Lk 13:18-21
And Jesus continued speaking, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? Imagine a person who has taken a mustard seed and planted it in his garden. The seed has grown and become like a small tree, so that the birds of the air shelter in its branches.”
And Jesus said again, “What is the kingdom of God like? Imagine a woman who has taken yeast and hidden it in three measures of flour until it is all leavened.”
REFLECTION
The mustard seed is very small, hardly greater than dust. However, a mustard tree is bigger than any garden plant. That is why birds can nest in its branches. Similarly, yeast is insignificant, but its effect is great: the whole mass of dough rises.
Why did Jesus use these parables to explain the Kingdom of God?
He knew the Father’s will and he had prophetic vision. Beyond human empires – Roman, Byzantine, Arabic, Mongol, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, British, French, German, American…- the Kingdom of God is not the fruit of military and powerful conquests; the salvation it brings is for eternity; its visible presence is however a growing nest for humankind and its effects transform human history and even the entire creation.
As Christians, do we consider ourselves through the Church in Christ, as instruments of this universal expectation of the kingdom of justice, holiness and peace forever?
Only in heaven will we enjoy the kingdom of God that we forefeel now in hope.
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