Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field.”

Matthew 13:31

Today’s gospel reading (Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52) reminds me of a classic type of question on school exams: What do the following objects have in common? And then they list several different objects and you have to try and figure out what they have in common. For example, what does a duck, a boat, and an iceberg have in common? They all float. Or, how about this: What do Larry Bird, Bobby Orr, and David Ortiz have in common? They all won championships for sports teams in Boston. 

So, our gospel reading presents us with the following objects that all have something important in common:  A mustard seed, a little bit of yeast, a treasure in a field, a pearl of great value, and a fishing net. What do these objects have in common? And we know the answer because we just heard it: They are all used by Jesus to describe the kingdom of heaven. 

Now, to be honest, these are probably not the first five objects that come to mind when I think of the kingdom of heaven. But they are the objects that Jesus uses in today’s gospel reading to describe the kingdom of heaven. He is trying to describe something that is indescribable, of course. Impossible for us to describe. Only Jesus can possibly describe it. But even Jesus can only give us hints about what the kingdom of heaven will be like. So when he gives us hints, they are worth paying attention to, even if they are not what we are expecting. Maybe, especially if they are not what we are expecting. And none of these five images for the kingdom are what we might expect. 

Mustard Seed

The first hint he gives us is that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. About as small a seed as you can get. As small as any seed those first followers of Jesus would have seen. But when that mustard seed is planted, Jesus said, it grows into the greatest of shrubs, and allows the birds of the air to come and make nests in its branches. That is what the kingdom of heaven is like. 

We want the kingdom to be more than a mustard seed, don’t we? At least I do. I look around our world today, with all the uncertainties and the arguments and the violence and turmoil, and I find it hard to believe that the solution lies in a planted mustard seed. 

But then I remember that Jesus himself entered our world as that mustard seed. Seemingly insignificant to the powers that ruled the world at the time. And when he caused a little trouble, they simply killed him on a cross and buried him. But that buried seed grew. And it is still growing. The church born of that buried seed has become a tree, a magnificent tree. It has become the greatest of shrubs. It has become a place where people like you and me can come and find hope and healing in the midst of the chaos of the world around us. For 2,000 years, the church has provided that. And all because of a man dying on a cross and being buried in a tomb. A man who was none other than the Son of God. The kingdom of heaven began in him and continues to grow in him. That little mustard seed has truly become the greatest of shrubs.

Yeast

In this gospel reading, Jesus offers a second humble image of the kingdom of heaven, when he refers to it as being like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with flour, until all of it was leavened. The yeast can’t even be seen when the bread is leavened. You don’t even know it’s there. It seems so insignificant, so unimportant – Until you try to make bread without it. The church, our faith, can seem small and insignificant, too – Until we try to live without it. The yeast gives life to the bread. And the church and our faith give life to our lives.

The kingdom of heaven is that yeast. Often unseen, overlooked. Until it is forgotten. And things get hot. And then it is remembered and missed. And we are the ones who are supposed to remember the yeast, on behalf of the world. We are the ones called to remember that there is no life without God, and there is no hope without Jesus. And so we say to the world, don’t forget the yeast. And we pray to God, give us this day our daily bread. 

Treasure In the Field

What is the kingdom of heaven like? A mustard seed planted. Yeast mixed into the flour. But not just that. Because Jesus also wants us to remember how valuable the kingdom of heaven truly is. It is the treasure in the field. The truth is that the kingdom is the most valuable, most wonderful thing that we will ever experience in our lives. It is the treasure that turns our life upside down. The man who found the treasure in Jesus’ parable sold everything he had to buy that field. He knew that the treasure buried in the field was worth far more than everything that he owned. So he sold it all, and bought the field. 

When it comes to describing the kingdom of heaven, the treasure buried in the field is more like it, isn’t it? This is more what we expect Jesus to say. Yes, the kingdom of heaven is a treasure. But think for a moment about what a challenging image this is for us. If our lives haven’t been turned upside down by our discovery of this treasure, then this parable challenges us to reconsider our lives – our values, our priorities, the whole thing. The man who discovered this treasure completely changed the course of his life. Sold everything to buy the field.

This parable encourages us to ask, what are we doing with our lives? We who have discovered this treasure known as the kingdom of heaven? If we are here today, we have found the treasure. Now we are being challenged to re-order our lives, to make the changes that discovering this treasure demands. Because the kingdom of heaven is that treasure. 

Pearl of Great Value

But stumbling upon a treasure in a field might sound like it depends a little too much on luck. Almost like winning the lottery. Not something, perhaps, that we rely on. For those of you like me, who are a little more methodical, and like to live life with a game plan, this next parable is for you. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; who searches until he finds that one priceless pearl. Then he sells everything and buys it.

Okay. Here, Jesus seems to be reminding us that we shouldn’t wander aimlessly through life waiting to stub our toe on a treasure in a field. It’s okay to work on our faith, to search for the treasure. To pray and study the Bible and practice our faith, even when we aren’t sure we’ve found the treasure. It’s worth the effort. There is a pearl of unsurpassed value just waiting to be found. 

Of course, once we find it, we realize that this priceless pearl was actually looking for us, too, in some mysterious way. As a great saint once said, I could not have found you, Lord, if you had not already found me. God has found us. The kingdom of heaven has come to us. What are we going to do about it? 

The Net

There is one more parable that Jesus tells in this gospel reading. And it seems perfectly placed after the parable of the pearl of great price. This next parable is the one about the net that is thrown into the sea and catches fish of every kind. There is no searching for the kingdom here. It is a net searching for us. And it finds us all. Eventually, the good fish and bad fish are separated from each other. But for now, this “kingdom net” is catching everything. And you don’t have to look for this net. It’s looking for you.

Jesus isn’t content to fish with a single hook and a little bait. He wants to catch everything. So he throws a net into the sea and catches us all. Now, there will come a day when Jesus will judge the fish that he’s caught. This parable makes that clear. And that might make us nervous. In fact, it probably should make us nervous. But the great apostle of grace, Paul, reminds us in our second reading from Romans that the one who judges us is also the one who died for us. It is the one who loves us. We really don’t have to worry about whether we are good fish or bad fish, because we are loved fish. 

Remember the first fish you ever caught? You didn’t care about how big or small it was, what kind it was. You were just happy to get a bite and to reel it in. I imagine Jesus is like that – with us, and with everyone. He loves all the fish he catches. 

And he wants us to as well. He wants to catch all the world in this grace-filled net. And he wants us to help him do it. Go make disciples, Jesus tells us, of all nations, all peoples, everyone. Share the good news with everyone. Don’t try to figure out if they deserve it or not, or if they need it or not, or if they want it or not. Just cast the net. Throw God’s grace and mercy around this world. That’s what Jesus did. And that’s what he wants us to do. That’s what the kingdom of heaven is like – it is like a net thrown into the sea catching fish of every kind.  

Closing

When it comes down to it, all of these parables are describing one little piece of something amazing – the very kingdom of heaven. It is like that net that catches everyone with its grace. But once caught in that net, these parables invite us to open our eyes and see the treasure in our midst, the pearl of great price. It’s right here. We don’t have to go diving for it. We don’t have to search for it. It’s right here. 

And then? Having found this treasure, Jesus wants us to go and be the yeast in this world’s flour. Scatter the seeds of love and joy and peace. And even if they seem too small to do much good, trust in the Lord. Trust that these little seeds will grow, and one day provide shelter for another. The kingdom of heaven works like that. Because Jesus works like that. Trust him. Follow him. Grow with him. And see the kingdom of heaven growing all around us. Until it catches all in its grace. To the glory of God. Amen.