KINGDOM PRESENT - THE KINGDOM PARABLES

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.” 33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. (Mark 4:30-34)

A description of the botanic characteristics of the mustard seed is interesting.

The seed of both black and white mustard is similar in size, about 1.0 to 3.0 mm (1/8 inch)(11) so it is not the smallest seed but it is the smallest seed of those which "you plant in the ground" clearly indicating that the Lord was not comparing the mustard seed to all plants but only to those which were commonly grown. There would be numerous plants familiar to His audience with smaller seeds, of which the best example would be the seed of the black orchid. But there are few plants which grow so large in one season as a mustard, and few plants would be characterized by such rapid germination of the seed. Mustard planted one day could begin growing the next.

A grown black mustard would still be a herb, botanically speaking, but sometimes a very big herb, popularly considered a shrub. There are wild mustard plants over ten feet tall near the Jordan River, and even in moderate climate a mustard plant may grow that tall, provided it gets enough sunshine. It must, moreover, be remarked that generally trees in most parts of the Holy Land do not reach a large stature. The stem of a mustard plant also becomes dry and wood-like, which gives it the aspect of a tree.....

In summary, the three features of the mustard plant emphasized by the Lord are the small size of the seed, the large size of the plant in relation to the seed, and the rapid growth.(Bible Plants - Old Dominion University)

Again we must be careful not to read more into the parable than Jesus was meaning. While much speculation has been made about the birds and what they represent, the most likely explanation is that Jesus was making the point that the tree (large shrub) had rapidly grown big from a very small seed, large enough for birds to land on it.

In Jewish understanding, prophecy generally has past, present and future applications.

I would suggest that this perception also applies to this parable.

Obviously teachings of Jesus were only a very small seed at the time, eventually attracting no more than a tiny number of people.

15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) (Acts 1:15)

Over the next months, years and centuries, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, the kingdom grew rapidly. For example:

38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (Acts 2:38-41)

Reality is, since that time, the kingdom has grown fastest where and when the light of the Holy Spirit has been allowed to operate in and through His people.

The Dark Ages, so named because the light of the Holy Spirit was generally extinguished in the church, saw the kingdom basically shrivel and die, as the mustard plant does on an annual basis. The seed remained however, in small groups of those who continued to be led by the Spirit and were harshly persecuted for it.

After a thousand years or so, the flame of the Holy Spirit grew into the fire of the Reformation and spread like wildfire throughout the world.

Since that time there have been ups and down's, but the growth of the kingdom plant has been fertilised by the Holy Spirit through revivals. Now we are receiving the understanding that the kingdom is not something just for when we die, or for when the world ends, but to is be established upon the earth through the holy and righteous lives of His disciples.

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10 KJV)

I quote from Doug Fortune, who has studied the Greek meaning of this statement in the Lord's Prayer.

The word translated as "be done" is ginomai in Greek, its' meanings include- to cause to be, it is the “gen” in the English word generate, to become or come into being, be brought (to pass), be fulfilled. As we pray, Thy will be done, it is a creative declaration that reaches into the spiritual realm and serves as a catalyst for His will to be “gen” -erated, a spiritual genesis established in earth, thus causing it to be manifested in the natural realm. It is much more than just wishful thinking! It is a creative genesis! (In Earth as it is in Heaven by Doug Fortune)

When I was a relatively new believer I completed a 30 week, (2 hours a week) course called 'Word of Life'. My only theological training. It was through this course that I came into the things of the Holy Spirit, for which I am eternally grateful. At the conclusion of the course the graduates participated in a 'Presbytery' where two outside prophets were brought in to prophecy over our lives. For me, the two prophecies were along similar lines but using different imagery. The first was about me being like the mustard plant, growing into a big tree, while the second was about climbing up a mountain, higher than others had gone, but being guided in my steps, my direction, by Jesus, who had walked the path before me.

Throughout the nearly 20 years since I have pondered on these things as I have done my little bit in life and ministry to be a disciple of Jesus.

