Jesus and his apostles might seem to the world as an insignificant beginning but Jesus’ parables today hint that the insignificance will be significant indeed.
Starting out things are small
All businesses have to start somewhere and all businesses often start out small.
Jobs and Wozniak started Apple from Jobs’ garage in 1976 and it grew to a company valued over a trillion dollars. The company Nike began with a coach tinkering with shoes and a safely unimportant runner who tried them out.
Quite often businesses and organisations that have success and influence began humbly.
I’m going to introduce you today to Management advisory service. Imagine you are the fly on the wall in the offices of Management advisory service. A company who tries to help companies begin well. So let’s listen in to the conversation between the Management advisory service and a potential client…..
Hello, it’s nice to meet you and welcome to management advisory service. I have your proposal for forming a company before me, do have a seat.
I hope you don’t mind me saying at this early stage but I did find a few discrepancies on your form.
In other words, I couldn’t actually make head or tail of it.
I have your file here
it says you’re 30 years old yes? you are the son of Joseph and Mary, Yes? And for a number of years you’ve been working in your fathers business as a carpenter is that correct?
Your answer to question seven on your application has perplexed me somewhat. the question was: will your company be a public limited company, just a limited company, or a father and son business.
You wrote an everlasting company.
I mean what a ridiculous answer I’ve never heard of an everlasting company. face the facts good man, Companies either have cash flow problems, get forced out of business by strikes, are defrauded by their employees, have too high overheads, cannot obtain raw materials…..
and that’s the good news.
Most cannot pay their creditors interest and land up at the receivers bankrupt.
I’m not being negative about your chances of survival, but it’s my job to help you face the facts man
and this proposal is not a winner.
Are You still interested in forming a company?……
Oh you are?
And father and son would represent your work nicely?
father and son it is then, now let’s move on.
Another concern on your proposal is your proposed personnel……
start small with a dozen employees, but a few million to be added at a later date? what?!?!
Even these first 12 I mean seriously, I wouldn’t be in much of a hurry to recruit them if I were you!
look at their CVs – these four fishermen for example, Andrew, James John and Simon who for some absurd reason you want to call Peter, yes Peter.
Now I need to be honest with you here, so take it like a man there are some hard facts to consider.
pardon?
Listen, listen to be blunt. These men are useless
for instance, take this Thomas fellow. How could you ever motivate a man like him? He’s such a doubter, he would question your every decision
what you need is, a team of men with influence, charismatic personality
People who are strong and decisive….. with good communication skills,
and of course people with contacts within government are most helpful if you know what I mean,
but most of all you need people with brains, not sawdust.
I know you consider this plan serious but you have to admit it is rather unusual.
Personnel issues Aside….
your plans to free the oppressed and recover site to the blind are somewhat ambitious.
Do you know it’s all been tried before the wonder pill the miracle Faith healer pill, the wonderful miracle, faith healer pill it’s all just a fad young man.
Listen to me, forget this signs and wonders idea
with this group of ragamuffins, you have to face it, Jesus. Your staff will never be world changers they’re just ordinary people!
That was adapted from Fish and chips by Barry Boyton.
In the business world God’s business plan for world change seemed ridiculous but as with modern examples of apple and Nike , Our modern saying ‘Great Oaks from Little acorns grow’ rings extremely true.
Jesus and his group of friends might seem to the world as an insignificant beginning but Jesus’ parables today hint that the insignificance will be significant indeed.
Despite the ambivalent and hostile reactions to Jesus and his message, which we can read in chapters, 11 and 12 these parables suggest that God’s purpose will reach its triumphant fulfilment.
Jesus‘s ministry may be unnoticed or disdained for the time being, but the time will come when it will be impossible to ignore it.
The parables
‘All three parables from v24-33 which included those of the wheat and weeds that Bruce looked at last week and those of the yeast and mustard seed from today are all explicitly about the kingdom of heaven and describe different aspects of the new reality which has come into being through Jesus’ ministry. This reality is that God is at work in his world.
The mustard seed, a tiny seed will grow to a massive tree and the yeast hidden in dough will spread causing the dough to rise.
Both of our parables speak of a small, barely perceptible, beginning which results in a spectacular transformation – this is the truth of the kingdom of God.
As we look at these two parables, we need to remember that parables are often exaggerated to convey their point.
Mustard seed
In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a The mustard seed which grows into a big tree which birds flock to and nest in its branches.
In reality Mustard tree isn’t exactly huge – but the parables’ meaning is not dependent on botanical accuracy. It’s what it represents and conjures to the minds of its hearers.
