Second Presbyterian Church

"The Kingdom Illustrated:
Preaching From the Gospel of Luke"
March 13, 2005

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Sermons Homepage » Sermons for 2005 » Sermons for March 2005 » Sermons from the Series on Luke

#44 in the Series on Luke
The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.

• Psalm 126
• Luke 13: 10-35

Today we "cover" four sections, or passages in Luke 13. We have the woman who was healed on the Sabbath. We have the Kingdom of God compared to a mustard seed and yeast. Thirdly we have entrance exams and placement procedures for those who desire to enter the kingdom. And finally we have a lament over Jerusalem. Jerusalem is not an illustration of the Kingdom of God, but it was supposed to be. Let's briefly look at these four illustrations of the Kingdom of God.

We had noted before that Jesus understood that through him the Kingdom of God had indeed drawn near to humankind. His ministry and then his passion would introduced the Kingdom of God and establish its presence permanently. Jesus' return would complete the process.

I
Bound for 18 Years

Our first kingdom illustration has to do with a healing incident that occurred at the synagogue on a Sabbath. A woman attended who was stooped over and could not straighten up. Her condition had been with her for 18 years. Jesus noticed her and healed her. Notable was there was no indication that the woman asked for healing, nor was her healing dependent upon how much faith she had. The healing was initiated entirely by Jesus.

The question raised here is how does this situation illustrate the in-breaking Kingdom of God? The fact that Jesus healed the woman is partly the answer. Whenever healing takes place one can rest assured that the Kingdom of God is near. But there is another, more important way this incident illustrated the Kingdom of God. This story exposed the hypocrisy of how rules are placed upon people in order to bind them. What were the temple leaders upset about? They were so upset that Jesus had "broken" the Sabbath law concerning no work on Sabbath, that they could not see and rejoice in the fact that a daughter of Abraham had been loosed from a condition that had kept her bound for 18 years! Indeed, we can see how the leaders of the synagogue were more interested in keeping people bound to the letter of the law than they were in their actual human situation! When the Kingdom of God draws near, that tendency to loose bonds and free people takes place. First it was the woman bound by her condition. Second, if people are willing to see it, was that people were freed from the artificial tethers of no work on the Sabbath so that healing, kindness and mercy can take place. Jesus wasn't just "working" on the Sabbath; he was tearing away the tethers that keep us from being whole!

II
The Mustard Seed and Yeast

Another illustration of the Kingdom of God is how it works. When an army invades a country it is obvious. D Day was obvious. The day we invaded Iraq was obvious. And the progress of the campaign is obvious. Sooner or later it is accomplished or it is a failure. Either way, it is usually an observable situation.

The Kingdom of God is more subtle, at least for now. It is like a tiny mustard seed. It is planted. It starts growing and after some time it becomes a significant bush, large enough to have birds nest in the branches. The point is that the Kingdom's progress is quiet and subtle, and sometimes not even noticeable. It will not make the headlines of the New York Times. Day by day the Kingdom of God grows, until one day it is accomplished. The day-by-day process may not be observable. At times the Kingdom of God may not even be visible to the casual observer. But it is there. Just as sure as spring follows winter is the Kingdom of God in the process of becoming more and more established until the time comes when the work of the Lord has come to completion and we shall all sit down at the banquet together.

The illustration of yeast in the bread is stating the same thing. The Kingdom of God begins modestly, but by the time the leavening process is completed the entire loaf of bread has been affected - leavened. The beginnings of leavening bread dough seem insignificant enough, but the end product is profound - and tasty. The Kingdom of God is right now mixing it up with the bread of life. It is not so noticeable in most areas of life, but it is there, slowly penetrating all aspects of life until one day it will be noticed as the influence of the entire loaf. It is subtle. We cannot see it everywhere, but the Kingdom of God is present in this world and the church has been called forth to share the Good News of Jesus Christ who has risen from the dead and calls us to be in fellowship with him and with one another.

III
Admission Requirements & Procedure

Once again, the Kingdom of God does things differently than the kingdoms of humankind. We like wide doors. The Kingdom of God has a narrow door. We like doing good things and calling upon God. The Kingdom of God demands faithfulness. Not all who cry, Lord, Lord, are members of the Kingdom. Saying the name of the Lord does not give someone a free pass. Taking up one's cross and following Jesus is the sign of faithfulness. But this is a narrow door. Not many people will enter in that way.

And yet the kingdom God has citizens from all walks of life and geography. They come from north and south, east and west. And they shall all feast at the table of the Lord.

But there will be some differences. Jesus made this remarkable statement about how the last shall be first and the first shall be last. Again, how the world sees life and the importance of humankind is essentially the opposite as to how God values life.

This past week the Presbyterian Men took their turn feeding the street people. Over 52 people came in out of the snowy, rainy, windy weather and enjoyed a hot meal. During the time we were serving these people the thought occurred to me: these are going to be the first into the Kingdom of God. Those whom culture, any culture, considers not very important shall be the ones whom the Kingdom of God shall place first. In the schema of the Kingdom of God, I believe that I shall be one of the last. I have had far too much importance, influence in this culture to be considered seriously as important in the Kingdom of God. But I am not discouraged or dismayed. I much prefer being last into the Kingdom of God than not to be in at all! To be last in the Kingdom of God far exceeds in benefits the alternative of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth (v 28)!

IV
Jesus' Lament Over Jerusalem

Jerusalem was the center of the Hebrew religious cult. When the temple was there, as it was during the time of Solomon, then the second was when Herod built the temple that Jesus visited. Jerusalem was the symbol of the Kingdom of Israel. It was the center of politics and religion. The Judean Kings lived there. People came from all around the world to worship and sacrifice to the LORD.

Yet, as far as an illustration of the Kingdom of God, Jerusalem was a dismal failure. Rather than being the place where the prophets of God were honored, they were abused, beaten, executed! And it was about to happen again. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. He was on his way to his arrest, flogging, and execution. Jerusalem continued to kill the prophets of the LORD, even God's only Son!

A note of irony is introduced by Luke in this passage. Some Pharisees warned Jesus that Herod wanted to kill him. Part of Jesus' response to this warning was that Herod could not kill him, because no prophet perished outside of Jerusalem. Since Jesus was still outside of Jerusalem, he was therefore in no danger!

But the reader has been warned. Luke will bring Herod back into the picture in chapter 23. Yet note that Jesus at that point was in Jerusalem. Herod has no jurisdiction in Jerusalem, but Pilot sent Jesus to him, since Jesus came from Galilee.

Conclusion

In summary we have four illustrations of the in-breaking Kingdom of God. We witnessed chains broken (chains of illness). We witnessed analogies of how the Kingdom is developing. We read how the Kingdom of God does not hold the same value system as the world does. Thus what is important in the world becomes insignificant. What is discounted in the world becomes priority: the poor, the widowed, the orphan, the lame, the sinner.

• What about us?
• How are we doing?
• Do we cry "Lord, Lord" then go about how we are doing things, regardless of what Christ calls us to do?
• Do we trust that the Kingdom of God is still coming near and that someday it shall be completed?
• Do we live by daily taking up the cross and following Jesus?
• Do we seek to value those whom the Kingdom of God values, and to discount our own material affluence?

May our Jerusalem be the New Jerusalem, the one that shall come and replace the old, sinful one. Amen.

The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.