11th Sunday after Pentecost - Year A
July 24, 2005
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
Like Nothing We Have Known
The kingdom of heaven is like so many things, yet it is like nothing we have ever known. The kingdom is so different that the best Jesus can do is to give us images, images which might allow us a peek. Glimpses of that which can be illuminated through so many things - yet is unlike anything we have ever known. The kingdom of heaven is like so many things, yet it is unlike anything else.
Even so, Jesus realized the importance of giving his disciples a glimpse. Jesus felt the need to share with those who would follow him an insight to this mysterious thing called the kingdom. He understood how important this would be to them as they continued the ministry of proclaiming the kingdom's arrival. It was important for them; it remains important for us.
In Mark, Luke and John, the reference is to the Kingdom of God. Matthew, the Jewish writer of a gospel, finds it difficult to freely use the proper name. Thus he prefers to substitute "kingdom of heaven." A concordance check reveals how often Jesus spoke of this "kingdom" as opposed to speaking of heaven itself. The kingdom of heaven is an image wider and more inclusive than the notion possessed by so many of an exclusive country club in the sky, reserved for those we perceive as righteous. The kingdom may be like some of our mental images, but it cannot be fully captured in those images either.
Our first parable makes precisely this point. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, it may appear very small in its beginnings, but it quickly grows into something larger than would have been believed possible. The kingdom of heaven appears to be an simple reference to a place where God reigns - but it rapidly expands to include so much more.
Remember the story of Jesus as he approaches the city of Jerusalem? He laments over the city's inability to receive her prophets. He acknowledges that Jerusalem stones those who are sent to her; the inhabitants of the city murder those whom God sends. Jesus knows this, Jesus acknowledges this, and yet he cries for the city. He will not feel bitterness against them.
Contrast this with how quickly we write off those whom we consider to be uncooperative with God and God's plan. We are very fast to cry out against the sinners. Thomas Aquinas wrote that it would bring the Christians in heaven an added joy to watch the evil-doers burn in hell. The kingdom of heaven does not include such past-times. The inhabitants of the kingdom lament the fate of non-believers.
Seemingly small - the kingdom which Jesus describes is large enough to encompass more than we realize. It grows and provides shelter to all those in need of rest. The kingdom of heaven is not exclusive - it is inclusive. It welcomes all to come and live within its shade.
The kingdom of heaven is like yeast. It does not exist for itself; rather its purpose is to have an impact on that with which it comes into contact.
Heaven, and talk of heaven, so often centers on MY getting to that blessed and promised place. All too often, talk of heaven becomes some sort of a pep-rally, encouraging us to strive for the prize. The kingdom of heaven is different. In the kingdom, one looses oneself in the process of impacting the lives of others. The yeast interacts until the whole loaf rises.
Understanding the Christian life as an invitation to positively impact the lives of others is my preferred measure of faithfulness. When I hear others talking religious talk, I listen for references to what the individual thinks they will get from all of this, contrasted with references to the good which will come for others. In the kingdom, we are the leaven which makes the loaf rise.
It is important to consider the impact the followers of Jesus have upon the world, especially as we consider the next two parables. In these, Jesus addresses the insurmountable worth of this kingdom. It is like a treasure found in a field or a pearl of great value. In these, Jesus is stating what he will repeat time and again; Seek ye first the kingdom of God. There is nothing which is to be a higher priority.
But I can only imagine myself making the kingdom my first priority - I can only believe that it is the pearl of great worth - when I am allowed to see the kingdom as a reunion of all that God has made. It can only be the precious treasure, hidden in a field, if it includes more than the pious few.
Don’t you just hate it when you hear someone expounding their “I got mine, too bad about you” theology? It is so disappointing to encounter that mindset which seems to rejoice in the leaving behind of others. How terribly self-centered, to allow ourselves to fixate on our eternal fate while ignoring those whom Christ came to save.
We Protestants are quick to criticize the Roman Catholic Church's practice of veneration of the saints. But in our criticism, we may have lost the very important lesson contained in this veneration. The Saints remind us that there is no greater act of faith than to pray for others. When we call upon the saints, we are asking those who have proven their faithfulness to include us in their prayers. Calling upon a saint is a reminder that God's most faithful children are those who devote their lives to intercession on behalf of sinners. In asking the saints to pray for us, we are reminded that salvation will only come when all are saved.
A wide net is cast into the sea. It catches fish of every kind. Our fifth parable acknowledges that contained within the net are the bad and the good. The kingdom of heaven is like such a net - it reaches out to gather everyone. It pulls them in, and does not concern itself with differentiating between the good and the bad.
Heaven may be the exclusive country club for the pious. But the kingdom of heaven welcomes us all, leaving the final division to God and God's angels.
The kingdom of heaven is like so many things, yet it is unlike anything we have ever known. Jesus asks his disciples if they have understood this. He tells them that to understand means they will pull out of their resources much which is old, much which is new. It is this blending together which makes them priests of the kingdom.
We can hold on to our tried and true notions of what heaven is like. We can bring those old images out and share them with others around us. But as scribes for the kingdom, we must also set before others a new vision – a vision of a kingdom where God's reign is secure, where all of creation is welcome.
The kingdom is like so many things, yet it is unlike anything we have ever experienced. May these glimpses move us ever closer to this marvelous gift of God.
Amen.
