Month: October 2012

Our Response

So what do we take away from the message of these parables about kingdom growth? What’s the application? What does this all mean for us today? A few thoughts …

1. Be Patient – It's Guaranteed!

Like The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds, these parables teach us that God does have a plan for this world and he is working to accomplish it. However, it is unfolding over time and that means there’s some waiting to do, something we find difficult. We’d all love God to do more and to act faster in bringing in his kingdom but Jesus is teaching us patience – the patience of a God who chooses to delay his judgment. God is not in a hurry and we must be prepared to trust him and wait for his time. In the end, God will win and good will overcome evil.

These parables are all about waiting … the farmer waiting for the tree to grow and the woman waiting for loaf of bread to rise. The kingdom is like this! It is also a call to trust and patience. God’s plan will
advance … in his way and time.

James, the brother of Jesus, picks this theme up later in a
letter he wrote. "Dear
brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider
the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring.
They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be
patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near (James 5:7-8)." 

Patience includes a sense of peace – we don't have to make the kingdom grow. God is doing that.

2. Be Encouraged – It's Happening!

These parables answers questions such as: “How can Jesus claim to have brought the kingdom of God and
yet have been so unsuccessful?” “How can Jesus proclaim the kingdom of God and not be more
active in bringing it?”

Jesus’ disciples had high hopes for Jesus and wanted him to
do more than he was doing. To the disciples, the very mention of the “kingdom” meant greatness
and glory. They thought of the days of David and Solomon and the promise that
the last day house would be even greater (Haggai 2:9). All the signs were
there, as Jesus did miracles and talked about the kingdom. But it would be
different – much different – and Jesus needed to prepare them for that. God’s
ways are often opposite to ours! God
loves to start small (ask Gideon!) and to go slow.

The kingdom of God will experience phenomenal growth. Its
growth will be extensive and external/outward (like the surprising
growth of the mustard seed) and intensive
and internal/inward (like yeast
that influences an entire batch of dough, though it works silently and is
completely hidden from sight). The focus is the promise of the end … not so
much on the details of the period of growth. It’s all a mystery – don't try to
figure it out just thank God that it works.

Jesus’ aim is to give encouragement to his disciples,
especially for times when they would experience questioning and doubting, and
of frustration, possibly by times of small response to their message or of
little evident fruit from their efforts. Yes, there are often signs of the
kingdom, but it does continue to remain ambiguous and even hidden at times.
Don’t be discouraged by slow or small beginnings.

We are to have hope and confidence about the future. The
kingdom is already underway and it will not be stopped, despite its
insignificant beginnings. Don’t let the present inconspicuous form of the kingdom fool
you from understanding its final result. The kingdom expansion at work right
now is unseen, silent … yet inevitable. This is a call to encouragement, confidence, hope and
assurance – by taking the long view. The very nature of the kingdom and the way God has designed
it involves a small inception leading
to a grand consummation.

3. Take Action – You Can Make a Difference!

Your impact can be great, even through small acts. It's like a ripple effect.  Your life has such great potential. God has begun a good
work in you (as small as it may seem) and he will complete it (Philippians 1:6). Don’t
under-estimate your own personal dreams and calling. God sees what you can become, not just what you are now. He sees our potential, not just our past, and he calls us to align ourselves with his kingdom work in the world. You can have a significant
ministry. It may not be prominent, but you can make a difference in
someone's life. Of course, we can’t force the kingdom’s arrival through our human effort or build the
kingdom … we can simply align ourselves with God's work and take actions that demonstrate
its reality in our lives and our world. We have one life to live. Let's make a difference in our
world … for Jesus Christ. Touch one life today, just like Jesus did in healing one woman that Sabbath 2,000 years ago. That's how the kingdom works – one life at a time. 

