The Kingdom of God is Like...

Well, how many here like to garden or take care of plants?

Well, not as many as I thought.

! How many of you here like to bake?

It's kind of similar people.

How many of you here have never watered a plant or baked anything in your life?

Okay, so everybody's done at least a little bit.

If not, then maybe you've at least enjoyed someone else's baking

or something that came from their garden.

Well, this morning we're going to hear is Jesus talks gardening and baking.

And some of you at this moment are wondering if you came to the right church this morning.

But I assure you, this morning's message is not Jesus' five tips on how to get a better garden

or better bread.

You can probably find that in the Davidson Leader.

We've been hearing Jesus talk and teach about the kingdom of God.

And Jesus often used the ordinary and everyday stuff of life in his parables

to teach about the kingdom of God.

So we're going to hear a little bit about gardening and baking.

But Jesus is going to use those things to point to something far greater.

Let me read our passage for us this morning.

It's short.

It comes from Luke chapter 13.

Luke 13 · chapter mention

Starting in verse 18.

Then Jesus asked,

What is the kingdom of God like?

What shall I compare it to?

It's like a mustard seed,

which a man took and planted in his garden.

It grew and became a tree,

and the birds perched in its branches.

Again, he asked,

What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?

It's like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about 60 pounds of flour

until it worked all through the dough.

The first thing we notice about these parables

is that they're really short

compared to some of Jesus' other ones.

They're kind of like mini parables.

And we also notice that compared to some of the parables

that we've heard from Jesus recently in this gospel,

the parable of the rich fool,

the parable of the sower,

there's no explanation by Jesus

as to what they mean or how to interpret them.

And so the question, of course, is

how is the kingdom of God like these little stories?

The story of the mustard seed and of the yeast.

What does Jesus want us to understand

from these parables?

Let's start with the mustard seed.

Jesus asked,

What is the kingdom of God like?

What shall I compare it to?

It's like a mustard seed,

which a man took and planted in his garden.

It grew and became a tree,

and the birds perched in its branches.

Now there's been lots of discussion

over the precise species of mustard plant

that Jesus is referring to.

Of course, commentators and scholars

love to do that kind of thing.

Most people agree that it likely wasn't the same

as the mustard plants that are grown in today's farmer's fields.

It could be a reference to a black mustard plant

with black seeds.

They're really small seeds.

And these, I guess, can grow as high as 8 or 12 feet

if they're just let to go.

Another good possibility is that it was this plant that

they call it Salvadora persica.

That's probably the Latin technical name.

This one is also called a mustard tree,

and it grows to over 20 feet tall.

It has these small berries that have a pungent mustard flavor.

But the point of the parable, of course,

is not a lesson in archaeology or botany

or to prove the accuracy of the Bible.

Sometimes we get all caught up in this.

You know, is the mustard seed really the smallest of all seeds?

What about the poppy seed?

Isn't that smaller?

You know, did Jesus mean the smallest of every seed on earth?

Or did he just mean of the seeds that would typically be sown

for gardening purposes?

At some point, we just have to acknowledge

this was written over 2,000 years ago

in a region of the world that's different from ours.

And, you know, are we here to critique Jesus

and his use of metaphor?

Or are we here to understand the point that he's making

through the everyday common thing of his people's day?

And that's why Jesus chose this,

because it was common to the people that he was speaking to

in their region of the world.

So we'll give him the benefit of the doubt,

and we'll assume that there was a kind of plant

that was typically grown in or near the garden

back then in the Middle East

that had a really small seed,

but then would grow to be a large tree.

Now, when we look at the details of this little story,

we notice Jesus brings a few things

in particular to our attention.

The first is the size of the mustard seed.

In Matthew's Gospel,

it's phrased a little bit differently.

Though it is the smallest of all seeds, Jesus says.

So he compares it to other seeds.

And again, not every seed on earth,

but probably those in the gardening arena.

The word for plants that's used here

is specifically those that are like vegetables,

things that would be grown in the garden, or herbs.

Now, for those of you who like to eat vegetables and fruits,

texture some of those seeds in your mind.

You've got your pumpkin seeds,

which are quite large.

You've got your watermelon seeds.

