Prince of Peace: From the Cradle to the Crown and Beyond
Jesus' Teachings
The Kingdom, Part 5
Yesterday we began with a brief
review of the main points that have been covered in Jesus' Teachings, The
Kingdom--Parts 1-4. We also recapped the Jews' rejection of Messiah, and noted
that part of that difficulty stemmed from their expectations of a conquering
Hero-King, who would over-throw the Roman rule and restore the kingdom of
Israel. Plus, John the Baptist's declaration likely reinforced those
expectations (Mt. 3:2), as well as Jesus' teachings and focus on the
Kingdom. Even the disciples' questioned Jesus on this matter (Ac.
1:6); I'm sure that Jesus expected them to understand, after three years of
personal instruction, that His was not an earthly kingdom (Jn. 18: 36).We also
began our examination of the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast (Mt.
13:31-33), which have similar meanings--or do they?!
Interestingly, the parables of the
Mustard Seed and the Yeast are also recorded by Mark (4: 30-32) and Luke
(13:18-20). Their accounts are virtually identical; but only Mark adds, " He
did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone
with his own disciples, he explained everything," (vs. 34). Because
Mark didn't actually write down Jesus' explanation, we are left to draw
our own conclusions. Therefore, returning to these two parables, we
discovered that those who equate the Kingdom with the Church, have the
perspective that the mustard seed and yeast have small beginnings but quickly
flourish. The parallel is then made that the Church started small but quickly
grew. Then there are those who believe that these parables are symbolic of God
constantly working to achieve His purposes, even if we don't always perceive
that He is doing so.
In 2007 (or 2008) I was stalked by
a neighbor, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and had stopped taking her
medications. At church our pastor, Mike, opened his sermon
with the fact that many members were coping with difficult circumstances,
and heads were nodding as he zeroed in on the 'things that steal our joy'. Wow!
A tailor-made message, just for me! The next time that I listened to my
copy of that message, I thought I had a copy of the wrong one! Here's the
interesting thing: I realized after hearing about the things that steal
our joy that my mind had apparently wandered. In other words, I didn't
really hear the entire teaching!
This selective
listening/hearing regularly and consistently comes into play when we pray,
read our Bibles, or listen to sermons/teaching. God gets our attention and
focuses it on what He wants us to know and do--He makes it personal. And this
is why both perspectives on these parables are valid--the mustard seed and
the bit of yeast can definitely fit into both views (i.e., that they represent
the growth of the Church and that they can also represent God's 'hidden'
working in the world).
As we noted in The Kingdom, Part
3, some parables describe the Kingdom, others point out the nature or
characteristics of its members, while a number of them explain how individuals
may become part of the Kingdom. We have looked at two parables that describe
the Kingdom. Tomorrow we will consider some that describe Kingdom members.
Blessings & Peace
Elizabeth Hogan Hayduk
Former Salvation Army Officer
(pastor)
Canada
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