Kingdom Culture: Part Seven
There’s a sense of mystery in a discussion of the Kingdom of heaven similar to Alice stepping through the mirror (Lewis Carroll) or Peter walking through the wardrobe (CS Lewis); fantasy authors captivate us. Jesus captivated His audiences through parables but was clear that kingdom living won’t be a fantasy world; we are promised the gift of knowing or understanding those mysteries (Matt. 13:11) and living by their principles.
Matthew 13 records Jesus telling eight parables in a row: four at the beach and four in the house. They’re His introduction to this new kingdom culture and there’s a flow to them we should see.
At the beach Jesus was speaking to everyone: believers and unbelievers, those who were curious, and even those who were undoubtedly His enemies. However, in the house (vs. 36) He spoke only to His disciples: those who were serious learners. To be a follower of Christ, a learner or disciple, means you have a heart that’s like good soil, hence the Parable of the Sower. Jesus chose to explain it in verses 18-23 so we’d have a pattern to follow for the others. His desire was for us to know the secrets of victorious living but our heart condition, how we hear God’s Word, is foremost.
The next parable of Matthew 13 give us insight into the future: Wheat and Weeds. Jesus assured us that there’ll be a final harvest of souls and He gave another explanation (vs.24-30 and 36-43). Remember, only those with spiritual ears to hear and spiritual eyes to see will understand these mysteries. The last two parables at the beach were the Mustard Seed and Leaven. Jesus encouraged us that faith begins small, like a mustard seed but it’s flavor is pungent, strong, and impacting. That’s how faith should influence our life, our family, and our church: our culture. Lastly, Jesus explained that our faith will be empowered by the Holy Spirit like yeast empowers dough; He’ll penetrate and permeate our lives if we allow Him to help us grow.
The progression of Jesus’ stories became in-depth when He took His learners into the house for privacy. He explained that His Hidden Treasure, Israel, which He covered up, will be redeemed or purchased with great joy but Jesus didn’t stop there. He added the parable of the Pearl of Great Price, Jew and Gentile, who became the church and are welcomed into this kingdom culture.
Our Savior emphasized the coming harvest a second time with the parable of the Net; we’re assured that there’ll be a separation of believers from unbelievers. This was Kingdom Culture 101 but Jesus didn’t expect them to automatically understand these truths. He reassured them that there’d be trained teachers to explain the kingdom of heaven (vs. 51) by bringing out truths, treasures, from the Old Testament as well as the New. We need the lower and the upper stories of the parables to help us rule and reign with Him now.
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