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Posts Tagged ‘Matthew 13’

Heaven is Like … a Mustard Seed

Posted in God's Kingdom, Growth, Heaven, Parables, tagged on July 28, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Mustard

 

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. –Matthew 13:31-32

Jesus told parables to both illuminate and obfuscate at the same time — enlightening to those willing to listen, confusing to those without time or inclination to care.

Here, Jesus emphasizes the importance of small beginnings. God isn’t interested in starting big but in continuous growth. It may not seem like much at first, but that’s ok. Start with a little understanding, a little step of faith, a little consistent time of praying, a little Bible reading — and do it faithfully. Soon it will grow and provide shade not only for yourself but others, too.

— fritz@langgang.com
See also: Learning to Pray – June 25, 2011

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The Power of a Glimpse

Posted in Explanations, God's Kingdom, Twitter, tagged on June 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Josh Patrick

“The Kingdom of God is so good and desirable that some people, after they catch a glimpse of it, rearrange their entire lives to have it.” – Josh Patrick, Twitter @patrick_josh 06/22/11

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Algebra in the Bible

Posted in Parables, tagged , , on July 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »

“[T]he kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. – Matthew 13:45-46

In algebra class we were given word problems. We had to express them in terms of variables (“x”, “y”, and “z”) then solve the equation. We considered them both enlightening and confusing – enlightening if figured correctly, confusing if our equation was wrong.

Jesus taught parables both illustrating and obfuscating reality, but they can be seen like heavenly word problems that, with the right correlation of variables, reveal their secrets.

Jesus, here, says there is a Merchant man, a valuable pearl, and currency to purchase it – “x”, “y”, and “z”. He also tells us the merchant man, “x”, is really the Kingdom of Heaven. What, then, could the currency of Heaven be? Not gold, that’s paving material, the valuable God had was his only Son.

“Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation]” – Galatians 3:13a (Amplified)

And the Pearl of great price, that would be you and me.

“… true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” – Jesus (John 4:23b NIV)

Do you see yourself as a valuable pearl? God does.

– fritz

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