Today’s scripture: Luke 13:18-21 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (David Zier):
As I read these short, well-known parables of the mustard seed and the yeast, I thought about the question, “What is the kingdom of God like?”
My first thought was to overthink — the folks Jesus was talking to may not have known much about how seeds become trees, and I was trying to get into the complex understanding of what we know, versus what we don’t know. I tried to compare it to something I could relate to today, but then I realized, “Why am I trying to outthink a parable of Jesus!”
The kingdom of God is something that does not stand still. It is not something fixed, but grows. Like the seed grows into the tree and the birds perch in its branches, the kingdom of God is growing and expanding as I plant seeds in my world all around me. We aren’t supposed to just wait out our time here for the next phase of our existence in heaven, but we are a part of that Kingdom of God. What we do here matters.
The mustard seed growing into that tree is the outward expansion of the Kingdom of God.
The yeast can symbolize what happens when we allow God’s rule to grow inside us. It’s another kind of expansion of the Kingdom of God.
I don’t think Jesus was using these parables so that we could understand something we could not yet experience. I think the Kingdom of God is something that we should be experiencing now, and we should be working with God in our lives now to expand God’s realm.
So as I say this, I think to myself, where am I? Am I doing my part in bringing about the Kingdom of God inside and around me, or am I just sitting around, waiting for something yet to come?
Thought for the day: Is the kingdom of God expanding within me and around me?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.