Year A
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
The Very Rev. Denise Vaughn
The Spectacular Results of Faith
One day, Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like 3 squared plus 8 squared minus 9.” Thomas looked very confused and asked Peter: “What does the teacher mean?” Peter replied: “Don’t worry—it’s just another one of his parabolas.” Parables and parabolas, alike, can be quite confusing. Whether Jesus was teaching math or discipleship, the purpose of his efforts were to bring the kingdom values alive in stories. It is hard, sometimes, for us humans to understand heavenly things. We see this with the disciples all the time. So Jesus needed to find ways to help them and now us to understand and to think about what is truly important in our lives; if we only have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.
Today we hear several more of the down to earth kingdom parables found in the gospel of Matthew. According to Matthew, who is writing to a primarily Jewish-Christian community, the first thing Jesus does when he comes out of the wilderness is to proclaim, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Jesus demonstrated that nearness every time he healed someone, reached out to outcasts, showed respect for women, or cared for the poor. He also demonstrates that nearness through these kingdom parables where he addresses the ultimate community, the kingdom of God and how that community which started out very small will transform the world. A small group of disciples are part of the divine plan to transform the world. It sounds unlikely; and it certainly sounds difficult.
So Jesus provides a set of visual images to explain how something small can have such a dramatic impact and how the kingdom is worth everything. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which is quite small and yet grows into a great tree. Then he told about what he had most likely seen his mother often do—put a little lump of yeast in the bread dough and soon it would influence the whole dough. Next comes, the story of Jesus using a simple metaphor of a treasure hidden in a field and how a man spent a lot to get that treasure by buying the field. Individually, or together, these parables teach a lesson to disciples who so often count the cost, the possibilities of failure, the meager size of the project compared with the problems addressed, and we never get started in the first place.
But Jesus said—don’t underestimate how a little beginning can grow into spectacular results. To understand the kingdom of heaven he says, these two things are essential, the mysterious, which seems impossible, like the growth of a mustard seed or yeast that makes bread rise, and deep love, that gives rise to commitment, like selling all you have to buy the field that contains treasure, or the pearl of great value. When these two things are combined the mysterious and the love that gives rise to commitment, powerful things occur.
This is at the heart of the parables today. If the Christian venture is worth anything, it is worth everything. God calls for a response, not one that is halfhearted or lukewarm, but one that is full, free, and yes, reckless. Paul’s letter to the Romans provides clear evidence to this reality. Since Paul wrote Romans to introduce himself to a community he had never met, but hoped to visit, he was free unlike his other letters, to present significant theology without the need to address specific questions or problems in the local Christian community.
Thus, Paul writes in today’s lesson, “We know that all things work together for the good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” The apostle to the Gentiles in these few words gives us a significant theological reality: God can and does transform all things so that, in the end, all actions and events will bring good to those with faith. Clearly, this is not an easy reality to see, a mystery, especially with the suffering and events happening in our world, but there is more than adequate evidence to Paul’s statement in the scriptures to know that even in our suffering and trials, God is with us. We are not abandoned.
Paul says, “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He reminds them and us that with God’s help, we too can make it to the finish line. We too, who have a deep love of God, even with a small beginning, if we are willing to sacrifice and pay a price will produce amazing results. We can participate in God’s victory. Paul establishes today the firm foundation that empowers and strengthens those who follow Jesus during the hard work ahead. We can persevere in our mission because nothing “will separate us from the love of Christ.” “In all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
As Paul so beautifully states; “For I am convinced that neither death, not life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God gave God’s son as a love offering on our behalf which means God will do anything, give anything, to make sure God’s mission flourishes. We can live and serve full, free, and yes, recklessly, like Paul without fear, because God will always have the last word and this is what Jesus’ parables remind us today.
When Jesus presents a picture of the seed and the yeast, he presents a picture of the kingdom of heaven that grows and dominates until it is what shapes the world. We may not see this in our lifetime but the kingdom of heaven has the winning power within itself, and invites us along on the journey. The kingdom empowers us so that even though it appears to be insignificant at the start, the essence of greatness and the confidence of success lies within. No wonder people gladly give up everything for the treasure. It is only with eyes of faith that see and ears that hear can we know for certain that the gift we seek, God’s kingdom, is what we will find. Small beginnings, with some leaven of faith and those willing to sacrifice and pay a price, will produce amazing results.