Well, how many here like to garden or take care of plants?
Well, not as many as I thought.
! How many of you here like to bake?
It's kind of similar people.
How many of you here have never watered a plant or baked anything in your life?
Okay, so everybody's done at least a little bit.
If not, then maybe you've at least enjoyed someone else's baking
or something that came from their garden.
Well, this morning we're going to hear is Jesus talks gardening and baking.
And some of you at this moment are wondering if you came to the right church this morning.
But I assure you, this morning's message is not Jesus' five tips on how to get a better garden
or better bread.
You can probably find that in the Davidson Leader.
We've been hearing Jesus talk and teach about the kingdom of God.
And Jesus often used the ordinary and everyday stuff of life in his parables
to teach about the kingdom of God.
So we're going to hear a little bit about gardening and baking.
But Jesus is going to use those things to point to something far greater.
Let me read our passage for us this morning.
It's short.
It comes from Luke chapter 13.
Starting in verse 18.
Then Jesus asked,
What is the kingdom of God like?
What shall I compare it to?
It's like a mustard seed,
which a man took and planted in his garden.
It grew and became a tree,
and the birds perched in its branches.
Again, he asked,
What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?
It's like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about 60 pounds of flour
until it worked all through the dough.
The first thing we notice about these parables
is that they're really short
compared to some of Jesus' other ones.
They're kind of like mini parables.
And we also notice that compared to some of the parables
that we've heard from Jesus recently in this gospel,
the parable of the rich fool,
the parable of the sower,
there's no explanation by Jesus
as to what they mean or how to interpret them.
And so the question, of course, is
how is the kingdom of God like these little stories?
The story of the mustard seed and of the yeast.
What does Jesus want us to understand
from these parables?
Let's start with the mustard seed.
Jesus asked,
What is the kingdom of God like?
What shall I compare it to?
It's like a mustard seed,
which a man took and planted in his garden.
It grew and became a tree,
and the birds perched in its branches.
Now there's been lots of discussion
over the precise species of mustard plant
that Jesus is referring to.
Of course, commentators and scholars
love to do that kind of thing.
Most people agree that it likely wasn't the same
as the mustard plants that are grown in today's farmer's fields.
It could be a reference to a black mustard plant
with black seeds.
They're really small seeds.
And these, I guess, can grow as high as 8 or 12 feet
if they're just let to go.
Another good possibility is that it was this plant that
they call it Salvadora persica.
That's probably the Latin technical name.
This one is also called a mustard tree,
and it grows to over 20 feet tall.
It has these small berries that have a pungent mustard flavor.
But the point of the parable, of course,
is not a lesson in archaeology or botany
or to prove the accuracy of the Bible.
Sometimes we get all caught up in this.
You know, is the mustard seed really the smallest of all seeds?
What about the poppy seed?
Isn't that smaller?
You know, did Jesus mean the smallest of every seed on earth?
Or did he just mean of the seeds that would typically be sown
for gardening purposes?
At some point, we just have to acknowledge
this was written over 2,000 years ago
in a region of the world that's different from ours.
And, you know, are we here to critique Jesus
and his use of metaphor?
Or are we here to understand the point that he's making
through the everyday common thing of his people's day?
And that's why Jesus chose this,
because it was common to the people that he was speaking to
in their region of the world.
So we'll give him the benefit of the doubt,
and we'll assume that there was a kind of plant
that was typically grown in or near the garden
back then in the Middle East
that had a really small seed,
but then would grow to be a large tree.
Now, when we look at the details of this little story,
we notice Jesus brings a few things
in particular to our attention.
The first is the size of the mustard seed.
In Matthew's Gospel,
it's phrased a little bit differently.
Though it is the smallest of all seeds, Jesus says.
So he compares it to other seeds.
And again, not every seed on earth,
but probably those in the gardening arena.
The word for plants that's used here
is specifically those that are like vegetables,
things that would be grown in the garden, or herbs.
Now, for those of you who like to eat vegetables and fruits,
texture some of those seeds in your mind.
You've got your pumpkin seeds,
which are quite large.
You've got your watermelon seeds.
You've got your apple seeds,
which are about the same size as watermelon seeds.
