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Matthew 13:31-33 31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
Matthew 13:44-52 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
The Kingdom of Heaven is like…
Jesus was a master storyteller. His parables tease our minds into insight rather than provide a simple explanation. They are riddles that both conceal and reveal. A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a spiritual lesson. Jesus often used them to convey profound spiritual truths in a relatable and memorable way. The word “parable” comes from a Greek word which means “comparison” or “illustration.” Parables typically employ everyday situations and characters, making them accessible to a wide audience.
Five times in our verses this morning Jesus tells a parable comparing the kingdom of heaven with some very common ordinary things found here on earth. I think a good place to start this morning is with a discussion of the kingdom of heaven. Only Matthew uses this term, the other gospels use kingdom of God. Both mean the same thing though. Kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God, same thing. The kingdom is God’s sovereign reign and rule manifested through Jesus Christ.
We’re not used to the idea of a kingdom nowadays. We don’t live under a king or queen, we have a representative democracy. In fact, yesterday was “No Kings” Day and many protested against actions of Trump saying he wanted to be king. We could use other words for kingdom; dominion, reign, empire, realm, any of these would work. The kingdom of heaven isn’t a geographic one, it is the in-breaking of God into the world, it has begun but is not complete, it has been described as the now and not yet. Think of what we pray each week in the Lord’s Prayer, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We are praying for the in-breaking of the kingdom, for the increase of the kingdom.
The kingdom of heaven is not a place; you can’t find it with Google Maps. The kingdom of heaven exists in the hearts of people who have surrendered their lives to God. This kingdom exists in the changed hearts of people everywhere who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, where peace and justice rule rather than greed and power. Where love is stronger than hate, where Jesus has conquered sin and grace abounds.
Now let’s turn to the first two parables; the mustard seed and the yeast. At this point Jesus is preaching to all the people. These two parables were told to the crowd, everyone heard them. I think we are so used to them we don’t hear the element of surprise in each one. While the mustard plant could grow to be eight to ten feet tall it really wasn’t a tree where birds could build nests and seek shelter. One would think that if the kingdom of heaven were to be compared to a tree in Israel it would be compared to the massive cedars of Lebanon, in our country we would compare it to one of the towering redwoods of California but the mustard bush? Hardly! Yet this is what Jesus compared it to so there must be something else going on here. Cedars and redwoods are majestic trees compared to the lowly mustard plant. That just doesn’t make it as an image of the kingdom yet it is what Jesus used. Why did he use it? What is special about the mustard bush is that it springs up almost overnight. The parable of the mustard seed is that a tiny seed grows beyond all expectation. Despite the humble beginnings of the lowly mustard seed it yields amazing growth. In Jesus’ parable it becomes something it isn’t in reality, it becomes a home for birds. It became far more than it could be.
Now compare this to the beginnings of Christianity. Twelve disciples in a backwater area of the mighty Roman Empire, one hundred twenty people gathered in a room on Pentecost, what could they possibly accomplish? Just as the mustard seed produces phenomenal growth so did the early church. Why, after Peter’s first speech in Acts three thousand joined them. In our current time, there are over two billion Christians worldwide. The kingdom of heaven produces abundantly.
Next Jesus tells the parable of yeast. Now I’ve heard the parable of yeast many times but I never stopped to think of how much flour was involved. Three measures doesn’t sound like much, does it? I always envisioned a woman working in her kitchen and making a loaf of bread. I’ve made bread before, you measure out the flour and add one package of yeast.
I was very surprised to learn that three measures of flour is about fifty pounds of flour and would produce enough bread for more than one hundred people. How much yeast would you need to add? I did the math, well, actually Google did it for me. It would be just over 1 cup of yeast. Again, here is the idea of a bountiful yield. The parable of yeast involves such a large amount of flour, it produces enough bread for a banquet. There is an element of extravagance and surprise here.