In Jesus’ day The words here conjure up connections to the Old Testament writings that prophesied what Gods kingdom would look like.
There is an image in Daniel 4:12 and 21 of a tree ‘It’s leaves were beautiful, it’s fruit ambundant and on it was food for all, under it the wild animals found shelter, and the birds lived in its branches from it every creature was fed.’ – this speaks allegorically of a kingdom whose dominion extends to the ends of the Earth and incorporate all people.
Likewise in Ezekiel we can read( 17 verse 23) On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it and it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar birds of every kind will nest in it they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. 31:6 all the birds of the sky nested in its boughs all the wild animals gave birth under its branches all the great nations lived in its shade.
The symbolism here suggests that gods kingdom will be extended to the Gentiles too, and that seems to be why Matthew phrases Jesus’s parable in this way, hinting to these prophecies, and helping his readers conclude that God is at work to expand his kingdom to include all nations.
God is at work in the world bringing about his kingdom where Jew and Gentile – all nations will be incorporated and included. Jesus and his friends might in their time have seemed like a group of unlikely world changers but today there are an estimated 2.2billion Christian’s in the world. God is at work changing lives, bringing people into his kingdom.
Yeast
In the parable of the yeast we hear that the kingdom of heaven is like yeast mixed. In the original the verb hid is used to describe this mixing of yeast.
In the ancient world the usual method of bringing about fermentation in bread making was to insert into the new dough a small amount of old fermented dough reserved from the previous baking ( like a sourdough starter) the remarkable thing about the leaven is the expansion it causes in the new dough.
When it’s mixed in you cannot distinguish the starter from the dough it was added to. The starter is hid.
This parable puts a positive spin on the secrets of the kingdom being hid. It seems to convey that that for a while it may seem hidden but it will work it’s way through the world. In Jesus’ day – the part Jesus played in bringing Gods kingdom about was not understood but here we stand centuries later and Gods kingdom truly has grown. it began with a group of common uneducated, fishermen, and farmers carpenters and women tax collectors and disreputable characters.
If the kingdom of heaven is like yeast affecting dough then we can conclude that Those in Gods kingdom have a dramatic effect on society. God can take even the most distasteful character and transform them and then transform society through them. despite its appalling failures down the ages the church has had an amazing record in medical care, social work, education, liberation of women and slaves and the defence of prisoners, the age of the helpless, and those whom society neglects.
Impact of God’s kingdom
The first institution for the blind was founded by Thalasius a Christian monk. The first free dispensary was founded by apPolonius, a Christian merchant. The first hospital was founded by Fabiola, a Christian woman.
There are many other Examples of in history of Christian’s bringing about gods kingdom in the world.
Florence Nightingale was born to wealth in Britain, at the age of 17. She believed that God spoke to her and called her to service. her theology, her knowledge of God, and trust in him, motivated her to commit her entire life, to the cause of alleviating conditions of the poor, especially in hospitals and work houses.
William Wilberforce who lived in the 18th, 19th centuries, was a member of Parliament, he wrote that God Almighty had set before him two great objectives, the suppression of the slave trade, and the Reformation of society. He successfully mobilised Reformation societies which enlisted the signatures as over 1 million English people for a petition to set every slave free.
Mission aviation Fellowship, is a Christian humanitarian aid organisation that today operates 138 purpose-built light aircraft in over 26 countries and partners with more than 2000 humanitarian organisations, including UNICEF, World Health Organisation, the Red Cross, Medicare and tear fund . It Was co-founded by Stuart King who lived in my hometown of Folkestone. He was an RAF pilot in World War II, his faith and skills as a pilot saw him pioneer work to deliver bibles, humanitarian aid, fly in and out of emergencies. All motivated by a love of Jesus and a desire to live out his kingdom
Salt and light
Earlier in Matthews gospel Jesus teaches that in his kingdom his followers are to be Salt and light to the world – Matthew 5:13-16, you are the salt of the Earth but if the salt looses its saltiness how can it be made salty again it’s no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under foot, you are the light of the world a town built on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl instead they put it on it stand and it gets light to everyone in the house in the same way let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.
how are you being called to be salt and light in your homes, friendship groups, communities, jobs, volunteer roles?
Gods kingdom may have started in a seemingly initially insignificant way but it is pervasive and although these parables are mainly an encouragement of God being at work in the world bringing about his kingdom, the bible tells us that we too are part of that plan. That we are to be active in his world. So let’s be active in Gods kingdom as he builds it and grows it.
St. George's Church Ramsgate 