As
Scot McKnight says, “A mustard seed is considered
by Jesus’ contemporaries the smallest of seeds.  The kingdom, Jesus is
saying is not like a palatial paradise but a small seed. It is like mustard
plant, not like a tall sequoia or a powerful oak. Why does mustard seed
attract comparison to the kingdom of God? Because for Jesus the kingdom is
about the ordinariness of loving God and loving others. The kingdom is as common
as sparrows, as earthy as backyard bushes, as routine as breakfast coffee,
as normal as aging. He hallows the ordinary act of love, making it
extraordinary … the kingdom of God is the transforming presence of God in
ordinary humans.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Luke 13:18-19)

The mustard seed was the smallest known seed in Palestine at the time (about a millimetre in diameter). It had become proverbial in that culture for ‘smallness’ (see Matthew 17:20). Over time it would normally grow to a bush or tree of about 2 metres in height (though some say up to 3 or even 5 metres).

The kingdom of God is like this mustard seed that slowly grows into a fairly large tree. It has already come but not in the spectacular, unmistakable fashion expected. It has begun inconspicuously, yet it has begun and in the end the greatness of the kingdom in size will provide an amazing contrast (as between a mustard seed and a tree).

The kingdom of God as seen in Jesus’ ministry may be unnoticed or disdained by most people for the time being, but the time will come when it will be impossible to ignore. It’s small, unimpressive and barely perceptible beginning (so easily overlooked or dismissed) will result in a spectacular transformation over time.

Jesus is highlighting the surprising size of the final product in light of such tiny beginnings.  The church that Jesus said he would build (Matt.16:18) has never been destroyed despite many attempts and despite often being at the margins and in the minority in many places and times throughout history.

Jesus is giving encouragement and comfort to disciples who may wonder (or even have doubts) whether their efforts of work and witness are of any importance, especially when the church seems to have relatively little power among the great forces of history. After all, “Great oaks from little acorns grow.”

The Parable of the Yeast (Luke 13:20-21)

Bread was baked at home in 1^st-century Palestine. Jesus would have often seen his mother Mary baking bread with yeast in their home while he was growing up. When bread was made, a small amount of old, fermented dough reserved from previous baking, was inserted into the new dough. Ancient people had no modern form of yeast. Just a small amount of leaven had the power to gradually have a quite astonishing affect on the entire loaf of bread. 

Jesus’ emphasis is not on the nature of the yeast (whether it represent good or evil) but on the way yeast works when it is introduced into the mixture of dough. Once introduced, the yeast will continue to work pervasively, persistently and unseen until the entire mixture is made ready for the oven. There is no way to interrupt or reverse the process once it has begun. In the same way that leaven works unseen to have a dramatic affect on a loaf of bread, so the kingdom would have a dramatic transforming affect on society over time. The leaven illustrates the hidden, invisible power of the kingdom – hidden from sight but visible to all in its affects over time.

Jesus is teaching that the internal power of the kingdom leaves nothing unaffected – human hearts, live, and spheres of society. The end result of God’s kingdom will be far greater than what anyone observing Jesus and his small band of disciples would have ever imagine. The positive growth of the kingdom is out of proportion to its size at the beginning. 

The Impact of Jesus on History

The impact of the life of Jesus on the history of the world is a startling example of the primary message of these two small parables. Consider the influence of Jesus and his followers, despite the seemingly insignificance of his life at the time of his death. Followers of Christ have had a profoundly positive affect on human life (promoting the value of all people, including children, women, the aged, the sick, and enslaved), education (founding libraries, schools and universities), art (music, literature, and architecture), science (which started as an expression of faith in God, the Creator of all), and freedom (promoting peace, justice, and equality).

No wonder the following statements have been made about the life of Jesus: 

“On the day after Jesus’ death, it looked as if whatever small mark he left on the world would rapidly disappear. Instead, his impact on human history has been unparalleled.” John Ortberg

“His is easily the dominant figure in history … A historian without any theological bias whatever should find that he simply cannot portray the progress of humanity honestly without giving a foremost place to a penniless teacher from Nazareth.” H.G. Wells

"It is remarkable that a man who lived 2,000 years ago, who held no public office and owed no wealth, and who travelled no more than a few days walk from his birthplace should have exerted such influence." Geoffrey Blainey

“There is nothing in history so unanswerably demonstrable as the transforming power of Christianity and of Christ on the individual life and on the life of society.” William Barclay

“Much of what is good and best in the world is due to what Jesus has done and is doing, through his continuing presence and through his people.” Dallas Willard

"The impact of Jesus on the whole world, even when his followers have been muddled or misguided, towers breathtakingly over all human achievement." N.T. Wright 

Part 3

On the day Socrates died (469-399 BC), it was clear that he would go down in history as one of the great philosophers in the Western world, someone who thoughts would be discussed in classrooms and hallways for centuries after he was gone. His contribution to the field of ethics and logic is renown, as is his use of questions in the learning process, now called the Socratic method. 

