Reflections on "A Subversive Approach": Matthew 13: 31-35

The last sermon on parables this summer.  In my earlier thoughts, I had not focused much on the parable of the mustard seed.  I did mention it a bit in the sermon.  I think that whoever put Matthew together linked the parable of the mustard seed and the parables of the leaven together, which odes not do justice to the parable of the leaven.  By linking them together, it suggests that parable of the leaven is about the growth from small to big like the mustard seed, but I really think the leaven is about how the world is transformed into the kingdom of heaven, rather than the size of the kingdom.

As I reflected on preaching the Sunday after the shooting in Aurora, CO, I thought about throwing out the sermon and focusing just on how we might reflect on that tragedy from a faith perspective.  I opted not to do that because I thought that could be addressed in the context of the expected sermon.  The danger, of course, is to skew the sermon or to trivialize the tragedy.  I hope that the way it was handled in the sermon was both helpful and true to the text.

funny how differently sermons seem to be received in the Chapel and Sanctuary services.  Not a single comment from people attending the chapel service, which is unusual for that group; lots of comments from the Sanctuary service.

If I preached the sermon again, I would focus only on the leaven and leave the mustard seed out of the sermon.  The power in the text comes from this idea of how the world is transformed in comparison to how the leaven transforms the flour.

“A Subversive Approach” July 22, 2012; FPC, Troy, Matthew 13: 31-35 Kirkmont Parables

Introduction: Last sermon on parables. Next week on to Titus.

Move 1: I am not sure what transpired as Jesus told this parable, but I think it went something like this.

a. The crowd is gathered to hear Jesus teach.

1. a somewhat serious crowd, wouldn't you say?
2. Looking for the answers for life.
3. More like a church crowd gathering to hear a sermon than a Saturday night crowd gathering at the Comedy Club to hear a comedian.

b. I suspect they do not know how to take Jesus when we tells these two short parables about the kingdom of heaven.

1. In fact, I think Jesus is having some fun as he tells these parables.
2. Sort of the silly story that you might want to dismiss, but then keeps eating at you.

100. Put yourself there with the crowds as they heard Jesus talk about the kingdom of heaven.
     d. First all, Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that grows into a mustard tree.
     1. Are you going to focus on the point about the little seed becoming the big tree before or after you realize that Jesus has just compared to kingdom of heaven to a mustard tree.
     2. In truth, it's not really a mustard tree. It's more like an ugly shrub or bush.
     3. It's an herb bush.
     4. Not the kingdom of heaven is like a rose bush, something beautiful and magnificent; not the kingdom of heaven is like the cedars of Lebanon, strong and powerful standing over them.
     5. No, the kingdom of heaven is like an ugly herb bush.
     6. Are you laughing yet?
     d. Move on to the next few sentences – the kingdom of heaven is like the woman who mixes leaven into three measures of flour.
     1. do you notice that Jesus mentions an absurd amount of flour -- it would have been enough to feed 100-150 people.
     2. Maybe you immediately jump to the idea that the kingdom of heaven is going to be really big, but then you notice a couple of other things about what Jesus said.

3. Jesus suggests that leaven is at the heart of the kingdom of heaven. But you know that leaven is bad, it corrupts. In fact, in both biblical writings and other ancient writings leaven has a negative context. How is the Passover celebrated? With unleavened bread. In just few years Paul will write to the Corinthians about cleaning out the leaven of malice and evil and living the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
4. Leaven is a concrete example of how the flour is corrupted. And Jesus is using it to explain the kingdom of heaven?
5. Maybe not in that moment, but later when you replay his words you are reminded how Jesus said that the woman hid the yeast in the flour. The word used is the Greek work krypto, which means hiding for selfish reasons. (For example, hiding money for you to spend later on yourself). Krypto is never used to describe mixing leaven and bread (Hear Then the Parable, Bernard Brandon Scott, 324-329)

Move 2: The kingdom of heaven is like an ugly herb shrub or like corrupting leaven.

