The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
The appearance of the seed was no indication of future potential. With plants this isn't altogether surprising since all seeds are small relative to the plants into which they will one day grow. But in human affairs things seem to be different. There does not seem to be anything so innate in people or movements that a lack of resources or support can't thwart an effort, or that can't be made to succeed with sufficient investment of money and power. In most circumstances we tend to assume that those who look the best at the beginning will be the most likely to achieve their goals. But Jesus said that in the case of Christianity and the Kingdom things that seemed entirely insufficient at the outset would experience growth and success that entirely outpaced larger and evidently more well resourced seeds, including those of empires. It seemed, to human analysis, that preachers, prophets, and martyrs could never amount to anything against armies or in the face of persecution. Yet we see that the Church is currently a large bush to the extent that it embraces all of the birds of the sky, and empires like Rome are only remembered in historical records. This parable is still relevant for everyone pursuing the Gospel of the Kingdom. New initiatives that arise from following the impulse of the Spirit still continue to seem small relative to the opposing forces of the world. But there is something inherent within them that assures that, as long as they are planted and nurtured, they grow.
The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened.
The Kingdom of God was an ingredient that might go unnoticed in the batch at the beginning but that made a disproportionate difference in the results. The yeast would never stand out in such a way as to draw attention to itself. It might almost appear that the dough rose naturally by its own power. But if that yeast had not been added the loaf would have been entirely different. Just so, in our own world the influence of Christianity has had an impact on the wider culture and the entire world that is impossible to quantify. But we can be confident that this world, even the parts of it that are not specifically Christian, are better than they would have been without the influence of the Gospel. The ideas of human dignity and equality that stem from the fact that we are made in the image of God have become pervasive as a consequence of Christianity. And while it is true that both Christians and non-Christians fail to live up to these ideals, they are even honored and acknowledged in the breach, whereas prior to the coming of the Gospel they would likely have gone unremarked. This parable is still relevant in our day because it reminds us that even when we succeed there may not be much evidence of our impact on the results. This helps us avoid the vanity of needing to prove that we were the cause of the good we did. We can be confident that as long as we retain our identity as yeast we are not wasting our time being mixed in with the flour. We might otherwise be tempted to try to isolate ourselves so that the results our effort would obviously be our own doing. But yeast isn't meant to be used in that way. It's better to have a good loaf than full credit for a bad attempted bake.
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.
It is only by listening to Jesus with faith that we will recognize genuine Kingdom growth and pursue it in the right way. It lays hidden until he reveals it to us. And it remains hidden to us unless we accept his word in faith. But when we do so we are empowered to bring his own blessings to the world, shelter, nourishment, and life.
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