Written by Paul Lane
The Word
18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
Luke 13:18-21 (ESV)
11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Hebrews 4:11-13 (ESV)
Reflection
leaven
1a: a substance (such as yeast) used to produce fermentation in dough or a liquid
1b: a material (such as baking powder) used to produce a gas that lightens dough or batter
2: something that modifies or lightens
Today we have a scripture that talks about growing a small thing into a big thing, and talks about changing one thing into another. Note that in both cases a small change agent has an outsized effect on a big thing. In the case of a mustard seed, it starts out small and performs the process of turning the soil around it into a big tree. We typically think of this small seed becoming the tree, but that does not make sense. The seed does not have everything it needs to make the tree. It just has the starter kit and the instructions. The tree is the result of faithful and continued attention to the instruction set, bringing in the material around it to make the end product.
In the case of the leaven, you can also see that it is a change agent which sustains a process which converts the material in which it interacts from one state to another. The change agent is not the product.
Jesus says that this is what the Kingdom of God is like. The Kingdom of God is a change agent with an instruction set, changing whatever it interacts with into a desirable outcome. It is faithful to the instruction set, working through every part of the subject at hand.
In Dante’s Divine Comedy, he portrays Hell as a place in which change is rare and never takes hold. It is a human hell. The souls trapped there suffer punishments that match the sins they refuse to release. The farther down you go here, the less change you see. When you get to the bottom of the Inferno you discover Satan himself, stuck in ice, allowing for no change at all. Here you can see an image of what it is like when God’s agent of change is completely taken away.
However, in Daunte’s Purgatorio, souls are confronted with tasks or trials matching their sin, but in this case, change is allowed to occur. God’s change agent is living and active, working a right nature into the souls who are there. As souls journey to the top of Mount Purgatory, the change agent becomes more active and effective. In these souls hope is inspired and continually growing.
Application
No fears, Daunte wrote the Divine Comedy before the church split into Catholic and Protestant, so it’s fine. One need not believe in an actual Purgatory to learn from this poem. The difference in these two situations is not the trial that the souls suffer, but rather the willingness of the soul to accept God’s work in their lives. If the Kingdom of God is to work in your life, you have to be willing to accept the changes.
Also note that the seed and the leaven examples do not allow the material being worked to determine the end product. If it is not consistent with the instruction set, it does not go through the change. It is God’s plan that matters here, not yours. I’m sorry if that disappoints you, but you have to remember that any plans you might want to bring to the process is a distraction from God’s work. Anything you give up here is to your credit, for it makes space for God to will and to do.
Prayer
40 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.4 Blessed is the man who makes
the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.Psalm 40:1-5
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