Proper 12 :: I Kings 3: 5–12 / Psalm 128 / Romans 8: 26–39 / Matthew 13:
31–33, 44–52
This is the homily given at St. John’s,
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania by Fr. Gene Tucker on Sunday, July 16, 2020.
“SMALL BEGINNINGS,
SACRIFICE, THE BIG PICTURE”
(Homily text: Matthew 13:
31–33, 44-52)
This
Sunday’s lectionary readings cause us to jump around in chapter thirteen of
Matthew’s Gospel account. Last week, we heard the Parable of the Weeds (13: 24–30)
and its explanation (13: 36–42). Now, this week, we step back a few verses to
hear the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven (13: 31–33), and then we
continue forward in the chapter to hear the Parables of the Hidden Treasure,
the Pearl of Great Value and the Net (13: 44–52).
The
question naturally arises as to why the explanation of the meaning of the Parable
of the Weeds (verses 36–42) should be interrupted by the Parables of the
Mustard Seed and the Leaven (verses 31–33). Two explanations are possible: 1.
The Lord continued His agricultural theme (heard in the Parable of the Sower
two Sundays ago, and in the Parable of the Weeds last Sunday) with the Parable
of the Mustard Seed; or 2. The material has been redacted, that is
to say, Matthew (or others in his church) interposed the material. Explanation
#1 would follow the sequence of teachings just as the Lord delivered them,
while explanation #2 stems from the common practice of redaction, whereby the
original teachings are faithfully transmitted in the account, but not in the
sequence they actually happened.[1]
The
parables we hear this morning follow a logical sequence, which is: 1. Small
beginnings, 2. The work that is necessary to secure the valuable possession of
the small beginnings of the kingdom of heaven, and 3. These two things are done
within the wider picture of God’s watchful eye (and eventual judgment). Each of
these parables begins with the statement, “The kingdom of heaven is like….”
The point
of the first two parables, which present us with the image of a very small
thing (mustard seed and leaven), seems to portray the kingdom as being a very
small thing, but which becomes a very large (or powerful) thing.
The second
two parables have something in common with the first two: They center around
the idea of something that is small. They present us with the challenge of
doing all that we can to secure the kingdom for ourselves. That will require
effort and work on our part.
Lastly, the
Parable of the Net places before us God’s watchfulness and the eventual, coming
judgment (a theme, we have noted previously, is never far from Matthew’s mind).
It’s always
a good idea to ask ourselves, whenever we approach a Gospel text, these three
questions:
1.
What might Jesus’ original teaching have meant to
the first hearers of it?;
2.
What might those teachings have meant to the early
Christians (such as those who were in Matthew’s church)?; and
3.
What might those teachings mean for us today?
Turning to
the first point, it’s possible that Jesus, whose ministry is just unfolding, is
presenting to those who first heard His words, the idea that, though His work
is in its infancy, it is (and will be) a large, mighty and powerful agent for
change in the world. Consequently, the Lord then presents those first hearers
with the challenge of doing all they can to be a part of this new and mighty
enterprise. Last of all, the Lord reminds those first hearers that God’s
involvement reaches to the smallest beginnings and to the struggle that is
necessary to secure the kingdom for ourselves.
In
Matthew’s church, those early Christians probably were small in number, and
they were surrounded by a Judaism, which in that day and time, was hostile to
the Christian faith, and by a pagan society that was either indifferent to the
truths of the Gospel, or which was outrightly hostile to it. Perhaps those
early believers felt as though their struggle was against mighty odds. But,
those early Christians were to remember, their struggle to claim the kingdom
for themselves, and to aid in its growth, was worth the work involved. If so,
then the first four parables we hear this morning may have spoken powerfully to
them. If we may characterize the Parable of the Net, we might say that those in
Matthew’s church were to be reminded that God was/is watching, God is taking
account of all that is done, and that there will be a time of reckoning.
Our
situation today is a bit different, for we have inherited the legacy of
Christendom, a term that denotes the idea that Christianity was a dominating
and dominant force in much of the world in times past. Christendom’s legacy can
be seen, for example, in the great cathedrals which were built centuries ago.
To some degree, there are still vestiges of Christendom in our society,
although those vestiges continue to fade into obscurity. That many of our
churches are now much smaller than they were decades ago might make us feel as
though we’re greatly outnumbered in our struggle to claim the kingdom for our
own. But, Jesus’ parables heard today, remind us that the kingdom is a mighty
thing, a thing well worth our efforts to bring into being for ourselves and for
others, and that, as we do so, God’s involvement is a constant, for in due
time, God will appoint a time of accounting and reckoning for our role in
claiming the kingdom for ourselves, and in assisting in its growth in the
world.
AMEN.
[1] Another example of redaction can be found in
the witness of the early Christian, Papias, who tells us that Mark’s Gospel
account came from the recollections of Peter. Mark, Papias said, wrote down
Peter’s recollections, but “not in order”.
