled with fish and then gathered and dragged onto land, the fishermen needed to do some evaluating. The fishermen needed to evaluate and separate all of the fish that had been caught.

Jesus explained that these fishermen, like all good fishermen, would evaluate and gather all the good fish into containers.  As the fishermen went through the nets to separate the fish, the fish that were healthy and met the Jewish dietary standards as being “clean” would be placed into containers to be processed for food.

The bad fish, however, received a different fate. As the fishermen went through the nets to evaluate the fish, the fish that were unhealthy and unclean would be separated and removed from the clean fish and then thrown away to die. Matthew then continued to give us a front row seat to the event from history as Jesus, who wanted to make sure that the disciples and the large crowds listening understood the deeper spiritual meaning of this parable, provided that deeper meaning to them in Matthew 13:49-50. Let’s look at it together:

"So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus explained and applied this fishing scenario that the disciples would be very familiar with to the kingdom of heaven by saying that this process of gathering and evaluating will apply to the wicked and the righteous. Jesus explained that God, through the angels, will gather all of humanity to stand before Jesus at the end of God’s story here on earth.

And at the end of God’s story here on earth, when Jesus returns to usher in the kingdom of heaven is its fullest, all of humanity will be gathered and evaluated. Jesus then explained that the angels will take out the wicked from among the righteous. The phrase take out from among here literally means “to take out of the middle of the righteous”. When Jesus refers to the wicked, He is referring to those who rebelled and rejected the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven.

You see, Jesus wanted those listening to this parable to clearly understand that, just like the dragnet that remains in the sea until it is full of fish, those who reject the kingdom of heaven will coexist side by side with members of the kingdom of heaven until they are all gathered before Jesus at His second coming. At that time, the angels will separate those who have rebelled and rejected the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven from those who are members of the kingdom of heaven as a result of believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.

For those who have been evaluated and separated from the kingdom of heaven as a result of rebelling and rejecting the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven, Jesus explained that they will be thrown into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus is pointing to the harsh reality that those who rebel and reject the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven will be evaluated based on their rejection and be sent into eternal separation from the relationship with God that they were created for, but rejected, in hell. And in hell, Jesus states that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth by those who have rejected Him and His kingdom as a result of the punishment that they will experience for their selfishness and sin.

And in this parable, we see Jesus reveal and timeless and sobering truth about the kingdom of heaven. And that timeless and sobering truth is this: The kingdom of heaven is going to be gathering for an evaluation. The timeless reality is that at the end of God’s story here on earth, all of humanity will be gathered before Jesus. And at that gathering, an evaluation will be made based on this question: Do I know you? Are you a member of the kingdom of heaven?

For those who responded to the message of Jesus and the kingdom of Heaven by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader, they will be gathered together to participate as part of the kingdom of Heaven. However, for those who have selfishly rebelled and rejected the relationship with God that they were created for; for those who rebelled and rejected the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven, they will be separated out from those who are members of the kingdom of heaven and sent to a place where there is no return from, only judgment and punishment. Jesus then closes His conversation with the disciples with a question and a final parable. 

A question and a parable that we will look at on Friday…

The kingdom of heaven is a treasure worth investing everything for...

This week we have looked on as a man named Matthew gives us a front row seat to an event from history where Jesus told a story that reveals a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. Wednesday, we looked on as Matthew began to give us a front row seat to this event from history as Jesus is telling the crowds listening to him a parable about the kingdom of heaven. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a treasure that is hidden in the field.

Jesus told this parable to reveal the reality that Jesus calls for those who stumble upon His kingdom to genuinely embrace the kingdom of heaven, not just acknowledge its existence out of duty and pass by it as though it did not exist. Jesus point is that the kingdom of heaven calls for followers that must be willing to enthusiastically and joyously embrace the kingdom of heaven and be willing to give up whatever stands between them and the kingdom of heaven.

The point that Jesus is making to the crowds listening to this parable is that the kingdom of heaven is such a treasure that those who find it will be willing to invest all that they have in the surpassing greatness of the kingdom. Jesus was calling the crowds listening to Him to understand that they must be willing to risk all if the priorities of the kingdom of heaven threaten or compete with the security of the things on earth.

And, the kingdom of heaven is a treasure that causes people to do things that may make no sense to those to whom the kingdom of heaven is hidden from. And to make His point abundantly clear, Matthew tells us that Jesus continued by telling the crowds listening to Him another parable, beginning in Matthew 13:45. Let’s look at it together:

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,

Matthew tells us that Jesus told the crowds a second. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a merchant seeking fine pearls. Unlike the previous parable, where a man stumbled upon the treasure hidden in the field, this man, who is a merchant, was seeking fine pearls. In the Jewish culture of Jesus day, just like today, fine pearls were considered a valuable treasure.

