The mustard seed needs to be planted today. The yeast must be added to dough even today. At time when religious disaffiliation in rising, the small presence of the seeds of the kingdom can be planted and will grow in your neighbourhood and in mine…
31 Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”
33 Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”
Matthew 13:31-33 NLT
The kingdom of Jesus starts small, like a mustard seed or a small amount of yeast. It grows and spreads slowly over time until it permeates the whole dough. It grows so tall and broad that it offers shade and refuge for birds of the air.
We are on the other side of these parables. When Jesus offered them, the kingdom of God was in their midst but was not yet permeated through the dough. Jesus was bringing the news of the kingdom to earth. The ministry of Jesus and then of his disciples after the resurrection was just starting.
The Book of Acts and the letters to the churches in the New Testament show the permeation across the dough of the Mediterranean and Middle East. We would think that by 2023 we are close to every nation, tribe, and tongue hearing of Jesus and his kingdom.
One mission group which attempts to put numbers against this offers that there are still 7400 people groups making up 3.3B people who have not heard of Jesus. So if you think he isn’t coming until every tribe and tongue has heard (Matthew 24:14), we have much work to do.
Even in places where the church of Jesus was founded and flourished, there are now new generations of people who have not heard of him. Some people may have only ever heard his name as a swear word. They have no idea who is behind that name.
The mustard seed needs to be planted today. The yeast must be added to dough even today. At time when we view Christianity in decline in the western world, as religious disaffiliation rises, the small presence of the seeds of the kingdom can be planted and will grow.
It is impossible to know when Jesus will come, and we are not supposed to know. Rather, we are supposed to plant mustard seeds and add yeast. Be part of the slow spread of the good news in your time…
Amen.
Marc Kinna
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