However, as I have written about this parable, I have had a new insight into what the Lord was saying to me that evening, long ago. For many are now getting the revelation that the kingdom of God is indeed like a spiritual mustard tree which is and will continue grow rapidly upon the earth in these end times.

My desire is to be a part of His kingdom now. Yours too?

(Continued next week)

KINGDOM PRESENT - THE KINGDOM PARABLES

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ 5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. 13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:1-14)

This parable was spoken in the Temple, just 2 or 3 days before Jesus was crucified. Jesus had been rejected by the Jews, in particular, the religious leaders. Because of their disobedience to God, being too enamored with traditional religious form rather than the present substance of Jesus, they would miss out on the kingdom. As we have seen elsewhere, they would have understood, but again ignored the message.

Surely this contains a warning to us today as well? Are we letting our precious denominational beliefs and paradigms get in the way of entering the kingdom?

Jesus started His ministry with a wedding, at Cana in Galilee, (see http://www.wwj.org.nz/pdf/wwj17p56.pdf) and the final act of the age will also be a wedding, between Jesus and His church.

For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)

The wedding guests, that is the church, are to be dressed in fine the linen of righteousness.

8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) (Revelation 19:8)

Unfortunately, within the church, there are those who are not clothed in the wedding dress of righteousness. Sadly, there are many in this situation who will be thrown out to live in eternal darkness at judgment time. Jesus made the point here that there will be many who reject His saving grace, both outside and within the church.

This truth is taught in other parables also, such as the tares and the wheat and the wide and narrow roads.

40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. (Matthew 13:40KJV)

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Which road are you walking on?

(Continued next week)

KINGDOM PRESENT - THE KINGDOM PARABLES

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:1-10)

These 2 parables reinforce each other, although with different emphases, revealing the heart of Father God towards His children, that is, us.

Firstly, Jesus is again criticising the supposedly righteous religious people who do not see themselves as sinners. We have dealt with this previously.

Secondly though, these parables illustrate that God's nature is centered upon a desire to build a personal relationship with those He has created in His likeness.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)

He put us in charge of the earth.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28)

While God could have made us like robots, robots cannot form true relationships, as they are programmed, not having a choice (or no more than a pre-programmed one) about what they do. Real relationship can only come when two people choose to relate to each other, in free will.

God set up a freewill test for Adam and Eve which, as we know, they failed.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." (Genesis 2:15-17)

And what was true of Adam and Eve was true in Jesus' time, and is still reality today. Many people, whether through choice, or a lack of knowledge, not having heard, do not have a personal relationship with the Father which, from New Testament times, must come through Jesus.

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7)

I am sure God cries (not theologically correct, I know!) when He sees His 'sheep' or His 'coins' lost to Him! For that is the heart message of these parables. He will go to great effort to restore the relationship, whether it be to someone who has never known Him, or to one who has walked away, for whatever reason.

As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe]..... But the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord are from everlasting to everlasting upon those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, and His righteousness is to children's children(Psalm 103:13,17 Amplified Version)

In order to come to Him, we must first, as both the parables conclude, repent of our sins.

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. (Luke 13:1-3)

On the first Day of Pentecost after the ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit came in power upon the church, as Jesus had promised He would. Peter confirmed the need for repentance as he told the people there;

36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:36-39)

The last 2 weeks, I have had the wonderful experience where several of our staff here at Seekers have decided to go to, or return to, church, through what they have experienced here. A mini revival! I am sure the angels are rejoicing - as am I! PTL!

May we share in the Father's joy of seeing people coming to Him.

(Continued next week)

KINGDOM PRESENT - THE KINGDOM PARABLES

33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” 34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” (Matthew 13:33-5)

It is amazing, when you read the commentaries, how much meaning can be taken out of a simple sentence such as that contained in verse 33 above! Enough for a long and very erudite sermon! But I am not sure that Jesus was meaning it to be understood this deeply in such a detailed fashion.

The main point that Jesus was making is that the true kingdom of God is infectious, that it will permeate the large amount of flour, which can be viewed today as being either the world, or the church as a whole.