Is he kidding?
a. Maybe. I do think that Jesus uses the ridiculous to jar us from our preconceived notions about him or in this case about the kingdom of heaven.

b. But Jesus also has the difficult task of trying to explain what the kingdom of heaven is like, what the reign of God is like, to a people who only know the world and the worldly values of power.

1. How can Jesus describe a kingdom of heaven that will have as its foundation his death on the cross?
2. What illustration adequately describes the kind of power that begins in an act of powerlessness as God allows Christ to be nailed to the cross?
3. How can Jesus describe a kingdom of heaven that has as one of its guiding principles “turn the other cheek.” the people hope for a Messiah to come and vanquish the Romans; instead they get Jesus riding on a donkey and submitting to roman authorities.
4. How can Jesus tell them about the kingdom of heaven that calls people to forgive, even as Jesus in his dying breath asks forgiveness for those who crucify him.

100. Where can Jesus turn to find adequate illustrations of that kind of kingdom?

500. Maybe the mustard bush and the leaven make pretty good examples, after all.

Move 3: As the listeners laugh a bit at these ridiculous examples, they can begin to think about the kingdom of heaven in a new way. Maybe we can, too.
a. In fact, I sort of like the idea of the kingdom being like leaven.
1. In other words, the kingdom is revealed as our worldview and expectations get corrupted.

2. the subversive nature of the kingdom means that it happens outside of the power structure of our world.

3. the kingdom cannot be legislated. It cannot be forced. It arrives subtly,a t work in surprising ways.

b. I had a seminary professor who got remarried late in his life. He had been widowed about 15 years earlier and had been single all that time.

He married a much younger woman, who was about the age of his own adult children. She also had two younger kids that she brought to the marriage. He found himself in his 60s helping raise kids again.

His youngest step-daughter was about 5 or 6 years older than Caitlin, my oldest daughter.

I was visiting with him when his step-daughter was in high school, and he was excitedly telling me about a great parenting feat he had recently accomplished. He had taught his daughter how to change her habit of leaving lights on. Apparently, she now turned off lights whenever she left a room.

He was quite proud of himself. He told me that in his first go around raising kids, he would tell them to turn off lights, send them back to their room to turn off lights; even yell at them about wasting electricity.

Not this time around. Instead, he just turned off the lights without comment. He told me how she began to notice that he turned off the lights. Apparently, his turning off the lights led to her turning off the lights. No yelling, no ordering her to turn off light, just showing her the better way.

He inspired me to try it. I quickly gave up. Yesterday, I was still trying to compel my daughters to turn of the lights when they leave a room. And I wonder about the better way my friend had discovered.

100. On a more serious note.
     1. Today is the one year anniversary of the random killings in Norway, when a armed man killed 77 people with bombs and then going to a children's camp and randomly shooting children.
     2. This seems particularly poignant as we in the United States reel at the recent random killings that took place in CO. at a movie theater.
     3. The shock; the senseless; the sense of powerlessness.
     4. Already the Twitter feeds and FB pages, articles in newspapers are arguing over how these deaths could have been prevented.
     5. You know the arguments – do we legislate more gun control so that weapons cannot be used; or do we encourage people to arm themselves so that they can be armed and ready when someone begins shooting. And lots of other variations.
     6. As I read those arguments while reflecting on Jesus' parables, it occurred to me that we cannot legislate so that people will not kill one another.
     7. As we live as part of the most powerful nation in the world, we also recognize that even with all our power, we are at war, with soldiers dying.
     8. We cannot force a world to love.

Conclusion: But with that realization and the helplessness we feel, we hear Jesus telling some ridiculous stories. The kingdom of heaven is like the leaven that transforms the bread; the kingdom of heaven is like the little mustard seed that becomes a big bush.

The kingdom of heaven cannot be legislated and will not depend on the power structures of the world; it is subtle and faithful – like a Messiah who dies on the cross. Like a Messiah who calls us to go into the world to serve the least among us.