In today’s Gospel from Matthew, Jesus tells a series of parables to the crowds. Why would he speak to them in parables? Perhaps these parables were meant to get the people of his day to think about their faith and to think about the kingdom of God. These parables challenge us to critically think about our faith and about God in our modern world as well. Perhaps it is not proper to say that we interpret the parables, but rather that the parables interpret us. In these parables, we’re able to see things differently through the paradoxes, contradictions, and multiple meanings contained therein. The parables in today’s Gospel get us to think about the different meanings God’s Kingdom might have for us.
So, how can we describe something that is basically indescribable? That is why Jesus’ parables give us little glimpses into what God’s Kingdom is all about. We hear about a tiny mustard seed that grows into a plant large enough for the birds to nest there. We certainly want God’s kingdom to grow in our lives and in the world, don’t we?
We probably think that God’s kingdom growing as quickly as possible without any hindrances is a good thing – perhaps the best thing possible. But life is not always so smooth and easy and uncomplicated. Maybe there are other things to consider. What if only one tiny little mustard seed blows into a garden where other plants are already growing, where there is already order and structure. The mustard seed could grow into this huge plant, it could produce other little mustard seeds that grow into other plants, and pretty soon the mustard plants have taken over the entire garden. God’s reign can grow and grow. And we want God’s reign to be a welcome addition in our lives, don’t we? We want it to grow from this tiny seed into a big, beautiful plant, but the changes it brings can make us frustrated and insecure. The power we see in God’s reign and the way it calls out to us can stir up a lot of fear in our hearts.
Unfortunately, we may want to help God’s kingdom grow, but there are weeds that sprout up as well. Through today’s parable, we know that God understands that weeds are going to sprout up in his Kingdom. The master is afraid of doing damage to the wheat, of destroying those parts of God’s kingdom that are growing alongside the weeds, so he lets the weeds remain until harvest time. God is forgiving and merciful. He forgives our weeds. He lets us grow and develop without uprooting us or casting us off.
When we see the reality of the world around us today, we cannot just assume that God’s kingdom is going to continue to grow and grow. We cannot just assume that the Church is going to be around when we need her if we do not do our part today. There are so many people committed to our parish, committed to help God’s kingdom grow. Part of God’s Kingdom is about dealing with the ups and downs of life. We had a conversation with some of you parishioners at the Drinks and Doctrine program last Tuesday evening. We recognized our busy schedules that pull us in many different directions. We want our parishioners to grow, we want God’s kingdom to grow in wonderful and creative ways in our parish, but how do we fit that into our busy lives? That is a question all of us need to ponder. We need to fit God into our reality, now matter how busy we are.
When we hear these parables in the Gospels – and there are certainly a lot of them – maybe we should try to go beyond the meaning on the surface. We need to see the paradoxes, the multiple meanings, and the contradictions that Jesus presents us. And maybe this will help us better understand what God’s Kingdom is all about.
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