And in the same way, there are some people who stumble upon the treasures of God and the kingdom of heaven as a result of God revealing the treasures of the kingdom through His gracious activity in their lives. And then there are other people who are spiritually seeking answers to questions that they have about God and His kingdom. We see Jesus continue and conclude this parable for us with what He says next, which records for us in Matthew 13:46:

and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Jesus explained to the crowds listening to Him that the merchant, after seeking and searching in many different places, found only one pearl. This one pearl that he found, however, was very precious and was of exceptional value. And just as this merchant was searching far and wide to find a valuable treasure, there are many people who are seeking and searching for spiritual truth in a variety of places.

The very nature of religion, by definition, is man’s attempt to find and connect with God. Think of all the religious systems that exist in the world today. Here is just a small sampling; Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Mormonism, Judaism, Humanism, Wicca, Scientology, Darwinian evolution, New age and eastern pantheism, and atheism, which is a religious system. We could go on and on and on. All of these religious systems are seeking and searching for spiritual truth. And many of these religious systems have similar lists of do’s and don’ts.

The problem with all of these religious systems, however, is that while all of them tell you how you are to live your life in the present and the future, none of them tell you how to deal with your past. Christianity is the only religious system that provides a way that deals with our past lives of selfishness, rebellion, and sin. Christianity is not a religion where we do things in order to experience a right relationship with God. Christianity is a relationship with God as a result of what God has done for us. And while there are many different religions that attempt to explain the things of God, there is only one kingdom of heaven. And the kingdom of heaven is a precious treasure of exceptional value.

Jesus then explained that upon finding this one pearl of great value, the merchant responded to this treasure by selling all that he had to buy it. The merchant viewed this pearl as so precious of a treasure that he was willing to invest everything that he owned so that he could have it. Once the merchant had the pearl, he realized that he did not need his other treasures. He responded to the treasure that he had found by valuing it over everything else that he owned.

The fact that he valued this treasure more than all else was revealed in his actions; he sold all that he had so that he could invest in the surpassing treasure of that one pearl. And in this parable, we see Jesus reveal the reality that the kingdom of heaven is uniquely precious and worthy of our investment. Jesus point in this parable is that once we have found the precious treasure of the kingdom of heaven, we need no other treasure.

Just as the merchant was willing to invest all that he had in the surpassing treasure of the kingdom of heaven, we must be willing to invest all into the surpassing treasure the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is calling the crowds listening to Him to genuinely embrace the kingdom of heaven as the ultimate treasure, not just acknowledge its existence and then invest our lives into lesser treasures.  

And it is in these two parables that we discover a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. And that timeless truth is this: The kingdom of heaven is a treasure worth investing everything for.  The timeless reality is that some people stumble on to the reality that the kingdom of heaven is a treasure worth investing everything for. And there are people who walk past the treasure of the kingdom of heaven day after day, unaware that such a treasure exists.

For other people, their life can be described as a spiritual journey that seeks and searches to find answers to the profound questions of life. Who Am I? Why am I here? Do I matter? And some of those people come to a place in their lives where they see the kingdom of heaven as a treasure worthy of investing everything for. And others walk past the kingdom of heaven, seeking to find answers in religious systems that provide a false promise for the present and the future, while never dealing with the problems of past selfishness, rebellion, and sin. And for some, the kingdom of heaven is more of a duty than a delight. And the timeless reality is that everyone fits into one of these categories.

So here is a question to consider: which category would you describe yourself as fitting in? Do you feel like you have stumbled onto the claims of Jesus and His offer to be a part of the kingdom of Heaven? Or maybe you are on a spiritual journey searching and shopping for answers when it comes to the most profound questions in life? Or do you view the idea of being a follower of Jesus and apart of the kingdom of heaven as being a duty, not a delight?

And how have you responded to the kingdom of heaven that Jesus has presented to you? Have you responded to the surpassing treasure of the kingdom of Heaven by believing, trusting and following Jesus as Lord and Leader? And if you are a member of the kingdom of heaven, do you see the kingdom of heaven as more of a duty than a delight? Do you view the kingdom of heaven as a treasure worthy of investing everything for?

Because the timeless reality is that the kingdom of heaven is a treasure worth investing everything for…

Stumbling onto something that requires a response...

At the church where I serve, we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” During this series, we are spending our time together looking at a series of statements that Jesus made about the kingdom of heaven that are recorded for us in an account of His life that has been preserved in the New Testament of the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew.  During this series, we are discovering how Jesus described the kingdom of Heaven. During this series, we are discovering how one enters into the Kingdom of Heaven. During this series we are discovering how one should live as part of the kingdom of Heaven.