The amazing thing is that inside that little seed
is a whole tree waiting to happen.
Then you've got your cherry tomato seed,
even smaller.
And then you've got your mustard seed,
which is like a tiny little black speck of dirt,
like a mini peppercorn.
And then the next thing we notice is
this mustard seed,
what it becomes.
Depending on what species of tree,
what kind of garden,
we get a different picture here.
But either way, Jesus' point is the same.
Relative to all the other plants in the garden,
it's now the largest.
It's the greatest.
And Jesus' point here is not simply to compare
the mustard seed with other seeds
or trees with other trees,
but to point out the vast
and perhaps surprising difference
between how the mustard plant starts
and how it ends.
Though it is the smallest,
it grows and becomes the largest.
This is the first truth
that we're meant to understand
about the kingdom of God.
It's a kingdom of surprisingly humble beginnings.
It began with people like Abram,
a nobody from Ur of the Chaldeans,
that foreigner who lives over there in the tents,
and yeah, the nomadic shepherd guy.
It begins with a baby in a feeding trough
in a little town,
not the capital city,
in a backwater region of the Roman Empire.
And Jesus, from the perspective of the world around,
not a great son of nobility,
but the son of a carpenter,
maybe conceived out of wedlock,
or so it was rumored,
a guy who would later grow up in Nazareth.
And can anything good come from Nazareth?
It's a kingdom of surprisingly humble beginnings.
Some guy named Jesus,
out at the lake with a bunch of fishermen
and a tax collector and some others,
to many,
a pathetic excuse of a movement
whose Messiah or King
was executed like a criminal
only three years after it started.
The smallest and humblest of beginnings.
There was very little by way of pomp
or fanfare.
And yet,
the kingdom of God
will become the largest of all kingdoms
ever to be seen
or known
in this world.
Interestingly,
this is not the first time
in the Bible
that we have this sort of comparison
of kingdoms.
Long ago in the days of the exile,
there was a man named Daniel.
He was one of the wise men
who served King Nebuchadnezzar.
And
in his days,
this was the Babylonian Empire times,
God gave Nebuchadnezzar
these visions,
these dreams.
And in these dreams,
he reminded Nebuchadnezzar
that even
his
great empire,
his great kingdom
would not be
the greatest
that the world would yet see.
Maybe you know the story
if you've read that
in Daniel.
Nebuchadnezzar's first vision
is of
a statue
with a head
that's made of gold.
And
the meaning of the dream
as you read the story,
his
him and his kingdom
are
that head of gold.
Several kingdoms
would follow after,
that's the rest of the parts
of the statue,
but they wouldn't compare
in greatness
and splendor
to his.
And then,
in his vision,
along comes a rock
and smashes
the statue
to pieces.
And we learn
that the rock
is the kingdom
of God.
A kingdom
that will never
be destroyed,
that will last
forever.
In the dream,
it becomes,
the rock
becomes a mountain
and it fills
the whole earth.
That was the first dream
God gave
to Nebuchadnezzar.
in the second dream,
God shows him
a great tree.
So we've got a tree
thing happening
here again.
And it's the tallest
and the greatest tree
on earth.
Daniel says
that the tree
represents
Nebuchadnezzar
and his kingdom.
But then,
as the vision
continues,
an angel
comes down
from heaven
and calls
for the tree
to be cut down.
And it's left
as a stump
on the ground.
And the meaning
of this
was that
Nebuchadnezzar
would be humbled
until he acknowledged
that the one
true God
of heaven
rules.
And that's
exactly what
happened.
There came a day
when Nebuchadnezzar
himself,
the king
of the Babylonian
empire,
said,
the Lord's
dominion
is an eternal
dominion.
His kingdom
endures from
generation
to generation.
The kingdom
of God,
the kingdom
of heaven
will be the
greatest of
kingdoms
that this world
has ever seen
or known
when it comes
in its fullness.
No nation,
no empire,
no kingdom
will compare,
not in size,
not in splendor,
not in any
other measure
of value
or greatness.
But it doesn't
start that way.
The kingdom
of God
doesn't come
like a flash
of lightning
out of nowhere,
but like a
tiny seed
which over
time
gradually
becomes
the great
tree.