You've got your apple seeds,

which are about the same size as watermelon seeds.

The amazing thing is that inside that little seed

is a whole tree waiting to happen.

Then you've got your cherry tomato seed,

even smaller.

And then you've got your mustard seed,

which is like a tiny little black speck of dirt,

like a mini peppercorn.

And then the next thing we notice is

this mustard seed,

what it becomes.

Depending on what species of tree,

what kind of garden,

we get a different picture here.

But either way, Jesus' point is the same.

Relative to all the other plants in the garden,

it's now the largest.

It's the greatest.

And Jesus' point here is not simply to compare

the mustard seed with other seeds

or trees with other trees,

but to point out the vast

and perhaps surprising difference

between how the mustard plant starts

and how it ends.

Though it is the smallest,

it grows and becomes the largest.

This is the first truth

that we're meant to understand

about the kingdom of God.

It's a kingdom of surprisingly humble beginnings.

It began with people like Abram,

a nobody from Ur of the Chaldeans,

that foreigner who lives over there in the tents,

and yeah, the nomadic shepherd guy.

It begins with a baby in a feeding trough

in a little town,

not the capital city,

in a backwater region of the Roman Empire.

And Jesus, from the perspective of the world around,

not a great son of nobility,

but the son of a carpenter,

maybe conceived out of wedlock,

or so it was rumored,

a guy who would later grow up in Nazareth.

And can anything good come from Nazareth?

It's a kingdom of surprisingly humble beginnings.

Some guy named Jesus,

out at the lake with a bunch of fishermen

and a tax collector and some others,

to many,

a pathetic excuse of a movement

whose Messiah or King

was executed like a criminal

only three years after it started.

The smallest and humblest of beginnings.

There was very little by way of pomp

or fanfare.

And yet,

the kingdom of God

will become the largest of all kingdoms

ever to be seen

or known

in this world.

Interestingly,

this is not the first time

in the Bible

that we have this sort of comparison

of kingdoms.

Long ago in the days of the exile,

there was a man named Daniel.

He was one of the wise men

who served King Nebuchadnezzar.

And

in his days,

this was the Babylonian Empire times,

God gave Nebuchadnezzar

these visions,

these dreams.

And in these dreams,

he reminded Nebuchadnezzar

that even

his

great empire,

his great kingdom

would not be

the greatest

that the world would yet see.

Maybe you know the story

if you've read that

in Daniel.

Nebuchadnezzar's first vision

is of

a statue

with a head

that's made of gold.

And

the meaning of the dream

as you read the story,

his

him and his kingdom

are

that head of gold.

Several kingdoms

would follow after,

that's the rest of the parts

of the statue,

but they wouldn't compare

in greatness

and splendor

to his.

And then,

in his vision,

along comes a rock

and smashes

the statue

to pieces.

And we learn

that the rock

is the kingdom

of God.

A kingdom

that will never

be destroyed,

that will last

forever.

In the dream,

it becomes,

the rock

becomes a mountain

and it fills

the whole earth.

That was the first dream

God gave

to Nebuchadnezzar.

in the second dream,

God shows him

a great tree.

So we've got a tree

thing happening

here again.

And it's the tallest

and the greatest tree

on earth.

Daniel says

that the tree

represents

Nebuchadnezzar

and his kingdom.

But then,

as the vision

continues,

an angel

comes down

from heaven

and calls

for the tree

to be cut down.

And it's left

as a stump

on the ground.

And the meaning

of this

was that

Nebuchadnezzar

would be humbled

until he acknowledged

that the one

true God

of heaven

rules.

And that's

exactly what

happened.

There came a day

when Nebuchadnezzar

himself,

the king

of the Babylonian

empire,

said,

the Lord's

dominion

is an eternal

dominion.

His kingdom

endures from

generation

to generation.

The kingdom

of God,

the kingdom

of heaven

will be the

greatest of

kingdoms

that this world

has ever seen

or known

when it comes

in its fullness.

No nation,

no empire,

no kingdom

will compare,

not in size,

not in splendor,

not in any

other measure

of value

or greatness.

But it doesn't

start that way.