And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit, in our heads, hearts, and hands in such a way that we would live lives that reveal and bring the light and love of the kingdom of Heaven into the areas of influence we have been given.  This week I would like for us to take a front row seat that Matthew gives us to an event from history where Jesus told a story that reveals a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. So let’s take that front row seat to this event from history together, beginning in Matthew 13:44:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Matthew begins to give us a front row seat to this event from history as Jesus is telling the crowds listening to him a parable about the kingdom of heaven. As we have been talking about through this series, a parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a treasure that is hidden in the field.

When Jesus stated that this treasure is hidden, he was explaining that the treasure is always hidden. I mean, the reason that hidden treasure is hidden is because it is hidden, isn’t it? The treasure needs to be discovered by someone. Otherwise it remains hidden. Jesus point here is that the kingdom of heaven is always hidden unless it is discovered as a result of God’s gracious activity in the lives of people.

Jesus continued this parable by stating that a man found this treasure and hid it again. Now a natural question that could arise here is “Why would you hide a treasure that you found?” I mean that seems weird, doesn’t it?  The reason why the man hid the treasure was due to the fact that while man discovered had the treasure, he did not own the field. So legally, in order to receive the treasure, he had to go and buy the field. This man stumbled upon the treasure in the field and had to respond to what he had stumbled upon. 

In this parable, the man who stumbled upon the treasure represents anyone who becomes a child of the kingdom. Jesus point in this parable is that just as this man stumbled upon the treasure hidden in the field, many people stumble on the kingdom of heaven. Jesus then explained that this man responded to what he had stumbled upon by going and selling all that he had to buy that field.

But did you notice the attitude by which the man was selling all that he had? Jesus explained that he sold all that he had with joy. Because of his joy over the surpassing nature of the treasure, the man was willing to sell all that he had and invest it into the field. This man was responding by buying the field out of delight, not out of duty.

Jesus here is revealing for us the reality that Jesus calls for those who stumble upon His kingdom to genuinely embrace the kingdom of heaven, not just acknowledge its existence out of duty and pass by it as though it did not exist. Jesus point is that the kingdom of heaven calls for followers that must be willing to enthusiastically and joyously embrace the kingdom of heaven and be willing to give up whatever stands between them and the kingdom of heaven.

The point that Jesus is making to the crowds listening to this parable is that the kingdom of heaven is such a treasure that those who find it will be willing to invest all that they have in the surpassing greatness of the kingdom. Jesus was calling the crowds listening to Him to understand that they must be willing to risk all if the priorities of the kingdom of heaven threaten or compete with the security of the things on earth.

And just like man and his wife with the plot of land, the kingdom of heaven is a treasure that causes people to do things that may make no sense to those to whom the kingdom of heaven is hidden from. Why would you go to church instead of skiing or on the lake? Why do you invest your time and go to community groups? Why would you give so much money to the church, when you could use that money for yourself and your family to have fun and buy stuff?  Why do you spend your time and talents volunteering and serving your church and doing things with your church for the community, instead of hanging out and going on vacation with your family?

Jesus is revealing the reality that when we treasure the kingdom of heaven above all else, we leverage our time, our talents, and our treasure in ways that those whom the kingdom of heaven is hidden from do not understand or relate to. And to make His point abundantly clear, Matthew tells us that Jesus continued by telling the crowds listening to Him another parable.

Friday we will look at that parable together…

The kingdom of heaven is growing exponentially...

This week we have been looking at an event from history that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew. We looked on as Matthew gave us a front row seat to this event from history where Jesus presented another parable to the large crowds that were following Him about the kingdom of heaven. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.

Jesus picked the mustard seed because it was a very small seed that the crowds listening to Him would be very familiar with. Jesus picked the mustard seed because it was an exceptionally small seed that had a small and inauspicious beginning. No one expected much from a mustard seed. However, Jesus explained that the mustard seed that He was talking about was no normal mustard seed. Jesus explained that this mustard seed was different because, while this particular mustard seed had a seemingly small and insignificant beginning, when it became full grown, it became larger than the garden plants and became a tree so large that the birds of the air would come and nest in its branches.

Jesus painted this word picture for the crowds to reveal the reality that while the kingdom of heaven would have a small and seemingly inauspicious beginning, at the end of the day the kingdom of heaven would become so large in size and scope that a multitude of nations, cultures, and ethnicities  would be represented as participating in the kingdom. And as Matthew continued to give us a front row seat to this event from history, we see Jesus tell another parable to reinforce His point. A parable that Matthew records for us in Matthew 13:33:

He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened."

