The Kingdom of Heaven Is Growing: Matthew 13:24-43 (Sermon)
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INTRODUCTION
This has been a historic week for my family. We just dropped off our oldest son at college. A new season has begun a new chapter in our lives. What started with a bundle of joy now lives five hours away. Time flies. Parents of little ones, time passes. They grow up fast—those who have done this before. I am amazed at you. This is harder than it looks. Bittersweet. I am excited for him. Time marches forward like the wind off the dunes.
SUMMER AT CHURCH
This summer has gone by, too. A lot has happened.
It began with our Youth Group garage sale making a record-breaking $22,000,
June Johnson, who attends our second site, Converge Community Church, turned 101,
We had four interns,
Ten baptisms,
We hired Kelsey Zeilke to be our Part-time Children’s, Ministry Director,
We voted Pastor Mike and me to be co-Senior Pastors with Jeff.
Time flies. Seasons change. The future looks bright. Time moves quickly when things are going well but slowly when they aren’t.
CHALLENGE
As we gaze at God’s Word, we peek into the brightness of a heavenly age. It is going to be great. While we wait for that day, things are not always so great. We live in a world of darkness marred with sin. Many of us know the bitter taste of injustice. We see evil as we scan the headlines.
QUESTIONS
Where is there hope for those who suffer? Where is there vindication for victims? How do we cope with tragedy? Time can move slowly. What does God want for us while we watch and wait?
ANSWERS
Two thousand years ago, people had ups and downs. They experienced joy and defeat. They worried, got upset, and were depressed. They had their victories and celebrations. They had milestones and trials. Jesus described the masses as sheep without shepherds. In chapter 11 of Matthew, we read Jesus’s invitation to anyone who would listen to take up his easy and light yoke to come to him to find rest. Jesus made his teaching plain and now conceals the truth in parables. Last week, we read a parable about four soils, each describing a different heart. Jesus invited us to be “good soil” and have a kingdom perspective.
TEXT
Today, Jesus will move from coast to house: teaching and explaining about life and the life to come. The specific reality he continues to describe is the kingdom of heaven. We will read of glory, reward awaiting some, punishment, and shame for others. That is good news for God’s people and an opportunity for those on the fence. As we wait for that Day, let us Be Patient for the Kingdom’s Fulfillment. I will have L. and E. P. read for us this morning. Would you please stand with me, if you can, in recognition of God’s Word?
24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:24–43, ESV)
PRAYER
Let’s pray. Dear God, I need your help preaching. May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of our hearts give you glory and joy in Jesus’s name, amen. You may be seated.
SUMMARY
Jesus is the king that God had promised. The world desperately needed him and still does. Since the early days of human history, sin has been wreaking havoc. It triggered the curse of death. The curse impacted work. Weeds grow like a jungle of dandelions, creeping charlie, and poison ivy, choking out what is good and healthy. Birth is excruciating, risky, and dangerous. Life is difficult. Death is inevitable. Yet, through the seed of Adam, God sent hope. We are one day closer to the end of the age and the fruit of God’s grace and mercy.
PROMISES
God promised through Adam one who would right the wrong and crush Satan, who deceived Adam’s wife, Eve. The curse would reverse.
Through Adam’s descendant, Abraham, God promised to bless the world.
To the prophet Moses, God promised a greater prophet.
To the priest Eli, God promised a greater priest.
To the king David, God promised a greater king.
Jesus was and is that promised prophet, priest, and king. He came on the scene showing striking signs and wonders and fulfilling prophecies. He taught and worked with authority. In chapter 13 of Matthew, we hear his teaching in parables. He first told the story of a sower sowing seeds in four places. That sower symbolized Jesus. The seed was the Word of God. And the soil stood for individuals’ hearts. God wants us to lean in, listen, and understand. What? In this case, Be Patient for the Kingdom’s Fulfillment.
STRUCTURE
The structure of our verses points to their unity. There are five sections: three parables, a summary statement, and an explanation. I made the sections in a rhyme for memory.
WEEDS AND WHEAT 13:24–30
AND A MUSTARD SEED 13:31–32
DASH OF YEAST 13:33
AND A PROPHECY 13:34–35
ENDING WITH THE KEY 13:36–43
In the broader context, we have seven or eight parables in chapter 13, all discussing the nature of God’s coming heavenly kingdom.
MAIN IDEA
The main point is:
Be Patient for the Kingdom’s Fulfillment.
Let me say that again.
Be Patient for the Kingdom’s Fulfillment.
Let’s walk through the text.