On another
occasion,
Jesus said
this,
he said,
I say to you
that many
will come
from the east
and the west
and will take
their places
at the feast
with Abraham,
Isaac,
and Jacob
in the kingdom
of heaven.
Now,
he was talking
about something
else in that
particular
statement,
but what we
see here is
that there
is sort
of a
progression
that's been
happening,
a growth.
This kingdom
has been a
long time
in the making
starting with
Abraham,
Isaac,
and Jacob
and it's a
kingdom that
grows to be
the greatest
from generation
to generation
over a long
period of time
starting from
the smallest
and humblest
of beginnings,
men like
Abraham,
Isaac,
Jacob,
shepherds
and nomads.
But then
when it is
fully grown,
it will be
like that
mustard tree
which stands
taller than
all the other
plants.
The final
detail in
this parable
is how the
mustard seed
after it
becomes a
tree,
the birds
they come
and nest
in its
branches.
Mark
adds in
his account
the detail
of how
its branches
are large
and give
shade for
the birds
to nest
under.
what does
this mean?
Well,
this is not
the first
time that
the kingdom
has been
described as
a tree.
We've kind
of seen
kingdoms
are described
that way
in the
Bible.
Nebuchadnezzar's
vision is
an example
and if we
look a little
more closely
at that
example from
Daniel
chapter 4
verses 10
there's
just a
little
snippet
of
Nebuchadnezzar's
dream.
I looked
and there
before me
stood a
tree in
the middle
of the
land.
Its height
was enormous.
The tree
grew large
and strong
and its
top touched
the sky.
It was
visible to
the ends
of the
earth.
Its leaves
were beautiful,
its fruit
abundant,
and on it
was food
for all.
Under it
the wild
animals found
shelter and
the birds
lived in
its branches.
From it
every creature
was fed.
And Daniel
says the
tree which
you saw
Nebuchadnezzar
you are
that tree.
You have
become great
and strong.
Your greatness
has grown
until it
reaches the
sky and
your dominion
extends to
distant parts
of the
earth.
And there's
a few other
places which
describe sort
of the birds
nesting in the
tree.
And it's
a positive
thing.
If the
tree is a
kingdom
then those
who come
to live
in the
tree and
build their
nest in it
and live
under its
shelter and
shade,
they're the
people of
the kingdom.
Going back
to our
passage in
Luke,
my translation
doesn't quite
capture it
here.
It says
perch,
but it's
better
translated as
nest.
The tree,
it grew
and became
a tree and
the birds
nested in
its branches.
Let's just
kind of
zero in on
this idea
of birds
and trees
a little bit.
What is a
tree to a
bird?
Or we
could flip it
this way
first.
Where's all
the best
places here
in town to
find birds?
Well, if
you've been
walking around
Davidson at
all, or
maybe if
you're in
Crake, the
streets that
have all the
trees have
all the
birds, or
at least
more of
them.
What is
a tree to
a bird?
To a
bird, a
tree is a
place to
find shelter
from the
elements,
shade from
the heat,
a hollow
maybe inside
the tree that
protects from
the storm.
A tree is a
place that
offers protection
from predators
because its
branches are
high up.
A place to
hold fast to
when the
wind blows
too wild in
Davidson for
the bird to
be airborne.
A tree is a
place with
numerous perches
to gather with
other birds for
a feast of
berries.
Both wax
wings and
sparrows have
this in
common.
They all
perch together
sometimes in
one tree or
hedge or
bush, sometimes
by the
hundreds.
And what do
they do?
Well, I guess
they just sort
of hang out
and sing
together.
A tree is
like a giant
choir loft with
numerous perches
and positions
for every song
in the book.
A place from
which to see
and to find
food.
A place to
find nesting
materials.
A place to
find leaf-eating
insects and
seeds and
berries and
fruit.
In fact, a
tree is so
well-suited to
a bird's life
and needs
that we almost
have to pause
and wonder,
which came
first?
The tree
or the bird?
Or perhaps
God made them
with each
other in
mind.
A tree is
a wonderful
source of
life and
provision and
protection.
