For the past three weeks, we’ve heard Jesus tell parables of the kingdom: the parable of the sower, the parable of the wheat and the weeds, and a series of short parables including the mustard seed, yeast, field, pearl, and catch of fish.
So why not stick to one parable of the kingdom and call it good? Can’t we get what we need to know about the kingdom from one story…rather than seven?
Well, think of it this way: have you ever tried sharing an experience you had with another person, but find yourself without the words to fully capture everything that that experience was to you? I’ve been there. And, I’ve also been on the receiving end of that conversation as friends have tried – sometimes using numerous different examples – to communicate the depth of what they’ve come to experience/come to know.
Sometimes, it’s difficult to concretely and succinctly describe something that is so big, so vast, and so incredible…something like the kingdom of God.
Trust me, there are times I wish the Bible had more concrete descriptions. Just tell me what I need to know! But, without leaving room to engage with depictions of things like the kingdom of God, truth is, we’re actually limiting God from being God…and we’re limiting God’s Kingdom from being God’s Kingdom.
So as we close our mini-series on the parables of the kingdom, challenge yourself to go back to these passages one more time and consider: what new perspective of the kaleidoscope of God’s Kingdom was revealed to you this year? And, what have these parables revealed to you about your participation in God’s Kingdom?
We may be moving on from the parables of the kingdom in worship. But for the rest of our lives of faith, we will be forming words and images and ideas to point to the fullness of God’s Kingdom. So rather than create a concrete paragraph description, try this: live what God’s Kingdom is. Live into the invitation that Christ has offered to you. And then, testify to that.