He told another story. "God's kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.
27"The farmhands came to the farmer and said, 'Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?'
28"He answered, 'Some enemy did this.'
"The farmhands asked, 'Should we weed out the thistles?'
29-30"He said, 'No, if you weed the thistles, you'll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I'll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.'"
31-32Another story. "God's kingdom is like a pine nut that a farmer plants. It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge pine tree, and eagles build nests in it."
33Another story. "God's kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread—and waits while the dough rises."
His disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field."
37-39So he explained. "The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels.
40-43"The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act. The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen. At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father.
"Are you listening to this? Really listening?
44"God's kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.
45-46"Or, God's kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.
47-50"Or, God's kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That's how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won't do any good."
51Jesus asked, "Are you starting to get a handle on all this?"
They answered, "Yes."
52He said, "Then you see how every student well-trained in God's kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it."
The kingdom is like...
- thistles in a field, sewn by an enemy, growing right beside the good wheat
- a tiny seed that grows into a loblolly pine
- invisible yeast cells that cause many loaves of bread to rise
- like a treasure accidentally found buried in a field, and secretly bought
- a faultless pearl, for which the jeweler sells it all
- a net crammed full of prize fish and trash fish, fit only for the garbage
"Are you starting to get a handle on all this?" Jesus asked.
"Yes," they said.
I think they might have been lying.
The kingdom is a mystery. It is a gift. It is the goodness, and reign and presence of God himself. It is high stakes. When glimpsed, it should be pursued. It is not worth ever losing. Garbage of any kind can't live within it. If we don't look closely, we won't miss it. It's tiny, and it's huge.
What do you make of this?
Grace & Peace
Adam
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