#DailyDevotion What’s The Reign & Rule Of Heaven Like?
Matt. 1324Jesus pictured it to them another way: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26When the wheat came up and formed kernels, then the weeds showed up too. 27““The owner’s slaves came to him and asked him, “Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?’ 28“ “An enemy did that,’ he told them. “ ‘Do you want us to go and pull them out? the slaves asked him. 29“ ‘No,’ he said, “if you pull out the weeds, you may pull up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. When the grain is cut, I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first, and tie them in bundles to be burned, but bring the wheat into my barn.”
So Jesus is picturing the kingdom or reign and rule of heaven another way. Three ways to be exact: the parable of the good seed, the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the leaven. Now I find it interesting that Mark and Luke when they cover the last two parables here they do not include the parable of the good seed. So what is Matthew up to to start with the parable of the good seed and follow it up with these two parables? He must be wanting us to see the parable of the good seed in light of these two other parables. One could also ask why don’t Mark and Luke include the parable of the good seed in their gospels in particularly with these two other parables, but we are in Matthew so we’ll perhaps address that question at another time.
As Dr. Jeff Gibbs notes in his commentary, while Jesus does interpret the parable of the good seed, because that is the parable his disciples ask for an interpretation, these three parables are taught to the crowds. He teaches things to the crowds in parables so they don’t understand but is there a point he is driving at to the crowds that he is giving that is different than the one given to the disciples. Dr. Gibbs thinks so and in light of the other two parables I think he is correct.
One thing Jesus is getting at in these parables is the outrageousness of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus exaggerates in these parables to get the people’s attention. No one would leave weeds growing with their wheat. Mustard seeds do not grow up into trees. Women don’t usually handle ten gallons of wheat when making bread.
Things start out small with the reign and rule of heaven. It starts seed like, like leaven. But the seeds and leaven do not stay small. It may take time but eventually they go grow and like the leaven fills the whole lump. Jesus is the manifestation and is the reign and rule of heaven. He is just an itinerant rabbi in the backwoods area of Galilee. He is crucified for treason and buried left for dead. But Jesus does rise from the dead and ascends to the right hand of the Father to begin his rule. He starts off with 12 then 11 apostles and from that faith in him and reign of heaven upon the earth begins to spread till indeed the whole earth is full of his teaching and reign in people’s hearts. Right alongside of Jesus’ teaching are the teachings of the devil whose children are those not part of Jesus’ kingdom. They are with the church always until the end of the age. At the proper time the weeds, the children of the devil will be uprooted and cast into the fire. Then God’s children will reign with God’s son over creation.
Heavenly Father, continually plant your good seed upon the earth and count us with that good seed so we may live and reign in Jesus’ kingdom now and unto life everlasting. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.