WEEDS AND WHEAT
WEEDS AND WHEAT 13:24–30
AND A MUSTARD SEED 13:31–32
DASH OF YEAST 13:33
AND A PROPHECY 13:34–35
ENDING WITH THE KEY 13:36–43
As we see, Jesus was talking about the kingdom of heaven. Each parable begins, “The kingdom of heaven is like.” The first parable we read deals with a landowner sowing wheat. In the night, an enemy came and sowed weeds, which most scholars think is darnel. Darnel looks like wheat but is poisonous. It is not until it grows to seed that you can identify the difference. The workers notice it and report it. They wonder if they should remove it. The landowner told them not to. Why? Because this would do more harm than good. It would hurt the wheat. Instead, they can sort it out at harvest.
PARABLES
Jesus often used stories like this to connect with people. He used objects and word pictures to describe spiritual realities, like light, salt, birds, flowers, buildings, and fruit. In ancient times, something like what Jesus told us happened. Enemies sowed weeds into fields as a form of commercial sabotage. The Romans had laws against this. But Jesus wasn’t simply relating to the people or entertaining them. He had a spiritual point. Matthew tells us that all he spoke was parables during this time. However, Matthew only shares a few for us to interpret. The ones he shared related to one another.
AND A MUSTARD SEED
Let’s look at the following parable and see if we see any patterns—a mustard seed.
WEEDS AND WHEAT 13:24–30
AND A MUSTARD SEED 13:31–32
DASH OF YEAST 13:33
AND A PROPHECY 13:34–35
ENDING WITH THE KEY 13:36–43
Look at verse 31.
The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. (Matthew 13:31–32, ESV)
SMALL TO BIG
In this case, we see the surprising nature of the kingdom is that it comes from something so small. Jesus said it was the smallest of seeds. But it grows into something quite significant. [object] This is a mustard seed. It is encased in a glass marble. It’s not like a mustard plant. We make our mustard from [object]. One report said this tiny seed could grow as high as fifteen feet tall. The tiny, insignificant seed will tower over the cucumber and leek. The focus is on the extraordinary contrast of size and impact. Many birds will find their rest in this tree. Like the story before it, the seed reached its logical completion maturity. The tree becomes a place of refuge, safety, and home. What about the kingdom begins like a mustard seed and has a surprising impact on those around it?
Could it be Jesus? We first read about him in Mary’s womb in chapter 1. He grew up in obscurity and on the run. He wasn’t born into a kingly court. He didn’t live a high life. His early days were lost in time until he reached the Jordan River at thirty. Then, he hits the public scene for three years, dies, and rises from the grave. His life changed the world. People find rest in him.
Could the tiny seed be the good news itself or the kingdom? The good news was something that began small, inconsequential, and invisible. It was obscure and echoed in the prophecies since the earliest of human history. It indeed centered around Jesus and what he accomplished on the cross. It had monumental implications for us, but those implications grew in impact as more and more people turned to him. The kingdom, too, unfolded. The heavenly kingdom is still developing. Perhaps Jesus referred to himself, the gospel, and the kingdom as one. The fruit of the kingdom of heaven is at hand regardless. We must be patient as time marches forward. Sometimes, with the rate of change like a seed or imperceptibility of yeast. We can stare at our circumstance, and it doesn’t seem to change, but if we look away and come back over time, the change is dramatic. God is doing a good work. The kingdom is expanding, even if we can’t always see growth.
DASH OF YEAST
Jesus told another parable that touches on the pervasive completeness of the kingdom.
WEEDS AND WHEAT 13:24–30
AND A MUSTARD SEED 13:31–32
DASH OF YEAST 13:33
AND A PROPHECY 13:34–35
ENDING WITH THE KEY 13:36–43
Look at verse 33.
The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened. (Matthew 13:33, ESV).
In this last parable, a woman used leven to raise bread. Today, we use this [Object] yeast to raise bread. They used sourdough to leaven the bread in ancient times. This woman would have worked the leaven into quite a bit of flour. The three measures would make a significant quantity. One commentator said enough to feed up to 150 people. Like the giant tree, this would be a remarkable outcome. What was Jesus getting at? Why is this important? Matthew answers our question with his quote from the Old Testament.
AND A PROPHECY
Look at verse 34.
34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”
The word hiding is the same as what the woman did with the leaven. Timing is important. Jesus was fulfilling a prophecy again, this time by telling parables.