The point is, the kingdom is the most, the only, the truly powerful element of change that can effect the world and even reform the church.

As we have seen in the earlier parables, the kingdom consists of those believers, those disciples (the two are effectively the same) who are completely sold out to Jesus. Jesus (through John) made this point in His comments on the church at Laodicea, widely recognised as being a picture of today's church.

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:14-16)

Why were they lukewarm? For the same reason, we in the western world in particular are so today.

17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:17)

We are wealthy (visit the poor in Africa or Asia if you don't think you are!) which creates self reliance. In reality, in spite of what we might say, we live lives where the security of possessions and pension plans has become the focus of our actions and behaviour.

So what is the answer?

18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. (Revelation 3:18)

We need to 'buy' the 'gold' of repentance and testing, by submitting our lives fully to Jesus and letting Him refine us in the fire, so producing in us lives of holiness and righteousness.

The area was famous for an eye salve, called 'mounce'. Jesus is using this natural illustration to encourage us to apply a 'spiritual mounce' to our eyes in order to see, then be able to understand what He was saying.

This surely is a message to the church today, to look for spiritual rather than material riches.

Let us take heed of the inspired message through the author of the book of Hebrews:

10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. 14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:10-14)

To those prepared to make the sacrifice, comes the greatest promise of all:

21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:21-2)

Amen.

(Continued next week)

KINGDOM PRESENT - THE KINGDOM PARABLES

The Parable of the Tenants

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other t enants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ”‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. (Matthew 21:33-46)

Under the Old Testament church, in the form of the Tabernacles of Moses and the Temples that followed, the priesthood was primarily responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the people. God entrusted His church to the Jews, more specifically, to the priesthood.

This parable talks about how the leadership, in particular, rejected and killed the prophets that God had sent over the centuries to provide correction and direction to the people. Being a prophet in Old Testament times was a high risk occupation! Stoning was a common fate! e.g. Zechariah.

21 But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD’s temple. (2 Chronicles 24:21)

Planting a vineyard is an expensive business and it takes time for the vines to mature and provide a good harvest. This is the nature of business.

Take for example, on a much shorter time scale, the establishment of a 'Seekers Megamart'. It costs us $20,000 to set up a new shop. We need a weekly turnover of $4-6,000, depending upon location, to make it economic. We do not expect to start out with that turnover, but over a period of a year, with staff training, publicity and word of mouth, we expect the turnover to approach that level. At the one year point, we will make a decision as to whether to continue in that location, or not.

God was a lot more patient than me! His trainers were killed on a regular basis by the religious management! So, in a last ditch effort to get the 'spiritual vineyard' back on track, He sent Jesus, His son. We know the result. Jesus foretold that He was going to meet a similar fate as had the prophets earlier.

The time of decision had come.

The kingdom of God was to be transferred from Jewish to gentile custody. The Jewish religious leaders were finally held accountable for their actions over the centuries.

Custody of the church has been placed in gentile hands until there is a reconciliation of believing Jews and gentiles at the end of the age.

The 'playing field' has changed. Jesus sacrificed Himself for us. He is now our sole intercessor with God. No longer do we approach God through a priesthood (or 'pastorhood'). We are PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for our OWN SALVATION, past, present and future. The kingdom of God is available to, and must be sought by, each one of us individually. For the kingdom of God is not found in a building or denomination, but within the individual believer.

20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-1)

As leaders we need to be very aware of this New Testament reality and be extremely careful not to become de facto priests. We can help point the way, but no-one can come to Jesus through us. It is between the individual and Jesus.

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Likewise, it is the role of leadership to train the people to do the work, not to take it all upon ourselves.

11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:11-12)

It is only when leadership truly understand and applies this principle that we will come into end time unity.

13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)

I know it seems impossible. I realise it is our natural inclination to want to take on people's burdens. Being real, it feels nice to have people reliant upon us! But it is not the way of God for these days. We need to be so careful that we do not now suffer the same fate as the priests of the Old Testament, through disobeying God's instructions.

