City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

¹⁸ Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

²⁰ And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

Luke 13:18-21

Reflection

From the parable of the mustard seed, I think it is safe to say that there was something that Jesus intended for us to understand about God’s kingdom.  I find it interesting that He ends it with the tree being the basis of the home for the birds, who in the previous parable represented the sons of the evil one.  There’s a nice one for you to spend a bit of time with, but I’ll be moving on to my point.

The seed is but a small fraction of the ultimate tree, but the tree would not exist without it.  The soil sits dumb and mute, hardening as water passes through.  But when the seed is added a process is started in which the soil is changed into the tree.  The seed, having established roots, pulls in nutrients and rejects bits that are not useful for the growth of the tree.  If it encounters something that is too hard the root must go around and find nutrients elsewhere.  The orderliness of the building process is both ingenious and beautiful.   With all of this going on in something as simple as a plane, is it that hard to believe that God know you before you were born?

I think the parable of the leaven is a couplet with the mustard seed parable; a second pass at the same lesson for some of the slower students.  When the leaven is added to the dough, it is a small fraction of the whole amount.  But there is a process that takes place, in which the dough is changed. 

We should take some comfort in that these processes are not reversible.  No one ungrows a tree or unleavens the dough.  Once the change is in, it’s in.  In God’s kingdom, there is a seriousness about the becoming of those who attend.  The doubleminded need not apply.  The lukewarm have no place.  And those who are unwilling to commit will remain on the outside.  Does this sound a bit harsh?  Maybe so.  But the funny thing is that God offers us everything we need, and an opportunity to be exactly who He created us to be.  But when we look at the consequences of not accepting, we conclude that God is just being mean.

Application

The application is simple.  In or out?  God says that you should chose this day who you will serve.  Will it be God, who offers life everlasting or self, who offers the opportunity for you to lock yourself in a room of your making.

Faith, hope, and love remain for you.  They sit at your window.  They knock at your door.  They invite you to come make a new home.  But the only invite.  It is for you to come.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I ask that You continue to make my life according to Your plan and according to Your will.  I accept Your process for my redemption, and I pray for grace and patience as I go through it.  I pray that You make me at home in Your kingdom, carve me into Your image and make me fit for Your purpose.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen.