The Seed of the Kingdom

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Scripture: Luke 13:10-17, 18-21

10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. Read more…

18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? Read more…

Looking to Sunday

by Elaine Poproski

I feel for the Pharisees and the scribes and all the other people from first century
Israel who wanted a Messiah who would come on the back of a majestic warhorse
to right all the wrongs in their world and heal the people physically, emotionally,
and spiritually. I understand their longing for a conquering king like the great
Caesars of Rome or like Solomon of old. Every time I’m disappointed by one of
our (or someone else’s) political leaders, I have to admit that my disappointment
is rooted in my longing for the Messiah – the Son of God who will restore things
to the way God originally intended.

And I have to admit that I’m sometimes disappointed by the way God chooses to
go about bringing His kingdom.

I wonder: If I was a faithful, first century Jew at the synagogue the day Jesus
healed a crippled woman and got into all sorts of trouble for doing so on the
Sabbath (you can read the story here), would I have sided with Jesus or with the
leader of the synagogue? Am I, like the leader of the synagogue on that day
millennia ago, so sure that I know the ways and the priorities of God that I, like
that man, risk missing it when God shows up?

Jesus told two parables about the kingdom of God, both of which speak to the
mysterious way the kingdom grows. One of the parables was about a mustard
seed. The other was about yeast. Both are super short. Both carry a fundamental
truth about God’s kingdom that is simultaneously now and not yet. On Sunday,
we’ll be considering this truth and how that truth impacts the way we engage
with the world.

As you prepare for Sunday, I’d like to encourage you to spend some time writing
down all the things you believe or know to be true about God’s kingdom. Then,
spend some time inviting God to challenge your list. Ask God to open your mind
or your heart if needed. Ask God to open your eyes to see what He’s doing and
where He’s doing it, especially if it doesn’t look like anything on your list. As you
prepare for Sunday, I invite you to make room inside yourself for the mystery and
the surprises of God’s chosen ways.