Mini Reflection
Matthew 13 31-33, 44-52
The first two parables (verses 13;31-33) were a bit confusing to me since I know absolutely nothing about planting or baking bread. I know a few friends who have talked about how the pandemic gave them a green thumb or they became a baker, but me, no thank you. I despise planting things because 1) it takes too long to grow 2) plants are annoying: too much water: die. Too little water: die. Too much sun: die. Too little sun: die. My neighbor asked me to watch her plants for a weekend and I ended up crying because they started wilting and I had no idea why. And baking bread seems less emotionally taxing but still a lot of work so I avoid doing that at all cost. Store Bought bread is just fine with me.
But doing research on the parables taught me some things I would have naturally missed since I have little experience in planting or baking. First, the idea of the mustard seed becoming a tree is a bit of an exaggeration. Earlier Jesus’ followers would have been like: what are you talking about?
Now don’t get me wrong, the mustard seed could grow into a big shrub, I think some of the commentaries I read suggested they could reach about 10 feet. So still pretty big, but certainly not tree-like. And in the second parable, the woman puts three measures of flour, which to me is like, ok? I don’t know what that means. But evidently, that is a lot of flour. In fact, that’s enough bread for a feast!
So what possible lessons could be learned from this? I will quickly discuss two. But before I do, let me lay down my theological biases. A central component of my personal theology is of a God who works with us to create the Kingdom of Heaven. It doesn’t mean God can’t work unilaterally or doesn’t, but I firmly believe that when push comes to shove, God seeks to work with us.
I say this, just because some of the commentaries I read, would hate my interpretations of the parables and some specifically, “don’t interpret it this way.” But in some commentaries, the line between Biblical scholarship and theological biases and opinions is blurred. So I just want to be upfront of where I fall theologically.
Point 1: both planting and baking bread are a process. It's the main reason I don’t like doing either of those. In a similar way, the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven is a process. In some Christian circles, the Kingdom of Heaven is portrayed as something that will appear rapidly, maybe after the rapture or at the end of the world. But in these parables, the Kingdom of Heaven is something that is being both cultivated in the here and now in the future. God is working with us, as we do what we can to create a more just and equitable world. Sure, we may not see the full ramifications of our working together with God, in the here and now, but we can trust that God is still working.
Point 2: The end result will be so much bigger than we can imagine. For first-century readers a mustard seed becoming a tree is most likely absurd, and one woman putting so much flour to make so much bread is a bit much. But God isn't bound by human limitations.
God takes what is often small and can multiply it beyond our imagination. When we are working towards creating a just and equitable world, sure some of the work is large-scale and glamorous, with lots of press attention. However, more often than not the work is tedious and repetitive and from our human eyes, can seem useless. Yet to God no small work is ever wasted.. The work we do, as individuals, as a congregation, as a People of God matters. Because we do not do this work alone but in conjugation with God, no action we do is ever wasted.
The second set of parables (verses 44-46) talk about people who have discovered something valuable and sell all they have to attain it. I was thinking, what modern equivalent can I use to describe that level of commitment and over-the-top reaction? Bear with me guys, if you know me, well I think you can see where I am going. But for me, a modern parable might be: the Kingdom of Heaven is like the swiftie who sold her car to buy floor seats to the Eras tour.
Or the Kingdom of Heaven is like the two Swifties waiting outside the stadium, who splurge on last-minute tickets from StubHub and run into the stadium five minutes before Taylor Swift gets onstage. For those who aren’t swifties, spending money on tickets seems like a waste. And don’t get me wrong, there needs to be a discussion on privilege and wealth within the Taylor Swift fandom.
But the part I want to emphasize and that I think relates to the gospel reading: is the over the top responses swifties have had to getting tickets. For Swifties, this wasn’t just a concert but it was a whole experience, where people spent months planning each detail of their trip or spent months trying to get tickets.
In the gospel reading, the person buying the field and the merchant buying the pearl, have stumbled upon what they viewed to be as great treasure and as a result, they were willing to pay what they believed it was worth or even above. The point isn’t to hoard the Kingdom of Heaven, but rather to recognize its worth and to respond in kind. Are we as passionate about the Kingdom of Heaven as the merchant or the man were in buying the pearl and the land? Or as a Swiftie hoping to get tickets to the Eras Tour? If not, how do we foster that passion?
And the final parable (13:47-50) is reminiscent of last week’s parable of the weeds and the wheat but in this case, there is a net that captures all manner of beings. but it isn’t until the net is brought to shore that the edible worthwhile stuff is separated from what is inedible and worthless. When I read this parable and others similar to it, I think about how much the institutional church seems so intent on gatekeeping and ridiculing whomever we feel doesn’t belong.
Now don’t get me wrong there are some harmful theological ideas that should be spoken out against-if a theological ideal espouses say violence or fascism, we definitely shouldn’t take a hands-off approach and we should push back against those ideas but more often than not some of the theological debates we have aren’t a matter of life or death but often a desire to figure out who is in and who is out. and many times who is in and who is out depends on who we like or deem worthy of God’s love. If, for example, I see one more debate on Twitter about open vs closed communion and who is “right” I may scream.
But what if, instead of believing we are the ones to decide who is a good enough Christian to be in our inner circle, we just let God make the judgment? What if we don’t have to decide who is in and out? I don’t know about you, but for me, that takes a lot of the pressure off.
Image: Black background and images of pearl necklaces. Text: Are we as passionate about the Kingdom of Heaven as the merchant or the man were in buying the pearl and the land? Or as a Swiftie hoping to get tickets to the Eras Tour? If not, how do we foster that passion?
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