The kingdom of heaven – what is it? A spiritual disembodied place where we sit on clouds (in our non-physical bodies!), playing harps to Jesus? Is it a time at the end of history when Jesus comes to gather, to judge and to rule the world? If so, how it is ‘near’ or ‘at hand’? And what does it mean to pray “your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9)?
There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding around the kingdom of heaven, just as there was in Matthew’s day. To help us address this we’re going to look at nine parables from the lips of Jesus from Matthew’s gospel: seven from chapter 13 and two from chapters 18 and 20.
What is a parable?
Before we look to try and understand the kingdom of heaven, let’s think for a minute on what a parable is and why Jesus chose to teach about the kingdom of heaven using parables. Michael Green says,
A parable is a comparison of two subjects for the purposes of teaching. It proceeds from the known to the unknown. It is an everyday story with a spiritual meaning. It is not an allegory…there is generally one salient point.
Why did Jesus teach in this way? Because everyone loves and remembers a story! It is a way of teaching ‘common’ folk as well as the educated elites (in Matthew 13, Jesus moves from the synagogue to the seashore). A parable also sifts those who are really hungry from those who are too lazy to look into it for themselves, or too blinded by hatred and prejudice to discern the parable’s deeper meaning. This is a key reason why Jesus spoke in parables. Green adds:
The parables bring light for those who look for it, and for those who do not the darkness intensifies.
Finally, the parables are a spur towards a decision. The kingdom cannot be understood from the outside. To be a historical contemporary of Jesus did you no good without the eye of faith. It’s only as you enter the kingdom, by submitting to Jesus as king, that you understand the kingdom of heaven.
Revealed and concealed
One of the intriguing dynamics of the kingdom of heaven is that it is both revealed and concealed; it is being unveiled and yet it remains hidden. RT France says,
The kingdom of heaven, for all its growing power (vs31-33), is a secret (vs11), and a secret is a secret only if not everyone is in the know. That so crucial a revelation is offered to men, and so powerful an agency is at work, and yet there are some who remain unresponsive and unaffected – this is the great mystery which these parables are designed to explain.
How is it possible that Israel’s leaders reject Jesus? How is possible that many don’t see the kingdom? Because it is both revealed and concealed. The parables give an opportunity for those with ‘sight’ to find out more, whilst those who are blind continue to be be blind.
Division & Decision
Matthew starts his teaching about the kingdom of heaven in the context of division – those who are true followers of Jesus and those who are not (Matthew 12:46-50). And Matthew 13 ends with Jesus being rejected by not just by the religious establishment (in chapters 11-12) but by his hometown and own family (Matthew 13:53-56). One of the great burdens of the parables about the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 13 is to explain how there is always a divided response to the kingdom – many reject, ignore and miss the kingdom, whilst others accept, participate and are drawn into it.
Parables help with this – you cannot be a disciple if you expect Jesus to simply spoon-feed you. You need to wrestle and puzzle it out for yourself, and come back to learn again and again. The parables are intended to draw hearers to decision, and to give them room to do so – are you for or against the king? As we go through the parables we’ll see a contrast between the disciples and the crowds, between those who have entered the kingdom and those who are on the outside. And so it is no surprise that in Matthew 13 each parable has a divided response, for example fruitful soil and unproductive, good grain and weeds, good fish and bad etc.
The kingdom of God & The kingdom of heaven
Typically we find the phrase ‘the kingdom of God’ in the other synoptic gospels (Mark & Luke), but not in Matthew. Why? Matthew has a Jewish audience in mind when he writes his gospel and out of respect Jews avoided the direct use of the name of God (e.g Daniel 4:26 – ‘heaven rules’). However RT France says
Comparison soon confirms that it is merely a stylistic peculiarity of Matthew, and that there is no different in meaning’
So what is the kingdom of heaven? It is the realm in which Jesus rules as king – in heaven his rule is accepted, on earth his rule is contested. Heaven and earth are not a long way from each other (as we often think), rather in biblical thought they overlap and interlock. Heaven is not the non-physical and earth the physical – they’re both physical and they’re both different realms. Think of the world of Narnia through the wardrobe or the world of wizards which can interact with the world of muggles from Harry Potter.
So in Jesus’ coming and his teaching, the kingdom of heaven has now be launched, and launched in power and glory, on earth as it is in heaven. Those who received Jesus as king could enter the kingdom, and live under his rule. This rule of God through king Jesus is therefore not just exercised in different realms (heaven and earth) but also in different ages – the future age (where Jesus’ rule is accepted by all) and the present age (where Jesus’ rule is contested). This bring us look at many tensions/mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
Both/And
In Matthew 13 and elsewhere we discover the kingdom of God is not easy to define, and to try to simplify it restricts its breadth and fails to do justice to all aspects. For example the kingdom of God is
- Now and not yet*
- Upside-down
- Inside-out
- Hidden yet revealed
- Inaugurated yet not consummated
- Little yet powerful
- Small yet growing to be enormous
- Brings joy and demand (in that order!)
*Craig Keener makes the point that Matthew 13 depicts the present character of the kingdom until the end, especially why it first comes in a hidden way and how it is not coercive militarily or intellectually (in contrast to earthly kingdoms) but comes to the meek and lowly, not to the wise and learned but to the little children (Matthew 11:25-30).
How shall we respond?
The parables are not just ‘lectures’ telling us about the kingdom; they are rather ‘speech events’ that enable us to enter the kingdom. A bit like the difference between a description of a wedding (where all the various parts are explained to the bride and groom beforehand) and the wedding day (where the bride and groom become husband and wife through the words of the minister). In Jesus’ teaching we not only learn about the kingdom, we experience it being brought near to us. Dale Bruner says,
Jesus’ parables are not only doctrine about the kingdom; it is teaching bringing membership in it…when the kingdom comes near through Jesus’ teaching, it not only brings new information, but it also makes new creatures.
As we listen to these parables over six weeks, we need to consider our response – what will we do with the kingdom? How shall we respond to king Jesus? Will we be like fruitful soil or unproductive soil? Will we be like the one who found great treasure and sold everything else to have it or will we be like those weeds that get pulled up an burned at the end of the age? Will we listen from afar like the crowds, not committing ourselves and therefore not understanding, or will we wrestle like the disciples and find ourselves pulled right into the King’s purposes?
Here is how we will break up our series
- 17-Oct – The parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23)
- 24-Oct – The parable of the weeds (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-42)
- 31-Oct – The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast (Matthew 13:31-35)
- 7-Nov – Weekend Away
- 14-Nov – The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl and the net (Matthew 13:44-52)
- 21-Nov – The parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35)
- 28-Nov – The parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)