Luke 13:18-21 - Small beginning with great ending

From the healing of the bent-over lady, the Lord launched the two parables about the Kingdom of God recorded in Luke 13:18-21. To show the characteristics of this Kingdom, the Lord began by asking, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it?” These two parables picture for us the Kingdom of God and its ultimate growth. The first about the mustard seed illustrates how from a tiny seed, the Kingdom will grow into a huge tree. The Kingdom may begin as a trivial pursuit but it will grow to be a major enterprise. From insignificance, it would become a huge recognizable entity.

The tiny seed becoming a tree also shows the great transformation that would take place. It may be something the naked eye could hardly see, but it will become something that could not be missed. Not only will the Kingdom of God be clearly visible, it would also be a place of shade and shelter. This is a major point of the first parable. Jesus wants us to know that the Kingdom will provide refuge for many. The image of birds nesting in the tree is significant. It points to the fact that even us, Gentiles, were on God's mind. He wants us to also make our home in this Kingdom. Praise God we have!

In the second parable, the Lord uses leaven to illustrate how pervasive and penetrating the Kingdom of God would be. Like leaven that would thoroughly penetrate a lump of dough in the baking of a bread, this Kingdom would also permeate the world and significantly impact it. How it works may be unseen and unknown, but its result would be evidently telling. What are the main thrusts of both parables?

Firstly, like a mustard see, the Kingdom of God may start out small but will reach the point where many may dwell securely in it. And secondly, like leaven to a bread, the Kingdom of God would have complete penetration and would totally impact the whole world. These two parables were designed to challenge the followers of Christ then. They were assured that the programs God had for them may appear small, but they had not seen the magnitude of it yet. Though it may begin small but ultimately God would cause it to penetrate the whole earth and bring His reign to impact it.

In the same way, the Lord assures us of His program for the Kingdom through our lives. It may look insignificant but its inherent power and impact cannot be measured. We must fully trust His programs for the Kingdom through us. Let's diligently engage in whatever role God has given us. We must put our hope in Him and trust that the final outcome of what He is doing through us, will far exceed what we can conceive or imagine. We are a part of this great Kingdom!