These two parables tell us about the kingdom. We learn that it can be hidden at times but will be revealed in its full glory in time. Small and insignificant beginnings will yield flourishing outcomes. In Zechariah 4:10 the angel tells the prophet, “do not despise the day of small beginnings.” God often moves in unseen, quiet ways that lead to great transformation. Here in the parables we see that what has started small will spread throughout the world just as the leaven acted on all the flour so will the kingdom eventually encompass the world. The bland flour of the world will be transformed into the joyous bread of life. As it says in Philippians the day will come when “Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Mustard and yeast: common ordinary things that can point to the kingdom. They tell us God is active, the kingdom is now, leave behind the world of the practical and ordinary everyday life that treats God as irrelevant and enter a new world where God is the primary reality, the supreme reality, the overwhelming reality.
When we come to the next two parables the scene has shifted. Verse 36, which I didn’t read, tells us “Then he (Jesus) left the crowds and went into the house.” So Jesus is now alone with the disciples. These next two parables are not for the crowds, these were told only to those who were already committed to Jesus. We could say they are insider parables. I’ve always liked these two parables. I love the idea that finding the kingdom is worth any price. God is worthy of all I own. It’s a radical concept calling for radical discipleship. In these parables, we see two different kinds of people who find the kingdom. The one who finds it buried in the field wasn’t looking for it but when he found it, he still recognized its worth. The other had been in search of it and when it was found, it was worth both the search and the cost. In both these parables, the person knows something others don’t. The kingdom of heaven is worth any price, it is beyond value. This is an insider parable. Both people engage in extraordinary and risky behavior in order to possess what they treasure. These parables are about the all-surpassing value of the kingdom of God and the exclusive demands it makes on us. They are about being willing to sacrifice all for kingdom purposes and the whole-hearted commitment that is demanded by the kingdom. It redefines our priorities.
Like buried treasure God’s activity is hidden and must be discovered. The emphasis needs to be not on our finding but on our response to the find. This is not an individual search for something that can be possessed, it is not about the necessity of renouncing material possessions. The kingdom is about something God is doing that is received as a gift. When people truly encounter the kingdom and realize what it is, it enters their hearts, seizes their imaginations, and overwhelms them with its precious value.
These parables bear witness to some of the varied ways the kingdom can break into our lives. Some of us have been seeking, hungry for meaning and purpose and when we find the kingdom we recognize its value immediately. Others of us are not seeking; we are just getting on with our lives. Suddenly something changes and all at once life becomes holy, God is near and everything else fades before the glory of the kingdom. As Jesus said earlier in Matthew, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Mat 6:21) Jesus uses parables of treasure to stir hearers to seek for a treasure far greater than any on earth.
Next Jesus tells a parable that compares the kingdom of heaven to a fishing net from which the catch must be separated into good and bad fish. He says this is how it will be at the end of the age; the righteous will be separated from the evil.
This is not a happy parable. This says there is a hell and some will end up there, final judgment, separation from God. There is no easy universalism here. In a time when we are taught to be accepting of others this can be hard to hear. Yet if we don’t warn people, if people don’t know that their eternal destiny is at stake, how will they be saved? Romans 10 says, “For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And then asks, “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?”
The kingdom is serious. When God is present among us, division is certain. Some will recognize God’s presence, others will not. Some will become part of the kingdom; others will go back to the world. Gospel life and proclamation generate decision and division. While we are to proclaim the good news to all we are also to remember that the job of sifting the good from the bad is best left to God, let the grace flow freely and hopefully.
“Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven (that’s each of us) is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasures new and what is old.”
The mustard seed is still growing and there is more flour to be leavened. When God is on the move, the results may astonish us. That’s the good news of the gospel. The kingdom is coming. It may surprise us, it may be unexpected, but it is coming. Never forget that, never let go of that fact. The kingdom of God is worth any price because Jesus paid the ultimate price for our salvation and our God is priceless.
After telling these parables, Jesus asks the disciples if they have understood. When they answer, “Yes” he tells them one final parable. Jesus finishes by telling His disciples that those trained for the kingdom are like someone who brings out treasures old and new. Our old treasure is the ancient truths of Scripture and our new treasure is the fresh work of God in our lives today.
Jesus spoke in parables not to confuse us, but to invite us to listen more deeply. The secrets of the Kingdom are revealed not just to the clever or religious — but to those with open, humble hearts.
In Matthew 13:9 Jesus says, “He who has ears, let him hear.” He says this six times in the gospels. May we be people who have ears and hear. May we hear, understand, and bear fruit — for the glory of God.