Matthew provides an interesting setting for this chapter. Jesus went out along the beach , and so many people gathered that he could not be seen or heard. So Jesus climbed into a boat pulled up on the beach and sat there and told the people parables. The stories are intermixed with explanations, but Jesus seems to have given the explanations to the disciples later rather than to everyone, so it is appropriate that the lectionary skips the explanations and puts together this group of five parables, all about the kingdom of heaven.
Walter Wink, in an article in the journal Weavings, talks of his compelling interest in the question "What is the kingdom or reign of God?" He found answers to where (near and sometimes here), and when (now and not yet), but not what, until he read a book by Riane Eisler, The Chalice and the Blade (a very good book!). Eisler is a Jew who is glad to claim Jesus as a Jewish prophet who condemned all systems of domination. That was Wink's key: the kingdom of God or heaven is God's domination-free system. Wink re-read the Gospels and found evidence everywhere. Such a system is sounds a bit radical and strange, but is consistent with many of our constitutional ideas. Three branches of government to have equal powers so no one can dominate the others. Local decisions made by elected citizens who are accountable to the people. We humans just seem to have a hard time living up to our ideals.
Instead, we clamor for power like bullies on a playground. Whether climbing the corporate hierarchy or competing for first chair in the orchestra, we aim for positions of influence. When those are not open to us professionally, we may try to control our spouse or child or parent. Last week I was talking to an acquaintance who complained he doesn't have any friends. He is right. He has no friends because he always dominates the conversation and never really listens to anyone or has a good word to say about anyone. Powerless in nearly every aspect of his life, he relinquishes the true power of relationship and connection by being the blowhard everyone would rather avoid.
Jesus lived in a state dominated by the almost absolute and often despotic power of Caesar and his appointed governors. The Jews had a long history of kings, but no king of their own, now, or for many years before. Kingdom to a Jew in Jesus' day had to invoke one of two primary ideas in his listeners: either a purely spiritual kingdom or a new political framework with a new king in Israel. This kingdom was certainly spiritual, but he spoke all the time about the distractions of money, the blessings of the poor, the inclusion of the outcast. These are political issues, not just spiritual ones.
I've been reading some good info on the idea of the kingdom and have lots of thoughts to share, but that would be a very long post!
One more thought before I close this and try to assemble it all into a coherent sermon and liturgy for Sunday. The parable of the yeast is an important image because it says that it only takes a little bit of the "kingdom" to make a real difference in the world. A small action that brings God's dream for the world a bit closer. One life lived in harmony with God's will can change many lives that come into contact. And in an individual, one act of love, of reconciliation can make a difference in the whole of life. The realm of God's love is power without domination or oppression. Love that encourages more love but also leads to justice, to the removal of oppression through real political and social change. Whether or not you agree with all their political ideas, MoveOn.org is a good example of individual people taking small actions - emails, small donations - and making a real difference. Churches have the same power, but we don't endorse candidates; we work for mercy, justice and peace.
What act of the kingdom have you done, today?
Peace,
Marlea
