Matthew 13:24-46 - He Had Always Told the Truth; Lord, He Was an Honest Man

My youngest daughter, Angel, had a favorite song was she was a kid. Written and recorded by "Looking Glass" in 1972, it was a story song about a barmaid who loved a sailor whose love was the sea. Her name was Brandy, and the bridge to the song goes like this ...


"Yeah, Brandy used to watch his eyes when he told his sailor's story.
She could feel the ocean fall and rise, she saw it's raging glory.
But he had always told the truth, Lord he was an honest man;
And Brandy does her best to understand."

Brandy is entranced by the stories of glory that she can only begin to capture in her imagination. "What is it like...?" "What is it like ...?" "Tell me about the majesty of the sea and the exotic ports of call!" 

I imagine the followers of Christ were much the same as Brandy. Jesus came preaching, "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand!" Jesus came teaching, "Pray like this ... May God's Kingdom come on earth ..." And so His followers must have egged Him on - "What's it like? Tell us more about the Kingdom." And so He did.

Five times within today's brief text, Jesus says, "The Kingdom of God is like ..." Five parables, each illustrating an aspect of God's Kingdom.

The kingdom is like a farmer whose goal is to raise and harvest an abundant crop.

The kingdom is like a mustard seed that starts out very small and ends up very large.

The kingdom is like yeast; a little bit has a huge effect.

The kingdom is like a discovered treasure, or the finest pearl; the finder will sell everything they've got to make it their own.

God IS at work populating His kingdom. At first only a few were called and received the message, but what began small has become very large. A verse, a testimony, a sermon, a good deed are bits of Kingdom yeast, but watch the life-changing effect they can have. Yes, God's kingdom is a treasure; it's a pearl of great price. Have you sold out to it?

Pray: Father, as a child of the Kingdom, help me to re-capture the glory and wonder of the Kingdom. Help me to tell the stories of the Kingdom that I know - how you are the Captain of my soul; how You walked on water; how You calmed the raging sea; how You calmed the raging sea in me! Let each person watch my eyes as I tell my Kingdom stories. Let them feel the Spirit fall and rise, and see Your blazing glory ...