Jesus continued by explaining to the large crowds that were following Him that the kingdom of Heaven can be compared to leaven. Now for those of us who are not cooks, leaven is another word that we use for yeast. And when you go to Wal-Mart or Smiths, you usually find yeast sold in small packets or containers that look like this.

But in this parable, Jesus is not referring to a package or a container of yeast; Jesus here is referring to a single seed of yeast. Jesus is talking about just one, single seed of yeast. Jesus then continued His parable by explaining that a woman took this single small, seemingly insignificant seed of yeast and placed it in three pecks of flour. To fully understand the significance of Jesus statement here, we first need to understand a few things.

The first thing that we need to understand is how much flour is contained in three pecks. In the Jewish culture of Jesus day, three pecks of flour is the equivalent of roughly 25-40 liters of flour. However, since we usually do not buy flour by volume, but by weight, three pecks of flour would translate to roughly 55-60 pounds of flour.

Now that leads us to the next thing that we need to understand, which is what Jesus said the woman did with the yeast and the flour. You see, in the language that this was originally written in, Jesus explained that the woman hid the yeast in the flour. She did not purposely mix it in the flour. She hid it in the flour. Now the reason why this is so important to understand is because of the point that Jesus is making here in this parable.

You see, a single, small seemingly insignificant seed of yeast would be impossible to find if it was hidden in the midst of 55-60 pounds of flour. Yet Jesus explained that this single, small, seemingly insignificant grain of yeast ended up raising 60 pounds of flour. Now 60 pounds of flour, when fully leaven and baked would produce enough bread to feed over 100 people. One single, small, seemingly insignificant grain of yeast would be powerful enough to impact the lives of over 100 people.

Jesus point was that while the kingdom of heaven may seem to be hidden from sight and seemingly small and insignificant at its outset, and the end of the day the kingdom of heaven would have the power to influence and expand beyond any and all expectations. And it is in these two parables that we see Jesus reveal a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. And that timeless truth is this; the kingdom of heaven is growing exponentially.

The timeless reality is that the kingdom of Heaven, while having a seemingly small and insignificant start, has grown, and is growing exponentially. Jesus, as the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a rescuer, a deliverer, a Messiah who would usher in the kingdom of Heaven, seemed to usher in a kingdom that was small and insignificant.

After all, upon Jesus death and the hands of the ruling Roman Empire, Jesus had less than 120 committed followers at His death, most of who bailed on Him when He needed them the most. There was no palace to mark His kingdom; there was no White House or capital building to mark His rule; there were no borders to protect or land to conquer.

Yet, some 2,000 years later, how many millions of lives have been influenced and impacted by the kingdom of heaven? How many nations, cultures, and ethnicities are now represented in the kingdom of heaven? And the timeless reality is that we have seen firsthand the reality that the kingdom of heaven is growing exponentially.

The reality that the kingdom of heaven is growing exponentially is seen in the stories of those who are baptized. The reality that the kingdom of heaven is growing exponentially is seen through the worship that has occurred, and continues to occur, throughout the world. And the kingdom of heaven will continue to grow exponentially until Jesus returns to this earth to usher in the kingdom of heaven in its fullest sense.

So, here is a question to consider: Are you a member of the kingdom of heaven? Have you come to the place in your life where you have received the forgiveness of your sins and have entered into the relationship with God that you were created for by believing, trusting, and following Jesus Christ as Lord and Leader?

And, if you are a member of the kingdom of heaven, how are you living in the kingdom of heaven? Are you embracing the kingdom mission that you have been given to be the vehicle that God uses to reveal His Son Jesus to a lost and hurting world around us? Because even though God does not need us to advance His kingdom exponentially, God invites us to play a small role by investing our time, talent, and treasure, in that kingdom mission.

And the kingdom of heaven is growing exponentially…

What is a mustard seed and what does it have to do with the kingdom of heaven?

At the church where I serve we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled “The Kingdom of Heaven is…” During this series, we are spending our time together looking at a series of statements that Jesus made about the kingdom of heaven that are recorded for us in an account of His life that has been preserved in the New Testament of the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew. 

During this series, we are discovering how Jesus described the kingdom of Heaven. During this series, we are discovering how one enters into the Kingdom of Heaven. During this series we are discovering how one should live as part of the kingdom of Heaven. And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit, in our heads, hearts, and hands in such a way that we would live lives that reveal and bring the light and love of the kingdom of Heaven into the areas of influence we have been given. 

This week, I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off yesterday. Yesterday, we looked at Matthew 13:24-30, where Jesus told a parable, and then jumped to Matthew 13: 36-43 to see Jesus explain the parable to His closest followers. However, before explaining the parable that Matthew recorded for us in Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus told another parable.