It's the
ideal place to
settle and
build a home
for a bird.
So, too,
the kingdom
of God,
when it's
fully grown and
fully established,
will be the
perfect place to
settle and
build a home
for its
people.
A place
where all
who live in
it will find
their needs
met,
opportunity to
flourish without
fear of any
danger or
threat.
That's what the
great kingdom of
God will be one
day to all the
children of the
kingdom who are
in it, to all
the citizens of
it.
The kingdom of
God will be the
greatest and most
glorious kingdom,
the perfect place
to live,
when it comes in
its fullness,
but a kingdom
which, to the
surprise of many,
had the smallest
and humblest of
beginnings.
Let's now look to
the second parable
that Jesus told,
the yeast.
What shall I
compare the
kingdom of God
to?
It's like yeast
that a woman
took and mixed
into about 60
pounds of flour
until it worked
all through the
dough.
Yeast is a
fascinating thing.
Some of us
simply know it as
that stuff that
you buy in the
jar and you
just sort of put
it into your
baking to make
things rise.
But yeast
actually has some
really surprising
characteristics.
things like that.
The most
notable, perhaps,
is its potency.
It's powerful
stuff.
As the old
saying goes,
which is quoted
in the Bible,
a little yeast
leavens the whole
lump.
And that's the
amazing thing about
it.
The amount of
yeast that you put
into the mix
is very small
compared to the
amount of flour
that goes in.
I'm not a
baker myself
or a
biochemist,
so I shouldn't
say too much
here.
But part of the
reason why it's
like that is
because yeast is
alive.
It's a single
cell living
organism,
technically a
fungus.
According to
some estimates,
one teaspoon
of active dry
yeast has up
to 40
billion living
yeast cells
in it.
And those
cells,
they eat
sugar.
And as they
do,
they reproduce
and they
multiply and
they do that
while it's
getting mixed
into the
dough until
they're all
throughout the
whole lump
of dough.
They're eating
sugars,
they're producing
carbon dioxide
gas,
and these
little gas
bubbles are
then trapped
in the
dough.
And that's
what causes
the dough
to rise.
And so the
next time you
slice open a
freshly baked
loaf of
bread,
look at the
holes.
Look at the
evidence of
just how
thoroughly a
little bit of
yeast worked
through that
entire dough
mixture.
It's incredibly
potent stuff.
Only a little
is needed.
The second
thing we notice
here is how
much flour
the woman
mixed the
yeast
into.
Sixty
pounds of
flour.
That's a lot
by one
person's
calculation
enough to
bake bread
for about
100 to
150 people.
But while
the amount
of flour
goes up,
the amount
of yeast
doesn't go
up by nearly
as much.
change.
Again, we
can see a
similar truth
emerging in
Jesus'
parable.
The kingdom
of God is
like that,
he says.
What comes
from above,
what comes
from God,
is powerful
stuff.
What began
with something
very small
and seemingly
unimpressive
has the
potential to
utterly
transform
and bring
great change
in ways we
never would
have guessed?
What kind
of changes
are we
talking about?
I mean,
we could
talk about
a couple
different
things.
We could
talk about
this in
terms of
the kingdom
citizens and
how they
become as
numerous as
the sand
on the
seashore.
It's like
that multiplying
of the
yeast.
Or we
could talk
about how
even the
smallest bits
of truth
from God's
word have
the power
to totally
change a
person's
life when
they embrace
those truths
and those
truths are
added to
the mix
inside of
them.
But,
as with
the parable
of the
mustard seed,
we also
notice that
this isn't
immediate
transformation.
It's a
gradual
process.
I don't
think they
have a
lot of
yeast.
But,
we kind
of know
it takes
time for
yeast to
do its
job and
for the
dough to
rise.
It's a
gradual
process.
At the
end of
the process,
the difference
is obvious.
I mean,
that lump
is maybe
doubled in
size.
But,
if you're
just sitting
there staring
at it,
it doesn't
look like
anything's
happening.
Kind of
like how
children grow
and change.
If you
just look
at them
from one
day to
the next,
you don't
really notice
much.
I see my
own children
every day,
and they
look the
same as
they did
yesterday.
