A PRAYER TO START
There are times when we experience life in the way of Jesus like a suffocating forest. So dense is our surroundings that they block out the light, hemming us in to our plight, no room to escape to the open fields of grace, and all-the-while, drawing out of us anger, frustration, and even prayed vengeance. Who would not want God to cut down and uproot that which entangles us in our journey with him? To feel such emotion is to be in the company of the psalmist of Psalm 119. Begin your time today praying this prayer adapted from a section of the psalm 3xs…
Father, I hate the double-minded, two-faced way this world works, but I love your way which is clear and straight forward. I wish your way was the only way to choose. Protect me from the voices crying out to follow them. Be a quiet place for me to retreat as I wait for you to clear away all the world that entangles me in its slippery grasp. Get out! That’s what I want you to say to all those that follow another way. Get out! So that I can follow my God without distraction. Father, be near me, vibrant to me like you promised. Please don’t let me be disappointed in your salvation. I know I’ll be alright with you immediate to me, and if I can just see you unmistakably I’ll be sure to walk in your ways, always. Expose all who go in a different way so that they shrivel up and prove who they really are. All such wickedness is rubbish to you, thrown away, so tear it out already! Your way is what I embrace because of this, and because of this I tremble in fear and awe of you. Your decisions leave me speechless with reverence Father.
DIVING INTO THE DETAILS
Matthew records a spectacular statement of Jesus in chapter 13 of his gospel story. Two brief verses that contain at least three “Wow!” moments. In verse 51, Jesus asks his disciples,
‘Have you understood all these things?’ [The disciples] said to him, ‘Yes.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’
First “Wow!”: the disciples understand something! No small feat considering that only a few chapters before they were lumped with those of “little faith” (8:26), and many were uncertain of the way Jesus was working (chapter 11). Apparently, the more time we spend listening to Jesus’ teaching (chapters 5-7), observing Jesus’ life (chapters 8-9) and accepting his invitation to participate in his kingdom work (chapter 10), the more we are able to recognize how that very kingdom operates. So, there is hope for you and I yet! Just stick with him and we’ll get there, even if we, like they, have our ups and downs while there (see chapter 14)!
Second “Wow!”: Jesus refers to these same dedicated followers as “scribes”. Scribes, if you remember, are the experts on the law of God. They were the ones who knew what God was up to, how God worked and is working, and thus helped the rest of the people make sure to keep to the straight path. Yet, many of the scribes, and their non-vocational compatriots, the Pharisees, felt threaten by Jesus. They recognized in him one that was turning their world upside down, and the upheaval was unwelcomed (see chapter 12).
The thing to remember about scribes is that they were esteemed in part because of their knowledge, but also because of the time, energy, character and skill it took to become proficient in the law. These were respected and respectable people. Not everyone possessed the dedication, the character, nor the aptitude for such a role in the community. Yet here, Jesus gives the title of the revered to those following him; a group of fishermen, tax-collectors, zealots, and women. Jesus elevates the average (and below) to a status of honor, and profound purpose.
That’s the third “Wow!”: Jesus ennoble those whose are committed to following him through thick and thin, doubt and confusion, the miraculous and the ordinary; not simply with a title, but with a commission. To receive a “commission” is to receive the authority to undertake the task ahead. In this case, the task was live well and purposeful in God’s unfolding kingdom, and to help others to do the same.
When Jesus refers to these “scribes…trained for the kingdom of heaven” (or, “heaven-granted” training (Garland, 153)) as “masters of a house”; he is saying that those who recognize what God is doing through Jesus’ teaching, his life and his invitation to follow him; are like those who are “masters”, owners, possessors of great resources. These masters indeed hold “treasure” which they do not hide, but “bring out” what is new and amazing and what is old and majestic. Those of us who follow Jesus in this manner are given the kingdom that is the “treasure hidden in a field” (v. 44) and the “pearl of great value” (v. 46), and the responsibility to help others discern the value and beauty of what we possess.
Jesus, having proclaimed the kingdom (4:17), taught on the kingdom (chapters 5-7), demonstrated the kingdom (chapters 8-9), invited the disciples to participate in the kingdom (chapter 10), prayerfully engaged their confusion and complacency regarding the kingdom (chapter 11) and addressed the opposition of the kingdom (chapter 12) now “speaks” to those attracted to him in parabolic language. Language that, if you are honest, makes kingdom life all that much more mysterious. But that’s the point. Not muddle or mystery, or even judgement of those who don't get it (see 7:1-6), but discernment.
The author of Hebrews remarks that discernment is the primary characteristic of maturity. Not knowledge of the foundational doctrines of faith like repentance that restores our relationship with God, baptism into the community of God and faith, spiritual gifts bestowed for our good and for others, resurrection as a cycle of life, and the reality of a singular determiner of faithfulness (6:1-2). These doctrines are certainly elemental, the very basic components of our faith, but they are “milk” not “solid food” (5:12) which is essential for growing up into an active human. Like Jesus in Matthew 10, the voice speaking in Hebrews reminds us that maturity comes in practicing righteous (5:13). Relating rightly to God and to one another is the “solid food…for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (5:14).
DEVELOPING DISCERNMENT
Recognizing that we need Jesus to heal us, to make new what is broken within us and between us (one another and our Father) is a start; the start. But it is not the finish. If Jesus is to be the way, the model for life lived rightly; then we are going to need to hone our skills of discernment, beginning, like the disciples, in the parables of Matthew 13.
Don’t skip this part. Information is of little use in quickening a transformed life if we are undiscerning people. Take the time to thoughtfully answer the questions encased in following paragraphs, and maybe use them as conversation starters in Gospel Community, at work or in your home. Doing so will pay dividends in the long run!
