What can we learn about the kingdom of God
from the parables of Jesus?
As he does with the loaves and fishes, Jesus multiplies his parables. In Matthew’s Gospel, he speaks to the crowd using parable after parable, among them the parables of the weeds, the mustard seed, the yeast, and more. The first of these stresses the time required for the kingdom of God to grow, and its limitations on earth. When a man sows good seed in his field but his enemy sows weeds all through the wheat, the man does not rip out the weeds – his concern is that the good might be cast out with the bad, and so forbearance must be shown to all who might potentially play a part in that kingdom. After all, the Book of Wisdom tells us, God judges with clemency, and governs with leniency. Psalm 86 echoes the idea that God is merciful and gracious to all: Lord, you are good and forgiving, sings the psalmist, praying for mercy. It isn’t up to us to predict – or second guess – God’s judgment, but to trust in God’s wisdom in all things. And God, in God’s wisdom, will make the kingdom grow.
The parables of the mustard seed and of the yeast add a nuance to this discussion of the kingdom. Both are tiny – the smallest of all seeds, a bit of leaven – yet both yield tremendously, and so it should be with God’s kingdom: starting with the most insignificant and hidden of elements, God is an irresistible force that will transform all of creation. So even if we don’t see huge results in our individual efforts to make the kingdom a reality, we need to persist, to keep on keeping on… for God, in God’s wisdom, will make the kingdom grow.
The parables of Jesus are not easy to understand; indeed, he spends a good deal of time explaining them to his disciples, and whoever has ears ought to hear. In his Letter to the Romans Paul suggests additional assistance when deciphering of the parables: the Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness, helping us not only to pray in the traditional sense of the word, but also to discern the meaning of the Scriptures, so that we might be receptive to the challenges they pose, open to the eager yet sometimes inexpressible revelations of God and of the kingdom God is growing around us all the time.
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