Then I
look back
on photos
when they
were little,
even younger,
and I
barely
recognized the
kid in the
photo.
Is that
Laura or
is that
Callie?
It's
amazing.
And this
is kind
of,
I'm
going to
call this
the
invisible
aspect of
the
kingdom
of
God.
Just
like the
yeast,
you don't
see much
going into
the mix,
and once
it's mixed
in,
you can't
see at
all what's
going on
with that
lump of
dough.
But just
because the
change and
the growth
is gradual
doesn't mean
that it's
not happening.
Time will
allow the
difference to
be seen.
that's
how it
is with
the
kingdom
of
God.
It's
expanding.
It's
rising
gradually.
The
number of
citizens
in the
kingdom
is
growing
from
generation
to
generation
and to
use
Jesus
language,
one day
when this
bread comes
out of
the oven
and Christ
returns,
the world
is going
to go,
wow,
where did
this come
from?
just like
all the
holes in
the bread.
Where did
all these
people come
from?
Millions and
millions of
them.
When did
this happen?
And it
all traces
back to a
single book
and the
God who
has revealed
himself in
its pages
and his
son.
Sometimes
that's how it
works in our
own lives
too and in
the lives
of our
loved ones.
We have
maybe the
best intentions
to change,
to become
model citizens
of the
kingdom,
to live
holy lives,
to stop
sinning,
to get our
priorities
straight.
But that
transformation
is often
gradual
over time.
It's
happening.
The
difference
will be
noticeable
over time
but right
now we
might not
see it.
One time
a little bit
later in
the same
gospel,
the Pharisees
come around
and they
ask Jesus,
when's the
kingdom of
God
going to
come?
It's in
Luke 17
verse 20.
On being
asked by the
Pharisees when
the kingdom
of God
would come,
Jesus replied,
the coming
of the
kingdom of
God is
not
something
that can
be observed.
Nor will
people say,
here it is
or there it
is because
the kingdom
of God is
in your
midst.
Isn't that
something?
I mean,
here they are
asking Jesus,
when will it
come?
And Jesus
is saying,
it's not
something you
can see.
In fact,
it's coming,
it's happening
right now.
And you
can't see it.
It's right
now in your
midst.
And yet,
you're asking,
where is it?
When will it
happen?
There's this
invisible quality
to the
kingdom.
And Jesus
is clear in
this passage
that it is
temporary.
It's not
always going
to be
invisible.
Just a few
verses down,
he's going to
tell about how
the coming
of the
Son of
Man will
be visible
to all,
just like
lightning
flashes across
the sky
and everyone
can see it.
But the
kingdom of
God begins
with something
seemingly
small and
insignificant.
It rises
gradually over
time.
And it's
not till the
end of the
story when
God's
transforming
power is
seen for
what it is
and the
effects are
undeniable
and take
the world
by surprise.
I wonder
if all
too often
we think
of things
the way
that the
Pharisees
did here.
We see
the kingdom
of God
as only
something
that will
come in
the distant
future.
A future
event when
Jesus comes
back.
And perhaps
some of us
even treat
our faith
as a
ticket to
get into
that event
someday
and a
little more.
But for
those of us
who believe
in Jesus
what difference
would it
make if we
truly embrace
this truth
that the
kingdom is
now.
It's
growing now.
We're part
of it now.
It goes
from generation
to generation.
It's here
in some
measure
already.
Imperceptible
to many
perhaps.
Insignificant
to most.
Yes.
But we
are here
and through
us as
followers of
Jesus it
can be said
truly the
kingdom of
God is in
your midst.
our faith
is not
just something
that we
keep in
our pocket
until the
end to
get into
the big
event.
The
kingdom
and the
life that
we're meant
to live as
citizens of
the kingdom
is today.
It's
now.
We are
part of a
nation
today.
And I'm
not talking
about Canada.
We have
our allegiance
and our
obligation to
a national
leader today.
And I'm
not talking
about Mark
Carney or
King Charles.
Listen to
these words
of Peter,
the apostle.
He says,
you are a
chosen people,
a royal
priesthood,
a holy
nation,
God's
special
possession,
that you
may declare
the praises
of him
who called
you out
of darkness
into his
wonderful
light.
