Jesus invites us to withdraw our allegiance from a world of bigness, clarity, immediacy, looking good, and security and to see life instead as smallness, patience, humility, inner wisdom, and risk-taking.
—Richard Rohr, Jesus’ Alternative Plan
Father Richard considers how Jesus’ parables reveal the realm of God:
Chapter 13 of Matthew’s Gospel contains seven parables on the kingdom of heaven or “realm of God.” In the first, Jesus says the word of God is like a seed which is sown in the hearts of many, but only those who let it grow within them belong to God’s realm (Matthew 13:4–9). [1] In the parable of the weeds and the wheat, Jesus seems to say that this world is a mixture of different things. God allows both good and bad to grow in the same field together. Then, at the end of time, God will decide what is wheat and what is a weed. In a certain way, the parable is saying it’s none of our business to fully figure it out (13:24–30). [2]
This divine realm is also not to be found in just one person; it spreads and grows from person to person, influencing groups and societies. In the third and fourth parables, Jesus compares the kingdom to a tree that spreads its branches and to yeast that filters through dough, always pervading, organically forming and transforming structures (13:31–33). The realm of God is something that touches, inspires, and enlivens all things from their very center outward—and changes them.
The next parables are the shortest, but they are two of my favorites. They show that people can recognize the kingdom when they find it, and if they are willing to give up a great deal to become part of it:
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he keeps it safe, goes off happy, sells everything he owns, and buys the field. (13:44)
The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it (13:45–46).
I can think of many contemporary examples of how people have risked security to share lives and seek God’s realm: prayer groups, peace and justice ministries, social agencies and shelters, communities of contemplation and action. Living in this sacred dimension may be spiritual, but it’s also very real, and it’s very attractive when we discover it.
In the seventh parable, Jesus reiterates the idea that the realm of God has little to do with the ego-based expectations of our culture or religion (13:47–50). No church, community, or individual is perfect. We humans are always turning away from the realm of God and then undergoing a new conversion to return. To turn toward the kingdom, we must turn away from our smaller selves. To say, “Thy kingdom come,” we must say in the next breath, “My kingdom go.” [3]
References:
[1] Adapted from Richard Rohr and Joseph Martos, The Great Themes of Scripture: New Testament (Cincinnati, OH: Franciscan Media, 1988), 26.
[2] Adapted from Richard Rohr, “On the Weeds and the Wheat,” homily, July 20, 2014.
[3] Rohr, Great Themes, 27–28.
Image credit and inspiration: Providence Doucet, Untitled (detail), 2016, photo, Canada, Unsplash. Click here to enlarge image. Like Jesus’ parables, we can look closely at fallen leaves and see things new.
Story from Our Community:
Recently, the Daily Meditations focused on how everything is gift. I’ve reflected on this same concept of gift myself in recent years through revisiting the Parable of the Sower. It seems to me that there is no such thing as a “self-made person.” Our entire life is a gift, including our skills, motivation, and talents. For me, the gospels make it very clear that God’s purposes are the opposite of accumulating wealth, rather our wealth—however much that is—is a gift to be savored.
—Jason O.
