Seventh Sunday after Pentecost—July 27
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 12)
Matthew 13:31–33, 44–52
Sermon by Jim Kauth
Matthew intentionally grouped parables together. To truly appreciate a parable in
Matthew 13, we must look at all the parables in Matthew 13.
(A1) The Parable of the Mustard Seed
31 He put before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and* sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it is grown it is larger than the garden herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”
Again, Jesus uses the illustration of sowing seeds in a field to teach something about his kingdom. This parable of the mustard seed shows how powerful and successful God’s sowing can be—its effect can be out of all proportion to its appearance. The mustard seed may be the smallest of all seeds, but the effects produced are far-reaching and thorough.
Jesus has revealed an understanding of the Kingdom Age, which will be birthed on Pentecost, while the Kingdom would appear insignificant in its beginnings, its future is assured and will be significant.
(A2) The Parable of the Yeast
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and* put into three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
The parable of the yeast is similar in meaning to the mustard seed. Though the leaven is very small in relation to the three measures of meal, it will eventually leaven the whole lump by working from within. So the kingdom of heaven may be hidden in the world, but it works quietly from within, permeating the whole of society. Having told His disciples that the Kingdom will enjoy considerable growth, this parable defines that growth as being worldwide, and balances the warning of Satan’s opposition shown in the parable of the Wheat and Weeds with an assurance of ultimate success.
The purpose of this parable is to reassure the disciples that the Church would spread throughout the world despite Satan’s efforts.
(B1) The Parable of the Treasure Hidden in a Field
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, that a man found and* concealed, and in his joy he goes and sells everything that he has and buys that field.
The Sermon on the Mount spoke about having treasure in heaven, this parable and the next also use the idea of treasure and value to illustrate what it means to belong to Jesus’ kingdom. The parables of the hidden treasure and the Valuable Pearl seem to be teaching the same thing, the kingdom of heaven is like the discovery of something precious and wonderful. But there are subtle differences between the two stories. Both of these parables must be looked at together. This first parable, the Hidden Treasure, explains that some people, without a prior conscious recognition of their need for salvation, will find the Kingdom of Heaven without intentionally looking for it. This places the burden on the Church to reach out for the individual who does not recognize his or her need.
(B2) The Parable of the Valuable Pearl
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 And when he* found one very valuable pearl, he went and* sold everything that he possessed and purchased it.
This second parable presents the truth that some will recognize in their own consciousness their need for salvation and actively seek until they find the Kingdom of Heaven. This places the burden on the Church to create a safe, accepting and welcoming haven for the individual who recognizes his or her need.
(C1) The Parable of the Dragnet
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish* of every kind, 48 which when it was filled they pulled to shore and sat down and* collected the good fish* into containers, but the bad they threw out. 49 Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the evil from among the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!
51 “Have you understood all these things?”
They said to him, “Yes.”
Here is another aspect of the way in which the kingdom of heaven works in this world. Jesus compares the work of the gospel to the way in which fishermen would use a net to catch fish, hurling the net into the sea, then drawing in the catch, containing both marketable fish and fish that can’t be sold. As with the story of the weeds there is an emphasis on the mixture of good and bad drawn in by the workmen of the kingdom, and an emphasis on the final act of distinguishing between what is valuable and what is not.
Applying this to the kingdom, Jesus says that the work of separating people who are ‘evil’ from those who are ‘righteous’ will belong to Jesus and will be done at the end of the Kingdom Age, His angels will accompany those who are saved, who are genuinely righteous, into the Kingdom of heaven, and those who are not will be cast into the ‘fiery furnace’. This final separation is a theme that runs through the entire Gospel of Matthew, from the distinction between the narrow gate and the wide gate in chapter 7, to the final judgment of the Nations in chapter 25.
Understand this, the Kingdom of Heaven affects all people, as it will eternally separate the wicked from the righteous.
52 And he said to them, “For this reason every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of the house who brings out of his storeroom new things and old things.”
This last part of the parable of the Fishing Net points to the truth that God’s revelations through Jesus as witnessed in the New Testament do not deny or change one word of God’s revelations as witnessed in the Old Testament and both are necessary for the God-centered, truthful and authentic witness of the treasures of the Kingdom of Heaven.