The kingdom

of God

doesn't come

like a flash

of lightning

out of nowhere,

but like a

tiny seed

which over

time

gradually

becomes

the great

tree.

On another

occasion,

Jesus said

this,

he said,

I say to you

that many

will come

from the east

and the west

and will take

their places

at the feast

with Abraham,

Isaac,

and Jacob

in the kingdom

of heaven.

Now,

he was talking

about something

else in that

particular

statement,

but what we

see here is

that there

is sort

of a

progression

that's been

happening,

a growth.

This kingdom

has been a

long time

in the making

starting with

Abraham,

Isaac,

and Jacob

and it's a

kingdom that

grows to be

the greatest

from generation

to generation

over a long

period of time

starting from

the smallest

and humblest

of beginnings,

men like

Abraham,

Isaac,

Jacob,

shepherds

and nomads.

But then

when it is

fully grown,

it will be

like that

mustard tree

which stands

taller than

all the other

plants.

The final

detail in

this parable

is how the

mustard seed

after it

becomes a

tree,

the birds

they come

and nest

in its

branches.

Mark

adds in

his account

the detail

of how

its branches

are large

and give

shade for

the birds

to nest

under.

what does

this mean?

Well,

this is not

the first

time that

the kingdom

has been

described as

a tree.

We've kind

of seen

kingdoms

are described

that way

in the

Bible.

Nebuchadnezzar's

vision is

an example

and if we

look a little

more closely

at that

example from

Daniel

Daniel 4:10

chapter 4

verses 10

there's

just a

little

snippet

of

Nebuchadnezzar's

dream.

I looked

and there

before me

stood a

tree in

the middle

of the

land.

Its height

was enormous.

The tree

grew large

and strong

and its

top touched

the sky.

It was

visible to

the ends

of the

earth.

Its leaves

were beautiful,

its fruit

abundant,

and on it

was food

for all.

Under it

the wild

animals found

shelter and

the birds

lived in

its branches.

From it

every creature

was fed.

And Daniel

says the

tree which

you saw

Nebuchadnezzar

you are

that tree.

You have

become great

and strong.

Your greatness

has grown

until it

reaches the

sky and

your dominion

extends to

distant parts

of the

earth.

And there's

a few other

places which

describe sort

of the birds

nesting in the

tree.

And it's

a positive

thing.

If the

tree is a

kingdom

then those

who come

to live

in the

tree and

build their

nest in it

and live

under its

shelter and

shade,

they're the

people of

the kingdom.

Going back

to our

passage in

Luke,

my translation

doesn't quite

capture it

here.

It says

perch,

but it's

better

translated as

nest.

The tree,

it grew

and became

a tree and

the birds

nested in

its branches.

Let's just

kind of

zero in on

this idea

of birds

and trees

a little bit.

What is a

tree to a

bird?

Or we

could flip it

this way

first.

Where's all

the best

places here

in town to

find birds?

Well, if

you've been

walking around

Davidson at

all, or

maybe if

you're in

Crake, the

streets that

have all the

trees have

all the

birds, or

at least

more of

them.

What is

a tree to

a bird?

To a

bird, a

tree is a

place to

find shelter

from the

elements,

shade from

the heat,

a hollow

maybe inside

the tree that

protects from

the storm.

A tree is a

place that

offers protection

from predators

because its

branches are

high up.

A place to

hold fast to

when the

wind blows

too wild in

Davidson for

the bird to

be airborne.

A tree is a

place with

numerous perches

to gather with

other birds for

a feast of

berries.

Both wax

wings and

sparrows have

this in

common.

They all

perch together

sometimes in

one tree or

hedge or

bush, sometimes

by the

hundreds.

And what do

they do?

Well, I guess

they just sort

of hang out

and sing

together.

A tree is

like a giant

choir loft with

numerous perches

and positions

for every song

in the book.

A place from

which to see

and to find

food.

A place to

find nesting

materials.

A place to

find leaf-eating

insects and

seeds and

berries and

fruit.

In fact, a

tree is so

well-suited to

a bird's life

and needs

that we almost

have to pause

and wonder,

which came

first?

The tree

or the bird?

Or perhaps

God made them

with each

other in

mind.