And as we jump back into this event from history that we looked at yesterday, we will see Jesus reveal for us a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. So let’s jump back into this event from history together, beginning in Matthew 13:31:

He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;

Matthew continues to give us a front row seat to this event from history by explaining that Jesus presented another parable to the large crowds that were following Him about the kingdom of heaven. Now, as we talked about last week, a parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. Now a natural question that arises here is “what is a mustard seed?”

A mustard seed was a small seed that, when planted, would produce a black mustard plant usually grew to approximately 3-6 feet in height. This plant, which actually is a weed, would be very familiar to the crowds listening to Jesus speak, as it was grown and harvested for vegetable oil and as a spice in the region where Jesus and His disciples lived.

And for the crowds listening, picturing the kingdom of Heaven like a small seed that usually produced a weed used for condiments would have taken the crowds by surprise. This would not have been the image that the Jewish people would have pictured when it came to the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus then continued to paint this word picture of a parable for the crowds in verse 32:

and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES."

Jesus continued this parable by describing the mustard seed as being smaller than all other seeds. However, Jesus explained that when the mustard seed is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree. Now there are people who desire to find fault with the Bible and look for ways to prove that the Bible is not true. And people who desire to find fault with the Bible will often point to this verse in an attempt to prove their point.

For those who attempt to point to this verse in an attempt to prove that the Bible is not true, their argument goes something like this: “Well Dave, Jesus says here that the mustard seed is smaller than all other seeds. But Dave that is not true, the fact is that the mustard seed is not the smallest of all seeds. So here is an example of why we cannot trust the Bible as being true and is untrustworthy.”

However, the problem with this argument is that Jesus is not making a scientific statement here. Jesus is not holding a science class on the different types of seeds that existed in the region of Palestine during the early first century. Remember, Jesus is telling the crowds a parable, which is an earthly story, designed to reveal a deeper spiritual truth. Jesus here is using imagery and a comparative metaphor to reveal a deeper spiritual meaning about the kingdom of Heaven.

You see, Jesus picked the mustard seed not because it was the smallest seed in scientific fact; Jesus picked the mustard seed because it was a very small seed that the crowds listening to Him would be very familiar with. Jesus picked the mustard seed because it was an exceptionally small seed that had a small and inauspicious beginning. No one expected much from a mustard seed. After all, the mustard seed was a weed that was planted in the ground; it grew to a relatively small height, and it was harvested for oil and condiments, which were not exceptionally valuable commodities in the Jewish culture of Jesus day.

However, as Jesus continued His parable, Jesus explained that the mustard seed that He was talking about was no normal mustard seed. Jesus explained that this mustard seed was different because, while this particular mustard seed had a seemingly small and insignificant beginning, when it became full grown, it became larger than the garden plants and became a tree so large that the birds of the air would come and nest in its branches. Jesus here is painting another word picture, this time of a lofty cedar tree that grew in the region where Jesus was speaking. Here is a picture of such a cedar tree.

With this word picture, Jesus was pointing the crowds listening to a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible, called the book of Ezekiel. In In Ezekiel 17:23, some 600 years before this event from history, the prophet Ezekiel predicted and proclaimed the coming of a rescuer, a deliverer, a Messiah, that God promised would rescue the Jewish people from oppression and usher in the kingdom of heaven. And in predicting and proclaiming the coming of a rescuer, a deliverer, a Messiah,  Ezekiel used the imagery of a tree to represent the kingdom of heaven, while the birds of the air represented all of the peoples and cultures of the world who would find rest and residence in the kingdom.

Jesus painted this word picture for the crowds to reveal the reality that while the kingdom of heaven would have a small and seemingly inauspicious beginning, at the end of the day the kingdom of heaven would become so large in size and scope that a multitude of nations, cultures, and ethnicities would be represented as participating in the kingdom. And as Matthew continues to give us a front row seat to this event from history, we see Jesus tell another parable to reinforce His point.

Friday we will look at that parable…

The Kingdom of Heaven is patient… to a point.

Last week we were looking at an event from history where Jesus began to tell a parable about the kingdom of Heaven to the large crowds that were following Him. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed in his field. Jesus explained that after the seed was sown, an enemy of the man who owned the field sowed tares in the midst of the wheat that he had planted.

 Jesus then explained that the slaves, upon seeing what was happening in the field, reported to the owner what they had discovered and asked permission to go into the field and remove the weeds. Jesus continued His parable by stating that the landowner responded to the slaves request by explaining to his slaves that they needed to allow these dangerous weeds to remain growing alongside the wheat until it was time for the harvest.

The owner explained to his slaves that at the harvest, after both the weeds and the wheat were removed from the ground, the reapers would be directed to separate the wheat from the weeds. After separating the weeds from the wheat, the reapers would be directed by the landowner to gather up the weeds to be burned. Then the reapers would be able to complete the harvest by safely placing the wheat into the landowner’s barn.