On the day Alexander the Great died (356-323 BC), everyone knew he would be remembered as one of the greatest conquerors of all time, having created one of the largest empires of the world by the age of thirty (ancient Greece). He was never defeated in battle and is considered one of history’s most successful commanders. He founded twenty cities that bore his name, most noticeably Alexandria in Egypt and spearheaded the spread of Greek culture throughout the then known world.

On the day Caesar Augustus died (63 BC – 14 AD), it was obvious that he would go down as one of the great rulers to have ever lived. He founded the Roman Empire and was its first Emperor, ruling from 26 BC to his death in at age 75 in 14 AD. He rebuilt the city of Rome, dramatically expanded the empire, introduced an effective taxation system, built a complex network of roads, an official courier service, and introduced a period of peace (called Pax Romana, the Roman Peace) that would last for more than two centuries. 

On the day Muhammad died (570-632 AD), it was certain he was a religious leader whose movement would continue make its mark on the world for centuries to come. He unified Arabia in his time and founded the religion of Islam. He claimed to be a prophet from God and although facing initial resistance, he gathered many followers (over 10,000) and by the time of his death, most of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519 AD), perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal and is remembered as a genius. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time (Mona Lisa and The Last Supper) and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer.

When Beethoven died (1770-1827 AD), everyone knew he would be seen forever as one of the greatest musical composers to have ever lived. He was a German composer and pianist, remaining one of the most famous and influential of all composers. Near the end of his life, his hearing began to deteriorate significantly, yet he continued to compose, conduct, and perform after becoming completely deaf. 

Each of these people’s reputations was immense by the time they died.

In contrast, on the day Jesus died, his tiny, failed movement appeared clearly to have come to an end. All of his most committed disciples had fled, except for a few women. As John Ortberg says in his latest book, Who is this Man?, “No one would have pronounced Jesus ‘Most Likely to Posthumously Succeed’ on the day of his death. From a purely human perspective, the biggest surprise is that Jesus had any influence at all.”

At the time, Jesus seemed to be one of the most insignificant people of history. No one knew at the time that his death (and subsequent resurrection) would become the greatest event in the history of the world. What we know as the greatest event in the history of the world was the most greatly under-estimated event in the history of the world. As R.T. Kendall says, “If you had been at Golgotha on Friday, 2,000 years ago, there were no CNN cameramen there, no one from Time magazine saying, ‘This is history in the making. We are privileged to witness this moment!’ At the time, it seemed to be nothing more than a very tragic, sad event that signalled the hopes of many people had come to an end. Jesus was hanging on a cross, and the mob was saying, ‘He saved others … but he can’t save himself!’”

Jesus and Small Beginnings

People at the time of Jesus had all sorts of expectations about what God was like and how the kingdom of God would be established on earth. Most expected the kingdom to come in a sudden, spectacular and powerful manner – an all in one moment of sweeping reform … BUT it wasn't going to happen that way … Jesus knew it and he frequently took time to explain to his followers that it would be different, so that they would understand too.

Let’s look at one of those moments …

Luke 13:18-21. Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is 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 is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Luke tells us that Jesus spoke these words right after healing a woman bound by sickness for 18 years (Luke 13:10-17). This is one seemingly insignificant event – Jesus changing the life and future of one woman, in one synagogue, on one Sabbath day. What can this really achieve? Jesus believed that even small events like this in local communities were signs that Satan’s power was ending and the kingdom was appearing. Yes, the kingdom is present even in this seemingly inconsequential act of restoration of a sick ill woman who lived on the margins of society.

Jesus loved visual education and especially teaching from the scenes and activities of everyday life. He took familiar things and used them to teach the unfamiliar. Here he takes an agricultural example of a man planting a seed and a baking example of a woman making some bread. Both of these were common parts of daily life in first century Palestine and therefore those in his audience would have easily identified with both of these illustrations. 

Part 2