KINGDOM PRESENT - THE KINGDOM PARABLES

THE PARABLE OF THE WORKERS IN THE VINEYARD

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 “About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. “He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6 About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7 ”‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ 8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 9 “The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and ea ch received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ 13 “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:1-14)

The primary meaning of this parable is an explanation to the Jews that the kingdom of God, while first offered to them, is not only theirs. In fact, many who come in later, that is, the gentiles, will be their equals, indeed, may well surpass them. “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

There are of course, many sub meanings that have been preached about numerous times over the years. These will not be gone into here.

What I would like to consider though, is the men who, in the first instance, were not hired. They stood round and did nothing. The usual explanation of this is that they were ones living in the world and under satan's dominion or control. The parable of the lost son returning after a life of debauchery is considered to be a parallel example of this principle.

But, at the risk of being declared a heretic, I would like to put forward a more positive view of these unhired men.

In normal circumstances the vineyard owner would hire all the workers he required at the beginning of the day. The chances of getting work would be unlikely if they were not in that first intake, becoming almost impossible the further the day went on.

All through the day they waited. They could have given up and gone home, seeing they had missed out on a job. The longer they stayed, the more desperate for a job they showed themselves to be. Their desperation for the job was recognised in the wages they were finally given.

So it is with the kingdom.

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

We must actively seek the kingdom. It is not given to us on a platter. Ask and keep asking. Knock and keep knocking.

The kingdom is given to those who are prepared to sacrifice their own wants and desires in order to conform to the image of Jesus.

2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16)

We need determination and perseverance, as illustrated by the late employed vineyard workers, in order to enter the kingdom.

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. (Matthew 11:12)

My friend, do not give up! (I am talking to myself here too.) When times are tough, when we think God has given up on us - or we want to give up on God - let us remember the workers who had the patience and determination to wait through the hot noonday sun in order to get into the kingdom vineyard. There wait was rewarded. Their wages were paid in full. Yes, the last, you and me, can become the first in the kingdom of God. The choice is ours.

Are we prepared to pay the price?

KINGDOM PRESENT - THE KINGDOM PARABLES

The Parable of the Great Banquet

15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” 16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22 ”‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’” (Luke 14:15-24)

We like eating! Jesus was partial to a good feed also, as we can see here. And He used 'dining' illustrations in a number of parables. For the whole point of a parable is to use a natural situation to illustrate a spiritual principle, and what better illustration can you get than food. Specially for me!

The parable itself can be viewed as a picture of the Jews, the invited guests, rejecting Jesus, while the gentiles from the roads and country lanes would eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.

This interpretation, while containing a large element of truth, is not the whole story.

There is an extra dimension here, and that relates to the difference in reaction to the kingdom between the rich and the poor. In a natural sense, a feast would logically be more attractive to those who did not have enough to eat rather than the well fed, who could afford to feast any time.

In the spiritual, Jesus was primarily referring to the Pharisees who were gorging themselves on the fatty, high calorie foods of Old Testament Law! They had it all! They had no need of the 'feast of salvation'.

Others too, were so involved in worldly pursuits that they did not have the time or inclination to seek spiritual enlightenment. A danger that faces us all! The reality is, the more money we get, the more possessions we have, the more effort we need to put in to look after them, and the more precious they become to us. It is ironic that prosperity preaching ultimately turns people away from God. Either they don't get rich and so become disillusioned and fall away, or they get rich and then become worldly orientated, and again fall away. Simply false teaching.

Listen instead to Jesus:

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6:25-6)

A similar theme is emphasised in the parable The Rich Ruler.

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! (Luke 18:22-4)

Jesus summed up the situation succinctly when He said;

29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” (Luke 13:29-30)

Mary, when singing under the power of the Holy Spirit, understood this principle too.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:53)

The reality is, the kingdom of God is of more appeal to the 'have nots' than the 'haves'. These are the ones who attended the feast.

Jesus was straightforward about it too;

Treasures in Heaven

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (Matthew 6:19-24)

What are your priorities in life?

(Continued next week)