You see, while it is virtually impossible to differentiate between the wheat and tare as they grew, at harvest, when both plants reached maturity, a difference emerged. The ears of wheat, which is where the fruit of the plant is produced, would become so heavy that the entire plant would end up drooping downward, while the tare would remain upright. Here is a picture of the two at harvest.

In addition, at harvest time, the wheat would have a brown appearance when ripe, while the tare would be black. And by the time of the harvest the wheat plant would be sufficiently mature and strong enough not to be destroyed by the uprooting of the tares, which would not have been the case if the slaves would have went in earlier to attempt to remove these weeds. So at harvest time, there would be a distinction that would allow for the safe harvest of the valuable grain and the destruction of the dangerous tares.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, well that’s a great agricultural story, but what does that have to do with the kingdom of heaven? What is the deeper spiritual meaning that we are supposed to apply to our lives? If I have just described what is running through your mind, I just want to encourage you. I want to encourage you because, just a few verses later in this event from history, we see the disciples, ask Jesus the very same questions, beginning in Matthew 13:36. Let’s look at it together:

Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."

Matthew tells us that after telling this series of parables, these earthly stories designed to reveal a deeper spiritual truth, He left the large crowds and returned to the home where He was staying. The disciples, however, followed Jesus home perplexed at this how seemingly obvious agricultural story had anything to do with the kingdom of Heaven And in their perplexed state, the disciples asked Jesus “Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field.” Matthew then recorded Jesus response in verse 37-43. Let’s look at Jesus response together:

 ³⁷ And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸ and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, ⁴² and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ "Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Matthew tells us that Jesus began to answer His disciples’ question by revealing to the disciples who the characters in the parable represented. Jesus explained that He was represented in the parable by the landowner, while the field represented the world. Jesus then contrasted the two types of seed. Jesus explained that the good seed, which is the wheat, represented those who accepted the claims of Jesus Christ and the message of the gospel by believing, trusting and following Him as Lord and Leader, which resulted in them having experienced the forgiveness of sin and had entered into the relationship with God that they were created for in the kingdom of heaven. 

By contrast, Jesus explained that the tares, or the weeds, represented those who have rejected the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus then identified those who reject the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven as being sons of the evil one that were placed there by the devil.

Jesus point here was that those who have rejected the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven have chosen, either consciously or unconsciously, to align themselves with those in the world who are hostile to God and who have set themselves up in opposition to God and His kingdom. As a result, they were sons of the devil in the sense that they have aligned and identified themselves with the same opposition to God and His kingdom as the devil has. And as such, these people were instruments that the devil would use in an attempt to destroy the kingdom of heaven and Jesus kingdom mission here on earth to provide the opportunity for all of humanity to enter into the relationship with God that they were created for.

Jesus then explained to the disciples that the harvest represented the end of God’s story here on earth, when Jesus will return with His angels to earth to achieve the final victory and judgment over selfishness, sin, death and the devil and usher in the kingdom of Heaven in its fullest sense. And as part of His final victory and judgment over selfishness, sin, death and the devil; as part of ushering in the kingdom of Heaven in its fullest sense, Jesus explained that His angels, who were represented by the reapers in the parable, will first gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks and those who commit lawlessness.

And just like the weeds in the parable, all of those who were stumbling blocks to the advancement of the kingdom of heaven as a result of their opposition to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, all of those who rejected the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel and the kingdom of Heaven; all those who either passively or actively rebelled against the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven will be revealed for what they truly are and will experience the eternal separation from God and punishment in hell. When Jesus referred to weeping and gnashing of teeth, He is painting a word picture to describe the response that those who have rejected the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven will have to the punishment that they will experience for all eternity in hell.

By contrast, Jesus explained that for those who are members of the kingdom of heaven as a result of believing, trusting and following Jesus as Lord and Leader, they will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. With this phrase, Jesus was pointing His disciples to a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible, called the book of Daniel. In Daniel 12:3, we see the prophet Daniel a little over 500 years prior to the birth of Jesus, describe the resurrection of those who were right with God and their entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

And it is in this earthly story designed to reveal a deeper spiritual truth that we discover a timeless truth about the kingdom of Heaven. And that timeless truth is that the Kingdom of Heaven is patient… to a point. The timeless reality is that just as if was for the disciples, there will be people in the world who respond to the message of Jesus and the message of the kingdom of heaven by rejecting that message.

