In “All is Forgiven: The Secular Message in American Protestantism”, Marsha Witten writes of the recent trend in church advertisement: slick brochures highlighting the social and psychological advantages of church attendance – with no mention whatsoever of spiritual striving, suffering, or faith in God. In her own neighbourhood she received a direct mail invitation to attend a new church that promised it was designed to “meet your needs” and deliver “positive, practical messages which uplift you each week.” Topics such as: how to feel good about yourself, overcoming depression, living the successful life, handling stress, money and so on. It makes for quite a contrast to the teaching of Christ which was described as authoritative, hard, difficult, and confusing. As we continue in Matthew 13 over the next few weeks allow these parables of the kingdom, the words and teaching of Christ, to fuel and inform your worship of him.
Last Sunday we learned in our introduction to Matthew chapter 13 that parables, contrary to common belief, are not pleasant homey stories for simple minded folk. In fact, rather than ‘levelling the playing field’ they divide. They divide those who understand from those who don’t. They both conceal and reveal. To those with hardened hearts the message of the kingdom of heaven is hidden; to those with receptive hearts the kingdom comes alive. Thankfully, the dividing line of understanding is not based upon intellect; that is not the kind of “understanding” Jesus pleads for when he asks “have you understood all these things?” He asks that we incline are hearts such that we hear with understanding. David Garland writes that to understand these parables is to understand God’s kingdom more authentically. He writes, “They require a flexible mind and an open heart to stretch around such an enormous concept as the kingdom of God. The only way parables can be understood at the deepest level is for one to dare to become involved in their world, to be willing to risk seeing God with new eyes, and to allow that vision to transform one’s being.”
Clearly, Jesus’ goal was not to make the kingdom of God as easy as possible to understand, or to make people feel comfortable. His teaching separated the superficially curious from the serious seeker. Those wanting supernatural pyrotechnics, religious legalism, political power, or self-help encouragement programs were left wanting. Following one particularly difficult teaching session John writes of the following crowd turning their back on him saying “they no longer walked with him.” Turning to his closest twelve he asks: “Do you want to go away as well?” Peter gave this inspired response: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
To whom do you turn for life giving and sustaining words? To whom do you turn to understand this world and the next?
I hope to see you this Sunday as we continue our series “The Kingdom of Heaven: Now and Forever”.
Much love,
Pastor Gary