From nothing to something!

Luke 13:18-21

So Jesus said to them, "To what is the kingdom of God like, and to what will I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his garden; and it grew until it became a tree, and the birds of the air found a lodging in its branches. Again Jesus said, "To what will I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened."

Food for thought!

Jesus wants his listeners to understand the kingdom of God. For him, the kingdom of God is like, that is, is similar to the mustard seed. The kingdom of God is not the mustard seed, and the mustard seed is not the kingdom of God. But the dynamics of the kingdom of God are like those of a mustard seed; although the two realities are different, they are similar.

The grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is very small, grows up and becomes formidable tree, that puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. Though very small, when the mustard seed is sown upon the ground, grows into something very big indeed, which welcomes and accommodates other creatures. Jesus is saying that from its small beginnings comes great endings. This is the gist or essence of the parable of the mustard seed.

Again Jesus said, "To what will I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened."

As we might know, behind all things there is a leaven, there is an idea or ruling principle. We all have it; we are all driven by something. There is some idea or philosophy or principle or force that drives us in what we do. As it has been stated by others, there is a ruling principle for each one of us. We may not know it, but it is there. There is a guiding force, a controlling assumption, a directing conviction behind everything that happens. It may be unspoken; it may be unknown to many; most likely it’s never called by any name. But it is there, influencing every aspect of our life.

We do not see the leaven working but all the time it is fulfilling its function. We too, don't and can't see the change and transformation at work; it is as if nothing is happening in us. Jesus assures us that, like a seed growing, like yeast in flour, the change and growth are there, day and night. This is what Paul told us in Rom 8:22-26

All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. 23 These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. 24 That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. 25 But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy. 26 Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.