Understanding God’s Kingdom
TRANSLATION
(18) Then Jesus asked, “What is the Kingdom of God like and to what should I compare it? (19) It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man planted in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made their nests in its branches.” (20) And again he asked, “To what should I compare the Kingdom of God? (21) It is like yeast which a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it had all risen.”
(22) He then went through the towns and villages, teaching as he was making his way to Jerusalem. (23) And someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He responded, (24) “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. (25) Once the owner of the house has gotten up and closed the door, you will stand outside and begin to knock on the door saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will answer, ‘I do not know you nor where you come from.’ (26) Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ (27) Then he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know you nor where you come from. Go away, all you evildoers!’ (28) There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets (gathered) in the Kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. (29) And many will come from the east and west and from the north and south and will take their places in the Kingdom of God. (30) And behold, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”
(31) At the same time certain Pharisees came and said to him, “Leave now! Go far away, for Herod wants to kill you.” (32) And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I am casting out demons and performing miracles today and tomorrow, and the third day I will finish my course. (33) Nevertheless, I must press on today, tomorrow and the following day, for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem.’ (24) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together just as a hen gathers her own chicks under her wings, and you were not willing! (35) Behold, your house is left to you desolate, and I tell you that you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
OBSERVATIONS
The four occurrences of “the Kingdom of God” show us that it is the main theme of this segment (vss. 18, 20, 28, & 29). Jesus first gave two parables to describe what the Kingdom of God is “like,” a word used three times (vss. 18, 19, & 21) along with its synonym, “compare” (vss. 18 & 20). He then answered a question shouted by someone in the crowd, “Are only a few people going to be saved?” With parables he taught that the Kingdom of God starts small, almost imperceptibly, and then grows into something almost unimaginably large. With his answer to the question, he taught that entrance into the Kingdom will be limited to those who enter through the “narrow door” and that those who think they deserve to be included will likely be excluded.
To conclude this segment, Jesus responded to strong warnings from certain Pharisees regarding Herod’s intention to kill him just as he had executed John the Baptist. Jesus refused to be intimidated and instead declared that he would still go to Jerusalem (used three times in vss. 33 & 34) in spite of the danger. He closed with a dirge, mourning the fact that Jerusalem would not experience God’s blessing until she welcomed her Messiah.
OUTLINE
I. In two parables Jesus revealed the nature of God’s Kingdom. (18-21)
II. Jesus answered the question, “Will those who are saved be few?” (22-30)
III. Jesus responded to the Pharisees’ warning about dangers from Herod. (31-35)
IDEA STATEMENT
Only those who humbly submit to God’s requirements are fit to enter his Kingdom.
APPLICATION
This segment of Luke 13 well illustrated the truth expressed by the Prophet Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord” (Is. 55:8). The Kingdom of God revealed by Jesus’ parables, seen in Jesus’ extended answer to the question regarding those who will be welcomed into the Kingdom, and implied by Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ warnings about the dangers he would face in Jerusalem, will be nothing like the Kingdom the Jews of Jesus’ day had in mind. They thought they had it all figured out and assumed they held of a place of honor. Instead, Jesus confounded them by saying, in essence, “Your ideas regarding what God’s Kingdom will be like are completely mistaken.”
Two important surprises emerged from his teaching. First, everyone will be astonished that those whom they thought would be included in God’s Kingdom will be missing. Instead, others whom they were sure did not stand a chance of entering the Kingdom will be there. The reason is found in Jesus’ second important surprise, that inclusion in God’s Kingdom can never be earned or deserved but will only be made possible by the sovereign grace of God for those who acknowledge their unworthiness and desperate need for his mercy. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Only those who humble themselves and acknowledge their desperate need for God will receive the right to enter his Kingdom as a free and undeserved gift of grace.