Posts Tagged ‘Matthew 13: 24-30’

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Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43

The focal point of much of Jesus’ preaching and teaching in the gospels is “the kingdom of God.”

The opening of Mark’s gospel tells us that Jesus “came into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’” (Mk 1:14-15)  Of course, this kingdom that Jesus proclaims is quite unlike the kingdoms of the world that we human beings know from experience:

God’s reign is not about exerting authority; it’s about offering service;
it is not about dominance and power; it’s about humility;
it is not about being first or greatest; it’s about identifying with the lowly and the poor.

Here in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus employs a number of images or metaphors to introduce the concept of God’s kingdom to his hearers, most of whom were peasants, subsistence farmers, living in an agrarian society.  Jesus speaks about agriculture, about planting and harvesting, about sowing seeds – images easily understood by the people.  His images regularly startle and surprise his listeners, and us. Over and over again, his point seems to be that this kingdom of God is never quite what we expect. Read More