Heavenly Thoughts
When Jesus
compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed and yeast, He wanted His
listeners to understand the inherent potential and transforming power of God's
reign.
Many
of the Lord's parables offer analogies to help us understand the Kingdom of
Heaven. The tendency is to limit our notion of Heaven, considering it strictly
as God's dwelling and the place of eternal reward for saintly people after
death. Heaven is certainly all that ... and more! For some of the parables seem
to be intended specifically to help us expand our understanding of God's
Kingdom.
Some
translators, instead of "kingdom" prefer the word "reign,"
which seems less territorial based, and thus more focused on the dynamic extent
of God's active and providential rule. Nonetheless, both nuances are included
in the perfection of Heaven! Likewise, sometimes the context portrays the
Kingdom of Heaven as a future, eschatological reality, whereas other times, the
immediate and present dimension of God's Kingdom is stressed - but again, both
the present and future aspects of Heaven need to be acknowledged.
When
Jesus compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed and yeast, He wanted His
listeners to understand the inherent potential and transforming power of God's
reign. Like so many of the Lord's parables, these similes cannot be reduced to
any one trite explanation, for they are intended to offer food for thought now
and until the end of time.