The Kingdom/Reign of God

Genesis 29:15-28; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Let’s start with some background material. Last week I promised to talk about what a parable is and how it is sometimes so hard to understand. A parable is similar to one of Aesop’s Fables, except it includes God’s activity.

·       A parable includes everyday images, something we are familiar with. In Galilee, it was farming and fishing. In Gainesville, it would be students, the cost of attending school, crowded streets, and beggars on the corners – something Jesus would have been very familiar with.

·       A parable addresses an aspect of human nature, so in Gainesville it might be anxiety, grades, food and housing insecurity.

·       A parable teaches us something about God’s love. I hope I don’t need to explain that!

·       A parable tells us something about the Kingdom of God. I’ll get to that in a moment.

·       And a parable includes a surprise element, an unexpected twist. Last week the parable of the weeds among the wheat surprised us with the insistence on leaving the weeds until the time of the harvest.

We don’t use the form of parables very often today, but we do use metaphor and simile, a lot. I found this on Facebook the other day. A 5^th grade teacher asked her class to watch TV ads and see if they could use them to create a simile that says something about God. Here are some of the answers. They, too, have a twist in them, like Jesus’ parables.

·       God is like … COKE, he’s the real thing.

·       God is like … HALLMARK CARDS, he cares enough to send the very best.

·       God is like … DIAL SOAP, aren’t you glad you have him? Don’t you wish everybody did?

… The Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew, refers to God’s presence, God’s love, God’s mercy and forgiveness. Matthew uses the word Heaven because some Jews do not speak God’s name. Some folks have understood the Kingdom of Heaven to mean what happens after we die. It’s a PLACE we hope to go to, but we only get there if we do the right things, pray the right prayers, and so forth.

But the Kingdom of God is not a place, it’s a presence, an activity. It has no specific location, not even UP. Because I want to be clear about what the Kingdom of God is, I usually refer to it as the Reign (R-E-I-G-N) of God. The ELCA lectionary often uses the term Dominion of God, but I prefer reign better because it’s both a noun and a verb.

So, when Jesus refers to the Kingdom of God/Heaven, he is really referring to God’s merciful presence. It has already come; it is already active. Was it here at the beginning? I believe so, yes. Will there be a final coming of Jesus, a cataclysmic event? The way climate change is going, perhaps, but that is an event of our own doing, not God’s. And only God knows the rest of the answer to that question.

… Now, let’s turn to the story of Jacob and his love for Rachel. As we have been following the story from Abraham and Isaac and now Jacob, we remember in each generation, God’s plan is that all families on earth are blessed through this line of Abraham’s family. Sounds like the Reign of God to me, despite all the twists and turns the story has had so far.

Last week, Jacob was on the lam, running away from his brother Esau because he had stolen his birthright and father Isaac’s final blessing. This week, his Uncle Laban cheats Jacob out of his preferred wife Rachel. Just how this happens is a bit of a mystery.

Why did Jacob not see the bride before the vows were said? How did he not know it was Leah instead of Rachel once they got to bed? “Inquiring minds want to know!” Is this a parabolic twist to show that both daughters had value? As it turns out, Leah and the two slave women all have children before Rachel does. More of God’s twists in the Reign. Again, it is mostly Rachel’s sons that will carry on the blessing.

… Now, let’s look at these parables. Some quick points we wouldn’t perhaps notice. A mustard seed is small. Some varieties can get large, at least according to Google. Many people have many views on the question of “Did a mustard tree even exist?” “Could birds nest there?” The apparent twist is that something so small can become so large. “We say, “From tiny acorns, giant oak trees grow.” The reign of God will become as large as a huge, sturdy tree.

Three measures of flour is about the size of a 50# bag in our time. Can you imagine the amount of bread you would get if you added sourdough starter to 50 pounds of flour? It’s commercial bakery amounts! The only way I can visualize it is when I remember Lucille Ball pulling a loaf of bread out of her oven and it kept coming and coming and coming!

Simply put, these parables indicate the kind of growth the reign of God will have in the future.

Can you imagine using your metal detector and finding a pirate treasure chest in someone’s yard? In order to legally acquire it, you sell your own house and use that money to purchase the land the treasure lies under. Or selling everything you own in order to purchase a priceless pearl you fine at a Sotheby’s Auction?

These two parables refer to the value of the reign of God – it’s worth giving up everything that is important to you in order to be part of it.

The parable of the fish in the net is rather like the one of the weeds in the wheat field. It’s up to the harvester to determine the value of each fish. It’s not up to us humans to judge others, whether they are good fish or bad ones. Since the harvesters are angels, God’s messengers, it’s likely a lot of fish we assume are bad will end up in the good pile.

So, the reign of God is a continuation of the promises made to Abraham and Sarah, it’s worth giving everything up for, and it is way more inclusive and merciful than we like to think. Here, we could pick up a line from Paul’s letter to the Romans. “If God is for us, who is against us? God’s very Son was not spared, but was given up for all of us.

… This week, I encourage you to ponder how you think about the kingdom/reign of God. And, how do you experience the reign of God here at church? At home or work? How can you describe it? Is there a story you can tell to help your neighbor understand it? Is there a TV commercial that fits the purpose?

Above all, remember that the reign of God means God is always present with you, offering love and mercy to all, including you, no matter what you are going through. Amen