Some will violently oppose the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven in a very overt and obvious way. Others will violently oppose the message of the Jesus and the kingdom of heaven in such a way that their day to day lives will look virtually indistinguishable from those who have enthusiastically embraced the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven. And those who violently oppose the message of the kingdom of heaven will live right alongside those who enthusiastically embrace the message of the kingdom of heaven until the day that Jesus returns to earth to usher in the kingdom of Heaven in its fullest sense. And the timeless reality is that God will continue to allow this to happen because the kingdom of heaven is patient, to a point.

The kingdom of heaven is patiently waiting until the end of God’s story here on earth. The kingdom of heaven is patiently waiting as God uses the church as the vehicle to reveal His Son Jesus to the lost, hurting, and broken world around us. The kingdom of heaven will patiently allow the devil to attempt to derail and destroy Jesus and His kingdom mission through self-righteous religious people who do not have a relationship with Jesus who serve as stumbling blocks to the kingdom.

The kingdom of heaven will patiently allow the devil to attempt to derail and destroy the kingdom through those who violently oppose Jesus and persecute His people.  The kingdom of heaven will patiently allow the devil to attempt to derail and destroy the kingdom through those whose lives look no different from members of the kingdom of heaven, yet fail to bear the fruit that results from being a member of the kingdom of Heaven. The kingdom of heaven will be patient, until the time of patience is over.

Now you may be wondering, “But why is the kingdom of heaven so patient?” The kingdom of heaven is patient, because God is so gracious. God, in His grace, desires to give all of humanity an opportunity to respond to His offer of forgiveness through His Son Jesus by believing, trusting and following Jesus as Lord and leader. The kingdom of heaven is so patient, to a point, because, in God’s perfect timing, He will usher in the kingdom of heaven in its fullest sense at Jesus second coming.

And at that time, all of humanity will be exposed for who they truly are. And at that point, those who have rejected the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven will have no excuse. All of humanity will come face to face with Jesus, who will ask this simple question “Do I know you?” And those who have rejected Jesus will want to say “but, but, but… And Jesus response, in His perfect justice will be “Was I not patient with you? Did I not allow you to reject me over, and over, and over again? What is your excuse?” And for that person, they will have none.

So here is a question to consider: how are you responding to the fact that the kingdom of heaven is patient, to a point? Are you responding to the patience of the kingdom of heaven by rejoicing in the grace that has been given you and by telling others about the grace that God is offering them through Jesus Christ? Or are you responding to the patience of the kingdom of heaven by taking advantage of it?

Because the timeless reality is that the kingdom of heaven is patient…to a point…

How do you know who is "in" and who is "out"?

At the church where I serve we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” During this series, we are spending our time together looking at a series of statements by Jesus that are recorded for us in an account of His life that has been preserved in the New Testament of the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew.  

During this series, we are discovering how Jesus described the kingdom of Heaven. During this series, we are discovering how one enters into the Kingdom of Heaven. During this series we are discovering how one should live as part of the kingdom of Heaven. And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit, in our heads, hearts, and hands in such a way that we would live lives that reveal and bring the light and love of the kingdom of Heaven into the areas of influence we have been given. 

Last week, we looked at an event from history where Jesus sent the twelve disciples on a short-term mission trip and discovered the timeless truth that the kingdom of heaven is either enthusiastically embraced or violently opposed. We discovered that no one walked away from a conversation with Jesus about the kingdom of heaven saying “eh, whatever”. Instead, Jesus made it unmistakably clear that the message and teaching of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven will be either enthusiastically embraced, or it will be violently opposed.

Now a natural question that could arise here is “Well, if the kingdom of heaven is seeking repentant people who respond by enthusiastically embracing the claims of Christ and the message of the kingdom of heaven, what happens to those who violently oppose the claims of Christ and the message of the kingdom of heaven? And what about those who do not violently oppose the claims of Christ and the message of the kingdom of heaven, but just disagree? I mean some people just do not believe what you believe. So how can you say that the kingdom of heaven is either enthusiastically embraced or violently opposed. And what happens to those who do not feel the need to repent so that they change the trajectory of their live that is moving away from God back to God so as to believe, trust and follow Jesus as Lord and leader?”

Another question that often arises at this point sounds something like this: “Well Dave, how do you know who is truly a follower of Jesus and who is not? I mean there are a lot of people who say they are Christians, but they sure do not act like Jesus. And there are a lot of people who do not go to church, but they treat me better than those who do go to church? So how can you really know who is a part of the kingdom of Heaven and who is not a part of the kingdom of Heaven that Jesus is talking about?”

If those questions are running through your mind, I want to let you know that you are bringing up some great questions. So how do we know who is a part of the kingdom of heaven and who is not? I mean, it’s not like members of the kingdom of heaven have a large tattoo of a cross on their foreheads that was placed there by Jesus Himself that identifies them as actually having a personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Leader, right.