A tree is

a wonderful

source of

life and

provision and

protection.

It's the

ideal place to

settle and

build a home

for a bird.

So, too,

the kingdom

of God,

when it's

fully grown and

fully established,

will be the

perfect place to

settle and

build a home

for its

people.

A place

where all

who live in

it will find

their needs

met,

opportunity to

flourish without

fear of any

danger or

threat.

That's what the

great kingdom of

God will be one

day to all the

children of the

kingdom who are

in it, to all

the citizens of

it.

The kingdom of

God will be the

greatest and most

glorious kingdom,

the perfect place

to live,

when it comes in

its fullness,

but a kingdom

which, to the

surprise of many,

had the smallest

and humblest of

beginnings.

Let's now look to

the second parable

that Jesus told,

the yeast.

What shall I

compare the

kingdom of God

to?

It's like yeast

that a woman

took and mixed

into about 60

pounds of flour

until it worked

all through the

dough.

Yeast is a

fascinating thing.

Some of us

simply know it as

that stuff that

you buy in the

jar and you

just sort of put

it into your

baking to make

things rise.

But yeast

actually has some

really surprising

characteristics.

things like that.

The most

notable, perhaps,

is its potency.

It's powerful

stuff.

As the old

saying goes,

which is quoted

in the Bible,

a little yeast

leavens the whole

lump.

And that's the

amazing thing about

it.

The amount of

yeast that you put

into the mix

is very small

compared to the

amount of flour

that goes in.

I'm not a

baker myself

or a

biochemist,

so I shouldn't

say too much

here.

But part of the

reason why it's

like that is

because yeast is

alive.

It's a single

cell living

organism,

technically a

fungus.

According to

some estimates,

one teaspoon

of active dry

yeast has up

to 40

billion living

yeast cells

in it.

And those

cells,

they eat

sugar.

And as they

do,

they reproduce

and they

multiply and

they do that

while it's

getting mixed

into the

dough until

they're all

throughout the

whole lump

of dough.

They're eating

sugars,

they're producing

carbon dioxide

gas,

and these

little gas

bubbles are

then trapped

in the

dough.

And that's

what causes

the dough

to rise.

And so the

next time you

slice open a

freshly baked

loaf of

bread,

look at the

holes.

Look at the

evidence of

just how

thoroughly a

little bit of

yeast worked

through that

entire dough

mixture.

It's incredibly

potent stuff.

Only a little

is needed.

The second

thing we notice

here is how

much flour

the woman

mixed the

yeast

into.

Sixty

pounds of

flour.

That's a lot

by one

person's

calculation

enough to

bake bread

for about

100 to

150 people.

But while

the amount

of flour

goes up,

the amount

of yeast

doesn't go

up by nearly

as much.

change.

Again, we

can see a

similar truth

emerging in

Jesus'

parable.

The kingdom

of God is

like that,

he says.

What comes

from above,

what comes

from God,

is powerful

stuff.

What began

with something

very small

and seemingly

unimpressive

has the

potential to

utterly

transform

and bring

great change

in ways we

never would

have guessed?

What kind

of changes

are we

talking about?

I mean,

we could

talk about

a couple

different

things.

We could

talk about

this in

terms of

the kingdom

citizens and

how they

become as

numerous as

the sand

on the

seashore.

It's like

that multiplying

of the

yeast.

Or we

could talk

about how

even the

smallest bits

of truth

from God's

word have

the power

to totally

change a

person's

life when

they embrace

those truths

and those

truths are

added to

the mix

inside of

them.

But,

as with

the parable

of the

mustard seed,

we also

notice that

this isn't

immediate

transformation.

It's a

gradual

process.

I don't

think they

have a

lot of

yeast.

But,

we kind

of know

it takes

time for

yeast to

do its

job and

for the

dough to

rise.

It's a

gradual

process.

At the

end of

the process,

the difference

is obvious.

I mean,

that lump

is maybe

doubled in

size.

But,

if you're

just sitting

there staring

at it,

it doesn't

look like

anything's

happening.

Kind of

like how

children grow

and change.

If you

just look

at them

from one

day to

the next,

you don't

really notice

much.