What we haven’t discussed are the first two parables in Matt. 13. The Parables of the
Sower and the parable of the Wheat and Weeds. The parable of the Sower (some seeds
fell on rocky ground others on thin soil still other seeds were eaten by birds) shows that
people will respond to the Word of the Kingdom differently. Those that hear and
understand the Word will bear spiritual fruit many times greater that expected. This
unexpected abundance is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Parable of the Wheat and Weeds (weeds were sown in a field of wheat by the
landowner’s enemy) reveals the Kingdom truth that Satan will actively oppose the
spread of the Word and there will always be children of the evil one with us to the end of
this Kingdom Age, then judgment will be God’s who will separate the wheat from the
weeds.
These short commentaries give you a sense of the Kingdom truths Jesus revealed
through these parables recorded in Matt. 13. There are many layers to these kingdom
truths, let’s review just a few of these layers.
• This Age of the Kingdom / Church will be characterized by the preaching of the Word. (Preaching the Word is not limited to just verbal preaching I’m talking about preaching in all forms which can be summarized simply as Living” the Word in full view of the world.)
• The power of the Word does not depend on the preacher but on God’s Holy Spirit.
• Those who preach will be those people who have responded to God’s Word.
• The preaching of the Word will include God’s Revelation to the chosen people as witnessed in the Old Testament and God’s New Revelations through Jesus given to His disciples as witnessed in the New Testament.
• Satan will resist the spread of God’s Kingdom through the scattering of false, misleading doctrines. Satan will resist our turning to the light by planting bad seed who will be stumbling blocks to our spiritual maturity, who will curse us, torture us and kill us.
• The Church, despite its insignificant beginnings, will prosper and become an essential part of God’s Plan. Remember, even though Satan will actively resist the influence and growth of the church, the church will flourish.
• The Church will expand and influence the whole world.
• Some people will find the Kingdom without consciously looking for it, not knowing they desired God. And some people will find the Kingdom by intentionally and consciously searching for it.
• The Kingdom of Heaven will affect all people either for salvation or damnation and only at the end of this Church Age will God separate the children of God from the children of the evil one. Until then we will grow along side each other and like the weeds in the wheat field our roots/ ancestry are entwined for we have all inherited original sin. It is God who will judge not us.
All of this points to the ever-present work of God’s Holy Spirit in this world, historically, politically, socially, in communities of faith and secular, in individuals of faith and not of faith. God’s Holy Spirit is at work in everyday people in everyday life and is in control, past, present and future.
Now, you know that God will decide who is righteous and who is not worthy. You know we must keep our focus on the Lord not on the children of the evil one. Remember at our judgment God will not ask us if we correctly understand reform theologies or if we understand church polity. God will not ask how much we tithed or if we sat in the front pew of the church every Sunday. This is how we will be judged. (See Matt. 25: 34-26)
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
We accept that judgment is the Lord’s, we refrain from substituting our judgment for God’s judgment. We do not focus on the weeds; we maintain our focus on God and Jesus’ great commission. We continually place ourselves before God for God’s transforming work so our lives produce the Fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We are empowered through these Fruits of the Spirit to feed the hungry, quench the thirsty, welcome and cloth the stranger, care for the sick and comfort the prisoners.
I want you to hear what life lived by the Fruits of the Spirit sound like.
This is from a song written by Jimmy Dean.
I never made a fortune and it's probably too late now
But I don't worry about that much, I'm happy anyhow
And as I go along life's journey, I'm reaping better than I sowed
I'm drinking from my saucer, cause my cup has overflowed.
I ain't got a lot of riches, and sometimes the goings tough
but I've got kids who love me and that makes me rich enough
I just thank God for his blessings and the mercies he's bestowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer, cause my cup has overflowed.
I remember times when things went wrong, and my faith got a little thin
but then all at once the dark clouds broke, and the sun peeked through again
so Lord help me not to gripe about the tough rows I hoed
I'm drinking from my saucer, cause my cup has overflowed.
And if God gives me strength and courage, when the way grows steep and rough
I'll not ask for another blessing, I'm already blessed enough
And may I never be too busy to help another bear his load
I'll keep drinking from my saucer, cause my cup has overflowed.
Is God’s Holy Spirit at work in you, is God’s Holy Spirit revealed to this broken world through you and your community of Faith?
Do you drink from your saucer cause your cup has overflowed?