I like to
think when I
read this
verse of
rider nation,
I always
like that
term,
because even
though it's
primarily made
up of people
from Saskatchewan,
it's a term
that sort of
transcends the
geopolitical
boundaries,
the provincial
boundaries.
Rider nation is
made up of
rider fans from
all over the
country.
In some
cases,
people are
even in the
midst of other
team loyalties,
and yet they
belong to
rider nation.
They cheer for
the riders.
It is truly,
in a sense,
a nation
within the
nation.
I think that's
a good picture,
a helpful picture
of the kind of
thing that Jesus
is describing.
The kingdom
of God is
right now
in your
midst.
It exists,
and I'm not
talking about
the riders
here,
so don't be
offended.
It exists
imperceptibly
and unimpressively
as a nation
within the
nation.
It's a nation
made up of
people from
all the
nations.
It transcends
political
boundaries.
I mean,
if we consider
ourselves to be
a part of
rider nation,
how much
more should
we consider
ourselves as
followers of
Jesus,
to be a
part of
his nation?
Those of
you who
love to
watch or
play sports,
do you
wear your
colors proudly
at your
team's
games?
Do you
wear your
colors proudly
even when
you're not
at the
game?
Do you
make much
of your
team at
every
opportunity,
especially if
someone decides
they're going
to talk down
against them?
Does your
heart swell
with pride
whenever they
score or
whenever they
win?
That's just
sports and
recreation.
We should
be no
less as
Christians.
Do you
wear your
colors proudly
as a
citizen of
the kingdom
of heaven?
Even when
you're not
in church?
do you
make much
of your
king,
Jesus,
and his
kingdom,
even when
you're not
in church?
This is
where the
trouble lies
though.
We don't
like to
make much
of something
that not
everybody
can see.
Even
sometimes
people oppose
it.
And so
we don't
want to
make much
of a
kingdom
that's
invisible
or that
has humble
beginnings
because our
world values
what's
impressive.
The fast
growing,
the stuff
that starts
with greatness.
is
yet these
parables
help us
see that
there is
this
tension
and it's
normal.
People
will look
at our
faith
and say
what is
that?
What
difference
is that
going to
make?
Just like
a little
seed or
a little
bit of
yeast.
But listen
again to
what Peter
said to
the churches
in his
letter.
2 Peter
3.9
or 3.3
I should
say.
He said
above all
you must
understand
that in
the last
days
scoffers
will come
scoffing
and following
their own
evil
desires.
They will
say where
is this
coming?
He promised.
Ever
since our
ancestors
died
everything
goes on
as it
has
since the
beginning.
In other
words they'll
be saying
we don't
see it.
Where is
the kingdom?
Where is
the king?
He goes
on to say
the day
of the
Lord will
come like
a thief.
Jesus said
that too.
The world
will look
in complete
surprise at
this unexpected
reality and
realize all
along this
kingdom was
there among
us and
now it's
risen.
It's the
thing.
the people
of the
kingdom
they were
there all
along.
They were
trusting in
this.
If you
could lay
your life
down for
one cause
what would
it be?
If you
can use
your words
to sing
the praises
of one
thing
what will
it be?
I hope
it's not
writer
nation.
I hope
it's
Jesus
nation.
For you
are a
chosen
people
a holy
nation
God's
special
possession
that
you may
declare
the praises
of him
who called
you out
of darkness
into his
wonderful
light.
God is
building his
kingdom.
It may not
look like
much now
but in
time it
will be the
greatest that
this world
has ever
known.
It will
be the
most amazing
place in
which to
live and
build a
home and
it's what we
should be
setting our
hearts and
our hopes
on.
Let's pray.
Father in
heaven it
takes faith
for us to
embrace this
in the world
that we
live in.
You know
that and
so we ask
for your
help in
these moments
to really
believe these
words and
to put our
lives on
these words.
these words
that you
gave us
Lord they
are the
rock and
what the
world is
telling us
is important
is the
sand.
Help us
build our
lives on
your words
and trust
them deeply.
We ask
this in
your name.
Amen.