You see, one that the things that concerns me the most as a pastor is the reality that you might think that you are a part of the kingdom of heaven when in reality you are not. Some of you have not entered into a personal relationship with Jesus that provides the forgiveness of sin and the relationship with God that you were created for in the kingdom of heaven. And the reality is that I do not know who you are. And neither do the people around you.

You see, you can come to church every Sunday, you can show up to a community group, you can even serve in a ministry, and still not have come to the place where you see the need for a relationship with Jesus Christ. You can wear the right clothes and be in the right places and even give the appearance that you are doing the right things, and still not know Jesus.

For some people, it is quite evident that they are opposed to the claims of Christ and the kingdom of Heaven. They violently oppose it and let you know that they violently oppose it. Yet, for others, their opposition to Christ and the kingdom of heaven does not reveal itself as obviously. In our culture, we call these people passive aggressive, or passive resistant. While they may be violently opposed to the Jesus, Bible, church thing, they hide their opposition well. We may not see their opposition until years later. Or we may never truly know their opposition. And if that opposition is revealed, the hurt and pain that it inflicts can be even more painful.

So how can anyone really know who is a part of the kingdom of Heaven and who is not a part of the kingdom of Heaven that Jesus is talking about? How can we really know who is truly a follower of Jesus and who is not? This week, I would like for us to spend our time together looking at an event from history that reveals for us the reality that this issue is not a new issue. And in this event from history that we see Jesus reveal for us a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven that will help answer these questions. So let’s jump into this event from history together, beginning in Matthew 13:24-28:

Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ "But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ "But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. ²⁷ "The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' ²⁸ "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?'

Matthew begins to give us a front row seat to this event from history by explaining that Jesus began to tell another parable about the kingdom of Heaven to the large crowds that were following Him. Now a parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed in his field. This parable would have connected with the crowds listening to Jesus, as they lived in an agrarian society and had seen this scenario play out throughout their life.

Jesus explained that after the seed was sown, an enemy of the man who owned the field sowed tares in the midst of the wheat that he had planted. Now a natural question that arises at this point is “what is a tare?” That’s a great question. A tare is a type of weed, which was also called a darnel. Now this weed was exceptionally dangerous to wheat for two reasons. First, the tare was a dangerous weed because the tare developed extensive roots that would compete with the wheat for nutrients that were necessary for its survival.

Second, and more importantly, the tare was so dangerous because the tare was almost indistinguishable from the wheat in appearance. And as the wheat and tares grew side by side, they would be virtually impossible to differentiate between the wheat and the tares. Jesus then explained that the slaves, upon seeing what was happening in the field, reported to the owner what they had discovered and asked permission to go into the field and remove the weeds.

Jesus then continued His parable by revealing how the owner, upon recognizing that his enemy had planted the weeds, and knowing the danger that these weeds presented to the wheat, responded to their request. So let’s look at the owners response in Matthew 13:29-30:       

"But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

Jesus continued His parable by stating that the landowner responded to the slaves request by explaining to his slaves that they needed to allow these dangerous weeds to remain growing alongside the wheat until it was time for the harvest. The owner explained to his slaves that at the harvest, after both the weeds and the wheat were removed from the ground, the reapers would be directed to separate the wheat from the weeds.

After separating the weeds from the wheat, the reapers would be directed by the landowner to gather up the weeds to be burned. Then the reapers would be able to complete the harvest by safely placing the wheat into the landowner’s barn. Now a question that could naturally arise here is “Well Dave, if the wheat and the tares look so similar, then how are the reapers supposed to separate them? If it is virtually impossible to differentiate between the wheat and the weeds, then how are the reapers supposed to do what the landowner had asked them to do?”

If that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that you are asking another great question. And to answer this question, we first need to understand a little bit more about wheat and tares. You see, while it is virtually impossible to differentiate between the wheat and tare as they grew, at harvest, when both plants reached maturity, a difference emerged.

The ears of wheat, which is where the fruit of the plant is produced, would become so heavy that the entire plant would end up drooping downward, while the tare would remain upright. In addition, at harvest time, the wheat would have a brown appearance when ripe, while the tare would be black. And by the time of the harvest the wheat plant would be sufficiently mature and strong enough not to be destroyed by the uprooting of the tares, which would not have been the case if the slaves would have went in earlier to attempt to remove these weeds. So at harvest time, there would be a distinction that would allow for the safe harvest of the valuable grain and the destruction of the dangerous tares.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, well that’s a great agricultural story, but what does that have to do with the kingdom of heaven? What is the deeper spiritual meaning that we are supposed to apply to our lives? If I have just described what is running through your mind, I just want to encourage you. I want to encourage you because, just a few verses later in this event from history, we see the disciples, ask Jesus the very same questions.

We will look at those questions later this week…