Following the Master - 5 (seeds & things)

Little Things that Get into Other Things

It's an amazing thing really.  Tiny, seemingly insignificant parts of growing things that seem to have been cast off, when planted, take root and grow, sometimes even transforming what surrounds them.  When Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God, it is often to these things that He made reference.  Seeds.  Yeast.  Small things that make a huge impact. 

Seeds get planted, yeast gets introduced into the loaf in many ways, some of them very intentional, and some of them somewhat more indirect.  Ways that you might say are "along side" of what is being talked about.  Interestingly enough, Jesus often used indirect or "along side of" ways to plant the seed, or infuse the leaven of the Kingdom.  In fact, that's what the word "parable" means - something that is told "para" or "along side of" of something.  We hear this when we listen to Jesus saying, "The Kingdom of heaven is like . . .." 

Not only are parables good ways of illustrating a point, but when you are speaking to people who might otherwise be resistant to hearing what you are trying to say, parables are a good way of allowing your point to slip in past the defenses and do its work.  Sometimes these seeds need to be hidden in the soil, or this yeast must be worked into the dough, to "hide" it there, before the work it is designed to do can be done.    

This is what Pastor Isaac explored with us in the sermon this morning.  If you would like to listen to again, or perhaps for the first time, you can click here to access our sermon library.