Isn’t it incredible?
Luke 13:18-21. October 25, 2022 - Tuesday, 30th Week
In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses two parables to teach us about his favourite subject, the kingdom of God. He says that “It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden grew into a large bush” and like “yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour that leavened the entire batch of dough”.
In the Old Testament, mighty trees represent powerful earthly kingdoms. In the books of prophets Ezekiel and Daniel, huge trees represent the powerful empires that devastated Israel and Jerusalem. In Jesus’ time, such a tree would refer to the Roman Empire that did the same. The birds living in its branches represent the subjected nations incorporated into those empires. But then, God utters his decree and the towering trees were nowhere to be found. They were replaced by a small shoot that grew into a huge tree and the birds of the sky nested in its branches (Ezek 31:6; 17:23). The message of this parable is clear. The reign of God will replace the mighty empires and all nations and peoples will find shelter in it.
But how will the Kingdom of God replace the mighty empires of the world? We already know that violence is not the way. So what is the way? The image of yeast hidden in three measures of flour that leavens everything gives us the answer. On the day of Pentecost, the fire of the Holy Spirit was placed inside the hearts of Christ’s few disciples and since then they turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). The reign of God takes possession of individual hearts and transforms us from within. And with each person transformed by the message of the Gospel, society gets transformed as well.
The actors in both parables are a man and a woman. The man who planted that mustard seed in the garden reminds us of Adam who was given the task “to work it and take care of” the garden planted by God in Eden (Gen 2:8.15). The woman reminds us of the old and barren Sarah who took three measures of the finest flour, knead it and baked some bread for the three divine visitors; they came to her house with the news that she will become the mother of many nations (Gen 17:15-16).
A man and a woman, created in the image and likeness of God, transformed by Christ’s saving grace, build up God’s kingdom that replaces the mighty empires of this world not through violence but their ordinary work - planting seeds and baking bread. Isn’t it incredible?