Gospel: Lk 13:18-21
JESUS said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a person took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the ‘birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.’ ”
Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”
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If we expect the Kingdom of God to come with a big bang, we will be disappointed. The Kingdom of God does not dazzle like a spectacle or extravaganza. It is not eye-catching like the looks of a beauty queen or a commercial product presented by advertisers.
The Kingdom of God starts small, like a mustard seed, and when it grows big, it still looks small and unimpressive before the eyes of the world.
The yeast is common in every household kitchen. People bake bread. They need yeast to make the dough rise, though they are forbidden to use it for the matzah, the unleavened bread, for the Passover Seder celebrations. Observant Jews clean up the kitchen from yeast before the Sabbath starts.
Jesus uses small things to explain how God works in us. God continually sustains us with small dosages of divine teachings to change and make us productive and fruitful. God does not overwhelm us with too much fanfare in the beginning only to attract us into God’s Kingdom and then fizzle out.
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SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2017” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
