Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 on biblegateway.com
Verse 31He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; Verse 32it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." Verse 33He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
Verse 44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Verse 45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; Verse 46on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Verse 47"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; Verse 48when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. Verse 49So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous Verse 50and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Verse 51"Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." Verse 52And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
Devotion
When we contemplate God's kingdom, we are called into a practice of discernment, of identifying and validating together what we as followers of Jesus hold dear—and what in our world is contrary to how we are called to live together. This is paradoxically how we invest in heavenly treasure, neither by taking care of ourselves at the cost of nor by acquiescing our ethical integrity to the whims of a deeply broken human family. Rather it is by our discerning, both individually and as a community how God calls us to live together that affects the way God's kingdom emerges. We look at scripture and are shaped in our understandings by how Christ shows us to live. We look at our lives as individuals and discern how God asks us to change. We look at the world and search for where God's Spirit is already moving. We listen to the voices of those with whom Christ identified calling out for justice, and we let go of the fears that stop us from doing the work we are called to do.
Prayer
Abundant and transformative God, help us to see that your kingdom does come at a cost, that we must die to our sinful selves in daily repentance, to see your world emerge anew each day. Amen.