The Kingdom of God Be Like

 Hello everyone,

Today, I will continue my exegesis of Luke 13. We will pick up the story in verse 18.  Here is my translation:

18 Then Jesus said, “What is the kingdom of God like, and what can I compare it to? 19 It is like mustard seeds that a man takes and throws into his garden. It grows and becomes a tree, and the birds of the sky build nests in its branches.”  20 He asked again, “What can I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman takes and mixes into three full measures of flour until the whole batch is leavened.

There is a Greek word here οὖν (oun), is generally translated as ‘therefore.’  I mention it here because that word would connect what Jesus says here to the previous passage.  He tells two quick parables, asking what the kingdom of God could be compared to.  So, in the previous passage, Jesus has healed a woman who could not stand up straight and stated that he had released her from bonds that Satan had her in for eighteen years.  Darrell Bock says that Jesus releasing her from Satan’s power raises the issue of authority and rule.  (Luke has previously established that Jesus has greater authority and greater power than Satan.) Where do we see Jesus’ authority and rule most clearly? Within his kingdom. (Bock, 1225.)

In truth, Jesus’ audience here probably had a very different idea of what the kingdom of God was than Jesus did.  For the most part they were expecting the Messiah to come in and drive out the Romans, reestablish the Davidic line and make Israel into a great kingdom.  So when they heard parables like these, they likely took away a different meaning than what Jesus was intending. 

What is the kingdom of God like?  What does Jesus compare it to? 

First, he compares it to a mustard seed. The point is fairly obvious.  The seed starts as something very small, but grows into something very large; large enough to provide shelter and protection for animals.  The kingdom of God would start small and become large. This parable makes two points about God’s kingdom.  It grows and it provides safety. God's kingdom should provide a safe space for anyone and everyone. 

Second, he compares it to yeast.  A woman mixes three full measures of flour.  According to Bock, three full measures is about 50 pounds of flour.  (Bock, 1228.) That is a lot of flour.  Jesus’ point is that the yeast spreads throughout the large amount of flour, eventually leavening all of it. The kingdom of God spreads. 

Jesus presents God's kingdom as a kingdom that starts small and is seemingly insignificant, but over time spreads, becomes large and influential, and provides benefit and safety to all.