I see my

own children

every day,

and they

look the

same as

they did

yesterday.

Then I

look back

on photos

when they

were little,

even younger,

and I

barely

recognized the

kid in the

photo.

Is that

Laura or

is that

Callie?

It's

amazing.

And this

is kind

of,

I'm

going to

call this

the

invisible

aspect of

the

kingdom

of

God.

Just

like the

yeast,

you don't

see much

going into

the mix,

and once

it's mixed

in,

you can't

see at

all what's

going on

with that

lump of

dough.

But just

because the

change and

the growth

is gradual

doesn't mean

that it's

not happening.

Time will

allow the

difference to

be seen.

that's

how it

is with

the

kingdom

of

God.

It's

expanding.

It's

rising

gradually.

The

number of

citizens

in the

kingdom

is

growing

from

generation

to

generation

and to

use

Jesus

language,

one day

when this

bread comes

out of

the oven

and Christ

returns,

the world

is going

to go,

wow,

where did

this come

from?

just like

all the

holes in

the bread.

Where did

all these

people come

from?

Millions and

millions of

them.

When did

this happen?

And it

all traces

back to a

single book

and the

God who

has revealed

himself in

its pages

and his

son.

Sometimes

that's how it

works in our

own lives

too and in

the lives

of our

loved ones.

We have

maybe the

best intentions

to change,

to become

model citizens

of the

kingdom,

to live

holy lives,

to stop

sinning,

to get our

priorities

straight.

But that

transformation

is often

gradual

over time.

It's

happening.

The

difference

will be

noticeable

over time

but right

now we

might not

see it.

One time

a little bit

later in

the same

gospel,

the Pharisees

come around

and they

ask Jesus,

when's the

kingdom of

God

going to

come?

It's in

Luke 17

Luke 17:20

verse 20.

On being

asked by the

Pharisees when

the kingdom

of God

would come,

Jesus replied,

the coming

of the

kingdom of

God is

not

something

that can

be observed.

Nor will

people say,

here it is

or there it

is because

the kingdom

of God is

in your

midst.

Isn't that

something?

I mean,

here they are

asking Jesus,

when will it

come?

And Jesus

is saying,

it's not

something you

can see.

In fact,

it's coming,

it's happening

right now.

And you

can't see it.

It's right

now in your

midst.

And yet,

you're asking,

where is it?

When will it

happen?

There's this

invisible quality

to the

kingdom.

And Jesus

is clear in

this passage

that it is

temporary.

It's not

always going

to be

invisible.

Just a few

verses down,

he's going to

tell about how

the coming

of the

Son of

Man will

be visible

to all,

just like

lightning

flashes across

the sky

and everyone

can see it.

But the

kingdom of

God begins

with something

seemingly

small and

insignificant.

It rises

gradually over

time.

And it's

not till the

end of the

story when

God's

transforming

power is

seen for

what it is

and the

effects are

undeniable

and take

the world

by surprise.

I wonder

if all

too often

we think

of things

the way

that the

Pharisees

did here.

We see

the kingdom

of God

as only

something

that will

come in

the distant

future.

A future

event when

Jesus comes

back.

And perhaps

some of us

even treat

our faith

as a

ticket to

get into

that event

someday

and a

little more.

But for

those of us

who believe

in Jesus

what difference

would it

make if we

truly embrace

this truth

that the

kingdom is

now.

It's

growing now.

We're part

of it now.

It goes

from generation

to generation.

It's here

in some

measure

already.

Imperceptible

to many

perhaps.

Insignificant

to most.

Yes.

But we

are here

and through

us as

followers of

Jesus it

can be said

truly the

kingdom of

God is in

your midst.

our faith

is not

just something

that we

keep in

our pocket

until the

end to

get into

the big

event.

The

kingdom

and the

life that

we're meant

to live as

citizens of

the kingdom

is today.

It's

now.

We are

part of a

nation

today.

And I'm

not talking

about Canada.

We have

our allegiance

and our

obligation to

a national

leader today.

And I'm

not talking

about Mark

Carney or

King Charles.

Listen to

these words

of Peter,

the apostle.