WEEDS AND WHEAT 13:24–30
AND A MUSTARD SEED 13:31–32
DASH OF YEAST 13:33
AND A PROPHECY 13:34–35
ENDING WITH THE KEY 13:36–43
Where was Matthew quoting from? If you were in Sunday school, you would know the answer. Psalm 78. Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, the prophet, priest, and king. He was the son of Adam, Abraham, and David. What God predicted since the curse, that a serpent crusher would come, was unfolding before their eyes. To those who would listen, Jesus would reveal what he was saying.
PAUL’S TAKE
The apostle Paul captured this unfolding reality in Galatians chapter 4.
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:4–7, ESV)
Paul pointed out that the fruit of being a part of the kingdom is becoming a child of God, having spiritual freedom, and the promise of a heavenly inheritance. We can be patient in the hard times because God has done and is doing amazing things for our benefit behind the scenes. The bread is rising, the tree is growing, and the harvest is coming.
ENDING WITH A KEY
Jesus docked the boat, went to shore, and headed home. We don’t know where that home was. But we do know those who were with him: his disciples. They asked him what he meant by the parable about weeds and wheat. Jesus answered with a key. This drives us to the final verses we are exploring.
WEEDS AND WHEAT 13:24–30
AND A MUSTARD SEED 13:31–32
DASH OF YEAST 13:33
AND A PROPHECY 13:34–35
ENDING WITH THE KEY 13:36–43
What key?
The sower = the Son of Man
Who was that? We have talked about this before. Jesus commonly referred to himself as the Son of Man in the third person. That is a person predicted in Daniel chapter 7.
The field = the world
The good seed = the sons of the kingdom
Who are they? They are those who do the will of the Father. They are the beatitude people, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, mourn, are poor in spirit, are merciful and pure in heart, and hear Jesus’s words and do them.
The weeds = the sons of the evil one
They look like wheat. They grow up alongside wheat. But their fruit is death. They are like the Pharisees, hypocrites, a brood of vipers. God knows the difference. He is the judge, and at the appointed time, he will bring justice, not us. Be patient, friends.
The enemy = the devil
The harvest = the end of the age
The reapers = angels
Look at verses 41 through 43. Here is the good news for Jesus’s followers as we await his return and heavenly rest.
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:41–43, ESV)
CONTEXT
Do you remember those first questions about life under trial? Matthew’s first readers had to deal with the complex realities of persecution. They probably wondered when the end of the age would arrive. They probably longed for justice. They patiently yearned for all causes of sin to cease. Time probably moved slowly in those cases. Jesus was pointing to a time called the harvest, the maturity of the tree, and the leavening of the bread. The end is at hand. Then, God’s people will shine like the stars in the heavens. In Daniel chapter 12, God predicted this.
…And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:1–3, ESV)
Time is marching to an end. It is moving towards a grand conclusion. You who are wise listen to the Bible. You will shine and enjoy everlasting life. The apostle Paul put it this way:
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16–18, ESV)
Sometimes, our trials eclipse the good in life and cloud out the sun. All we see is empty. Paul movies our gaze to God’s invisible work. It is all around. Time progresses. Be patient. Paul wrote to the church in Rome:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:18–25, ESV)
My friends, be patient. The time is coming. We are one day closer. Don’t make mountains out of molehills. Choose your battle carefully. Jesus said it this way,
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16, ESV)
You who are sons and daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords will shine and, in a sense, already do. One day, all the rough parts of life will be Gone. Death will be no more. Pain and sorrow will disappear. In conclusion, be patient, my friends. Fix your gaze on eternity.
APPLICATION
The disciples had questions. They asked Jesus what he was getting at. You may have questions. Ask him. We can raise our concerns and questions to him. Talk to God. God has revealed over time what his plan is and continues to be. Be patient. More is going on than meets the eye. The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Do you long for justice? God is bringing it. He will judge rightly. Take comfort in justice. It is on the way. God will fix all wrongs. Be patient. The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Do you long for rest and blessing? Those days will come, too. Take comfort in the tree growing to its full potential, the bread being ready to eat, and rest to your souls and food for your spiritual hunger. Be patient. The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Or, do you find yourself outside of blessing? Have you worked evil and felt guilty? Run to Jesus. Take these parables as an invitation from the Creator of the Universe. Time is passing, and the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus invites you to turn to him and believe before it is too late. Come to him, and find rest for your souls. Believe in Jesus’s words and work. Believe in this man who gave his life for the ransom of many. He has saved millions from destruction and is saving more as we speak by the power of his Holy Spirit. He offers eternal life and felicity to all who believe. Do you believe it? John, Jesus’s follower, wrote, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12, ESV). Receive and believe in him today. And join us as we patiently wait for him and the coming kingdom.
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