The first two parables of Matthew 13, the sower (v. 1-23) and the weeds (v. 24-30, 36-43), are explained by Jesus for us. We cannot disconnect these parables from their first century Jewish context, nor their connection to the story of the Old Testament. What Jesus is sowing is something aligned with the work of God in Israel’s past, but not all will see it that way. Not all of those who call themselves “sons of Abraham” are indeed sons of God. Some have hard hearts to the word that is Jesus. Others are choked out by the stressors and successes of life. Still some are directly opposed, but intermingled with the faithful. Such mixed company should be expected regarding the kingdom here and now, though not forever (v. 47-50).
But Jesus also gives four additional parables describing the kingdom come, which the disciples (and subsequently you and I) find ourselves taking root and bearing fruit. The first two have to do with the nature of the kingdom. The second two with the valuation and expectation of the kingdom. Let’s look at each.
Read Matthew 13:31-33.
A mustard plant can grow eight to ten feet large, though it starts as a tiny seed. The implication appears straight forward: the kingdom of God starts small but ends in surprisingly great size. But it would be difficult to call a mustard bush a “tree” that birds nest in (v. 32). So why does Jesus? Perhaps there is something more to the parable.
No one thinks of a mustard plant when contemplate grandness. Think about it, if you were to speak of a plant that demonstrated the enormity, strength, or even beauty of God’s kingdom, what would be your example?
Surely every tree or plant of great value or size grows from a small seed, at least proportionately so compared with the end results. So, why a mustard seed? Why not, say the most common plant reference in the Old Testament, the mighty cedar? More particularly, the “cedars of Lebanon” like the ones used to build God's very dwelling, the temple (1 Kings 5:6), and who were used as comparison for the might of nations (Ezekiel 31:1-9). Why would Jesus not use the more common metaphor?
One commentator (Garland, 151) argues that,
"Jesus’ parable hints that the kingdom is breaking into the world in a disarming and, for many, disenchanting form. We do not sing, 'A mighty mustard bush is our God.' The parable implies that the kingdom 'is not a towering empire, but an unpretentious venture of faith' (Funk, 8). It will not come 'as a mighty cedar astride the lofty mountain height' reaching to the topmost part of the sky, but as a lowly mustard bush. The incongruity between glorious expectations about what the kingdom should be like and its unassuming manifestation before the end is a cause of stumbling for many in Israel. [and many still today]."
In what ways does the kingdom of God appear disenchanting or is a stumbling block to you and your friends or family?
Jesus adds a second parable depicting the observable nature of God’s kingdom when he refers to it as “leaven”. Again, Garland (151-152) is helpful for context,
"Leaven was produced by keeping back a piece of the previous week’s dough, storing it in suitable conditions, and adding juices to promote the process of fermentation. After several days the old dough was sufficiently fermented to be used in a large mass of dough to give it lightness. This homemade rising agent, however, was fraught with health hazards. If it became tainted, it would spread poison to the rest of the dough in baking, and that batch of dough could infect the next batch and so on… For this reason, leaven became a symbol for the infectious power of evil.
…To compare the kingdom of heaven to leaven is to invert the common images of sacred and profane…It would be like saying that the kingdom of heaven is like 'rust' or a 'virus.' It is a rather iconoclastic image, but it accords with Jesus’ assertion that the tax collectors and the harlots enter into the kingdom of heaven before the chief priests and elders (21:32) and Matthew’s conviction that one must believe that the kingdom has come in Jesus, the son of God who was crucified. The question is not: 'Can something so contemptibly small be representative of the work of God?' but 'Can something so contemptible be representative of the work of God?'
Does the kingdom work like corruption? Does it undermine and pervert? From the perspective of Jesus’ opponents, the kingdom he proclaimed, which accepted sinners and toll collectors and ignored issues of purity, was indeed a corrupting force. But the kingdom does not pervert; rather, it inverts. Jesus in his preaching and teaching and ministry to the outcast set in motion a disturbing process that would change Israel and the world. In this sense, the kingdom is like leaven in that it has an inward vitality of its own that gives it the power to affect with its own quality whatever it touches. It has the power to transform the dough into something new, while at the same time maintaining continuity with the old."
In what ways have you experienced the “inward vitality” of the kingdom in your own life?
How has, is, the kingdom that Jesus preaches, teaches and invites us to participate in “inverting” the way you think about God and others?
The second set of parables demonstrate the value and expectation of this kingdom so surprising, even surprisingly discovered.
Read Matthew 13:44-46.
How should we respond to the surprising kingdom of God discovered in Jesus; whether stumbling upon it or in our search for it? By being “…decisive, resourceful, and willing to risk everything” (Garland, 153). Life of the kingdom is worth everything we possess, and the expectation is that we would indeed respond to its value with such joyous fervor.
What are you holding onto that is keeping you from possessing the kingdom?
Why not “sell all” to gain the treasure before you in Jesus?
What about your friends, family and neighbors. What keeps them from possessing the kingdom?
A PRAYER TO CLOSE
Matthew 13 concludes with the phrase, “And Jesus did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” Sometimes we miss out on what God is doing and will do simply because we do not believe. End your time praying for belief that allows you have “ears to hear” and “eyes to see” the treasure for you and those you love.
Father, help my unbelief. I know you work in ways that make all things new, which brings life through death, and is meant for my abundance not destruction. Yet I doubt what I believe, more often than I’d like to admit. I do not trust that you love me as much as you do, or that you are for my good as much as you are. I see the waves of life and find myself overwhelmed, begging for your rescue. I experience the lavishness of life and find myself in superstitious awe, daring not to interrupt the pattern lest I miss out on the blessing. Forgive me Father for my fickleness. Let what I believe become the way that I see your kingdom coming. Let what I believe and have come to understand in Jesus be the treasure I bring out to behold and to give away. Let me trust you. Amen.