• During July, we have been talking each week about the Kingdom parables. There are many different images and analogies, but how do they all tie together?  What is the overall, broad message?
  • The image of seeds sown, some falling on poor soil, others landing on good soil stresses that at the end you can't say you're going to get a 100% harvest. There is some sense that it is a gamble.
  • The image of weeds growing in the field raises the question of what is to be done about this problem. If we take action there is the risk that intervening would itself diminish the crop. There is the sense that it is wiser to leave it and sort it out at the end. 
  • Today, we find four more images about the Kingdom of God, in the reading passage.  How can these images together make sense? First, the idea that the Kingdom of God is like the treasure in the field. Should we invest heavily in the field and gamble on finding the hidden treasure that will change our life? Second, the image of finding a fine, valuable pearl that when sold, could change our lives. Third, the image of the small mustard seed that transforms into a huge bush attracting the birds because it offers structure, safety, and shelter.  Fourth, the image of the yeast which has the power to transform the flour into something life-supporting.
  • There seems to be a common thread where each of these things, insignificant in themselves, calls us to look beyond the obvious.  Things that are small or insignificant at first, have the power to become the the most meaningful, and a blessing to us.  Similarly, small, seemingly insignifcant acts are as important, if not more important,  as the larger obvious things we do in terms of a broader impact.
  • Finally, the passage also references the gathering of the fishing catch, and here  is where it all comes together: it is the whole catch that counts all together, the insignificant and the grand.  Similarly,  insignificant acts as well as larger acts, all count, and bless. 
  • Your Homework:  Think about those insignificant, humdrum, normal obvious things that have the power to bless and how they are part of the Kingdom of God.