Jesus gives us many different parables concerning the kingdom of God. He uses this one, the king's banquet, yeast, and others. Parables were used to teach with stories to help people understand by using things they were familiar with.
Aesop did the same with his fables using animals to illustrate the messages he was trying to convey. I often do the same with these devotionals because stories stick in our minds more than a list of facts.
So, what can we make of this parable? We are used to hearing the parable that compares faith the size of a mustard seed that can move mountains, but the kingdom of God?
The kingdom of God is both here and hereafter. The seed needs to be planted here on earth in the hearts of people.
As it grows and matures, it goes from one person to another because it becomes impossible for us to keep it in, our faith overflows into our actions which are noticed by others who want the same thing and so it goes on and on creating the beginnings of the kingdom on earth.
We are some of the beneficiaries of the seeds planted in the hearts of the apostles and their followers so many years ago. Hopefully, our children and their children will be the beneficiaries of the seeds of faith that have been planted in us.
The wider the circle of faith, the greater the evidence of God's kingdom can be seen on earth. The goal is exactly what we pray for in the Lord's Prayer. "Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven."
The fullness of the kingdom will be achieved in the eternal kingdom of God in heaven. Hopefully, the seeds planted in us and those that we keep sowing in those around us will increase the numbers whom we shall meet in the fullness of the eternal kingdom.