He says,

you are a

chosen people,

a royal

priesthood,

a holy

nation,

God's

special

possession,

that you

may declare

the praises

of him

who called

you out

of darkness

into his

wonderful

light.

I like to

think when I

read this

verse of

rider nation,

I always

like that

term,

because even

though it's

primarily made

up of people

from Saskatchewan,

it's a term

that sort of

transcends the

geopolitical

boundaries,

the provincial

boundaries.

Rider nation is

made up of

rider fans from

all over the

country.

In some

cases,

people are

even in the

midst of other

team loyalties,

and yet they

belong to

rider nation.

They cheer for

the riders.

It is truly,

in a sense,

a nation

within the

nation.

I think that's

a good picture,

a helpful picture

of the kind of

thing that Jesus

is describing.

The kingdom

of God is

right now

in your

midst.

It exists,

and I'm not

talking about

the riders

here,

so don't be

offended.

It exists

imperceptibly

and unimpressively

as a nation

within the

nation.

It's a nation

made up of

people from

all the

nations.

It transcends

political

boundaries.

I mean,

if we consider

ourselves to be

a part of

rider nation,

how much

more should

we consider

ourselves as

followers of

Jesus,

to be a

part of

his nation?

Those of

you who

love to

watch or

play sports,

do you

wear your

colors proudly

at your

team's

games?

Do you

wear your

colors proudly

even when

you're not

at the

game?

Do you

make much

of your

team at

every

opportunity,

especially if

someone decides

they're going

to talk down

against them?

Does your

heart swell

with pride

whenever they

score or

whenever they

win?

That's just

sports and

recreation.

We should

be no

less as

Christians.

Do you

wear your

colors proudly

as a

citizen of

the kingdom

of heaven?

Even when

you're not

in church?

do you

make much

of your

king,

Jesus,

and his

kingdom,

even when

you're not

in church?

This is

where the

trouble lies

though.

We don't

like to

make much

of something

that not

everybody

can see.

Even

sometimes

people oppose

it.

And so

we don't

want to

make much

of a

kingdom

that's

invisible

or that

has humble

beginnings

because our

world values

what's

impressive.

The fast

growing,

the stuff

that starts

with greatness.

is

yet these

parables

help us

see that

there is

this

tension

and it's

normal.

People

will look

at our

faith

and say

what is

that?

What

difference

is that

going to

make?

Just like

a little

seed or

a little

bit of

yeast.

But listen

again to

what Peter

said to

the churches

in his

letter.

2 Peter

3.9

or 3.3

I should

say.

He said

above all

you must

understand

that in

the last

days

scoffers

will come

scoffing

and following

their own

evil

desires.

They will

say where

is this

coming?

He promised.

Ever

since our

ancestors

died

everything

goes on

as it

has

since the

beginning.

In other

words they'll

be saying

we don't

see it.

Where is

the kingdom?

Where is

the king?

He goes

on to say

the day

of the

Lord will

come like

a thief.

Jesus said

that too.

The world

will look

in complete

surprise at

this unexpected

reality and

realize all

along this

kingdom was

there among

us and

now it's

risen.

It's the

thing.

the people

of the

kingdom

they were

there all

along.

They were

trusting in

this.

If you

could lay

your life

down for

one cause

what would

it be?

If you

can use

your words

to sing

the praises

of one

thing

what will

it be?

I hope

it's not

writer

nation.

I hope

it's

Jesus

nation.

For you

are a

chosen

people

a holy

nation

God's

special

possession

that

you may

declare

the praises

of him

who called

you out

of darkness

into his

wonderful

light.

God is

building his

kingdom.

It may not

look like

much now

but in

time it

will be the

greatest that

this world

has ever

known.

It will

be the

most amazing

place in

which to

live and

build a

home and

it's what we

should be

setting our

hearts and

our hopes

on.

Let's pray.

Father in

heaven it

takes faith

for us to

embrace this

in the world

that we

live in.

You know

that and

so we ask

for your

help in

these moments

to really

believe these

words and

to put our

lives on

these words.

these words

that you

gave us

Lord they

are the

rock and

what the

world is

telling us

is important

is the

sand.

Help us

build our

lives on

your words

and trust

them deeply.

We ask

this in

your name.

Amen.