"How shall I describe the kingdom of God?,'' Jesus said. "It is like..."
When Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom of God, what did he say about the kingdom? How did he describe it? We need to make sure that our description of the kingdom matches the description Jesus gave.
Did Jesus describe a place of power and wealth? Did he describe a future time, or something that is already going on? In this study, we will look at the stories Jesus told to describe the kingdom of God. We'll begin with some of the short parables in Mark 4.
1. How did Jesus describe the kingdom of God? Mark 4:26-29. What part of the story is like the kingdom--is it the seed, or the growth, or producing more seed, or the harvest--or are all these things part of the description of the kingdom? Is Jesus describing a sudden arrival of the kingdom, or a slow process?
2. What is another way Jesus described the kingdom of God? Verses 30-32. (Similar parables are in Matt. 13:31 and Luke 13:18.) Jesus described the kingdom not just as a seed, but as the smallest seed. What contrast was he developing? Would the kingdom begin in power and glory, or as something very small?
3. In the shortest parable, what did Jesus compare the kingdom to? Luke 13:20-21 or Matt. 13:33. When yeast is first mixed into bread dough, how noticeable is it? However, does a small amount produce a large result? Is Jesus describing a dramatic beginning? A sudden event?
Comment: In these three parables, Jesus is describing the growth of the kingdom. It begins small and inconspicuous, but it grows large. In the parable of the wheat, it also produces a crop for harvest.
The small beginning of the kingdom would have surprised Jesus' listeners. They were hoping that a Messiah would lead the Jewish people to a great victory over the Romans. They were hoping to become an independent nation, with the power of David's kingdom and the wealth of Solomon's. But Jesus was announcing that the kingdom must begin in a very small way.
These three parables do not describe a millennial kingdom. They do not fit well with a kingdom that begins in a blaze of glory at Jesus' return. Rather, these parables describe the kingdom of God that exists for many years before the return of Christ. These parables describe a long, slow growth process for the kingdom.
The kingdom of God is not just a seed, and it is not just a fully grown plant. It is the entire story--something small that grows into something large.
4. One of Jesus' best-known parables is about seed that was sown on four kinds of soil. How do we know that this parable is about the kingdom of God? Matt. 13:11, 19. Which soil produces something for the kingdom? Verse 23. Why did Jesus tell the parable--are we able in some way to choose what type of soil we are, the type of response we give to the message about the kingdom? What attitudes are we warned to avoid?
5. What was the next parable Jesus used to describe the kingdom? Matt. 13:24-30. Does the kingdom begin small, as seed? Is growth again part of the story? Does the story of the kingdom conclude with a harvest? Who is the enemy that sows weed seeds?
Comment: These two parables do not describe a millennium in which Satan is powerless. Rather, they describe a time in which Satan is working, snatching away the message that was sown in people's hearts and causing weeds to grow among God's people.
The kingdom of God, according to these parables, is not a utopia in which everything is perfect. It is a time of struggle, trials, worries and deceit--but it is also a time of growth that leads toward God's harvest.
In these parables, the harvest is at "the end of the age.'' The harvest is the time when God's people will be resurrected to be with the Lord forever. These descriptions of the kingdom therefore end with the return of Christ, rather than beginning with it. These parables describe a kingdom that exists in this age, a kingdom that will also include a future judgment.
When Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom of God, this is the way he described it. He was not preaching about a millennium of peace and prosperity, but a long period of growth in which his disciples are to produce fruit for the kingdom.
6. In another short parable, Jesus compared the kingdom to what? Matt. 13:44. Did the story begin with the kingdom as hidden? Did it remain hidden throughout the story? How did Jesus describe the response of a person who discovered the value of the kingdom?
7. What other treasure did Jesus compare the kingdom to? Verses 45-46. What was the response that Jesus pictured as good and appropriate?
Comment: In both of these parables, Jesus focuses on a person's response to the kingdom. That is just as important as the kingdom itself, because if we don't respond in the right way, we won't enter the kingdom even if we can describe it accurately.
8. The next parable describes a judgment. What was being sorted into good and bad? Matt. 13:47-50. Are we told anything about the reward of the good? What happens to the bad? Did one of the previous parables describe the same punishment? Verse 42.
9. The next parable also describes a judgment. What happens when the first person is found lacking? Matt. 18:23-27. Then Jesus described a period of time--what happened in that span of time? Verses 28-31. The first person was judged again, with what result? Verses 32-35. What is the main point of the parable? Verse 35.
Comment: This is what the kingdom is like, Jesus said. It's about judgment, and about the King forgiving our debts, and about our need to forgive one another. And it is also about punishment on those who don't. In our descriptions of the kingdom of God, we should include both forgiveness and punishment.
10. What is the next parable of the kingdom about? Matt. 20:1-16. Were all the workers given the same amount? Did they do an equal amount of work? Does everyone like the way the kingdom of God gives rewards? Why would anyone grumble against God's generosity?
11. In the parable of the talents, the workers were given different amounts of money. In this parable, who complained about the way God rewards his servants? Matt. 25:14-30. Does the story describe the kingdom as including a long time period before the master returns? Were the workers expected to bear fruit for the kingdom? What is the end result of those who do not?
Comment: Just as the good seeds produce grain for the harvest, the good servants work for their master. Those who fail to work for the King will be thrown out of the kingdom.
Another lesson we may learn from these parables is that the King is the one who determines how much to reward each person. He is the one who determines when to call each worker, and he determines when he will return for judgment.
12. In two parables, Jesus compared the kingdom to a wedding feast. What happens to those who refuse the invitation to come? Matt. 22:1-7. Even of those who come, are all equally accepted? Verses 8-14. Again, did Jesus' description of the kingdom of God include the concept of punishment? Verse 13. Will the master refuse to let some people into his wedding celebration? Matt. 25:1-13.
Comment: In this study we have looked at all the parables that Jesus specifically said described the kingdom. How may we summarize what he said?
First, the kingdom of God begins in a small way. It is not conspicuous. Many people will not notice it. Others will hear about it and want to be part of it, but will fall away for one reason or another. The kingdom has too much work, too many trials. It is not the utopia that some people want it to be, and some people prefer the things of this world. /But others treasure it so much that they are willing to give up everything for it.
The kingdom begins with God. He is the one who sows the seed; he is the one who hires the workers and gives the talents. He is the one who seeks a harvest, who sets the standards, who makes the judgments, who gives both grace and duties. He tells us to forgive others and to work for the kingdom.
When Jesus used parables to describe the kingdom, he did not describe a wonderful world that comes after the King returns. Rather, he described a time of trials and growth, and then a judgment when the King returns. God's kingdom includes both punishments and rewards. At the end of this age, there will be a judgment. God will reward people who have done well; he will punish those who have not.
Jesus did not describe a millennium of reward--he described an age of testing and growth. When we preach the gospel of the kingdom, we need to be sure that we describe the kingdom in the same way that Jesus did.
Michael Morrison
This study, with the text of the verses cited, is available on the Internet--
http://userwebs.cth.com.au/~wcg/
This website also contains the text of Which Old Testament Laws Apply to Christians Today? with the text of the verses cited.
Feb. 24, 1998, WN, pages 25 and 26
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