Slices
Prepare
Pray: ‘Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting’ (Psalm 139:23,24).
Bible passage
The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast
31 He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.’
33 He told them still another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about thirty kilograms of flour until it worked all through the dough.’
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
‘I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.’
The parable of the weeds explained
36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.’
37 He answered, ‘The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40 ‘As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
Explore
A Victorian Sheffield businessman travelled the world collecting plants and seeds to put in his garden. Two of those seeds have grown into two of the tallest trees in the county and, as the gardens are now publicly owned, everyone can enjoy the sight of giant redwoods. Tiny seeds have the potential for tremendous growth. Microscopic yeast cells, in leaven, when mixed with dough, multiply and completely transform it.
Many in Jesus’ time were expecting the arrival of the kingdom of heaven to be spectacular. Its arrival had begun gradually, but it had spread and was still spreading.
Jesus used parables more than any of his contemporaries (vs 34,35). Matthew sees this foretold by the psalmist (Psalm 78:2).
The disciples may have recognised Jesus’ allusion to the passage in the book of Daniel that foretells the final arrival of God’s reign, when his people will shine like stars and those who have opposed God will face judgement (Daniel 12:1–4). The parable of the weeds was about the coming of the kingdom of heaven in all its fullness when justice prevails and evil is removed.
Respond
Are you involved in or aware of any project that is like the seed planted in the soil or the yeast mixed with the dough, bringing the values of God’s kingdom into the world? Pray for all involved.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Job 24–26; Luke 21
Pray for Scripture Union
Praise God for all who faithfully serve him through Scripture Union – staff, trustees, volunteers, Faith Guides and Local Mission Partners. Give thanks for how God has blessed each person with unique skills, gifts and opportunities to reveal Jesus to the next generation. (This week's prayer relate to this article.)
Because a strong start begins with smart preparation
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