Clues to the Kingdom
Introduction: Please turn to Luke 13 with me, and we will read verses 10-30:
On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”
Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
“Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
“But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
“There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
As we were reading this passage, perhaps the question came to your mind, “What do these three stories have to do with one another?” I certainly asked that as I studied this week, and I came to the conclusion that the key to the whole portion is the question in verse 18, “What is the kingdom of God like?” That is the theme that ties this whole passage together. The story of the crippled woman provides a brief preview of God’s Kingdom. The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast talk of the glorious growth of God’s Kingdom, and the Narrow Door speaks of entrance into God’s Kingdom.
Before going any further, however, I think it is important that we give some attention to the phrase, “Kingdom of God.” There are two major viewpoints regarding how this term is used in the Scriptures. One is that it speaks of a literal kingdom which Jesus Christ will set up on earth at his second coming. One of the best known passages describing that future kingdom is Isaiah 2:4:
He (i.e., Messiah) will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
The United Nations building in New York City has a huge plaque quoting this passage in its lobby, but trust me, it will not be the UN that accomplishes the universal peace spoken of here. It will be Jesus Christ when he comes again.
Another passage that speaks of the coming Kingdom is Luke 21. A number of signs of the second coming are given to us, and then in verse 31 we read, “When you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” These and dozens of other Scripture passages seem to speak of a future Kingdom yet on the horizon.
However, another viewpoint is that the term “Kingdom of God” refers figuratively to the rule of God in the hearts and lives of his people. In Luke 17:20, when the Pharisees were trying to get Jesus to tell them when the future kingdom would come, Jesus responded with an enigmatic statement: “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” Other passages also seem to treat the Kingdom figuratively, for example Romans 14:17: “The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Now there is a tendency among the advocates of both of these viewpoints to see only one perspective. Some scholars focus on the figurative passages and spiritualize all the promises of a future Kingdom. Vast portions of the professing church—Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian—have thus come to the conclusion that there will be no literal future kingdom of God on earth; rather the prophecies about spears being turned into plowshares are symbolic of the increasing influence of the church in bringing about reconciliation and peace on earth.
I think such a view leads to inordinate optimism and explains in part why the liberal church has gotten so involved in social issues. They believe it is the church’s job to bring in the Kingdom. Sadly, as they have focused on social issues rather than spiritual ones, they have abandoned the authority of Scripture and thus have ended up taking positions contrary to God’s Word on many of those issues.
Some evangelicals have also come to the conclusion that there will be no literal future Kingdom of God on earth. While maintaining the principle of biblical authority, they interpret the kingdom prophecies as symbolic of God’s rule in heaven or God’s rule in the hearts and lives of believers.
On the other hand, some conservative evangelicals put so much emphasis on the coming Kingdom that they pay little or no attention to the fact that God is ruling today through his church, and that the Kingdom is spreading slowly but surely. This can lead to dark pessimism toward society and an unbiblical isolation from the lost.
I would suggest to you that we do not need to choose between a coming Kingdom of God and a present Kingdom of God. Both are true. The present Kingdom will merge into the coming Kingdom when Jesus returns; in the meantime, we need to avoid inordinate optimism or undue pessimism. We will see the final triumph of God’s Kingdom only when Jesus comes; but if we keep our spiritual eyes open, we will see some amazing previews of the King and his rule in our world today.
And that’s where our text begins today, as we are given …
A brief preview of God’s Kingdom
What will the ultimate Kingdom be like when it is fully ushered in? Well, among other things, there will be no pain, no sorrow, no disease. King Jesus here gives his disciples a glimpse of what that day will be like. It is a Sabbath day and Jesus is teaching in a synagogue, as was his custom.
There was a crippled woman in the synagogue that day. We learn several things about this woman’s condition—the nature of it, the length of it, and the cause of it. She had a terrible curvature of the spine, she had had it for 18 years, and it was the result of demonic influence. By no means does the biblical author attribute all disease to Satan, least of all Luke the doctor, but some is certainly recognized as demonic. Perhaps this woman had opened herself to Satan’s power through a seance or some other occult activity. At any rate, she undoubtedly endured a great deal of pain, hardship, neglect, and even ridicule.
There was also a compassionate Savior. Verse 12 says, “Jesus saw her.” Over and over again the persons he saw first were those in the greatest need. This woman doesn’t even ask to be healed; Jesus is the one who initiates the contact. It reads, “When he saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.”
Imagine coming to church one day, slipping quietly into the back row, and without doing a thing to deserve it, having an 18-year disability lifted. Gone! Believe it or not, I see that happen occasionally. Oh, not in quite so dramatic a fashion. After all, the Son of God is not here in the flesh and the miracles we see today are not so stunning. But every time an individual is delivered from an addiction, every time we see a marriage healed, every time a lost sinner is born again by faith in Jesus, we are seeing a similar preview of God’s Kingdom. Sadly, however, …
There was also a hypocritical religious leader. The head rabbi of the synagogue was indignant because Jesus had done this healing on the Sabbath. The hypocrisy of which Jesus accuses him is seen in three facts. First, he talked to the crowd when he really was aiming his rebuke at Jesus. Second, he professed great zeal for the Law all the while objecting to a miracle which fulfilled the spirit and the purpose of the Law. And third, he showed more concern for animals than for a human being. The rabbis of Jesus’ day had a number of rules and regulations protecting the welfare of animals. Jesus doesn’t have a problem with that; he’s just asking for a little consistency. If you’re going to take care of your ox or donkey on the Sabbath, how can you, at the same time, be upset when a human being is released from 18 years of bondage on the Sabbath?
Of course, hypocrisy has never been in short supply in religious circles. I think there are many clergy today whom Jesus would ask the same question, only in slightly different form: If you’re going to fight to save the sperm whale and the spotted owl and sea turtles, how can you at the same time champion abortion of innocent human lives? It doesn’t make any sense at all.
Look again at what the synagogue ruler says to the people: “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” This would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic. His words sound as though all people had to do to get their spines straightened was to come around to his synagogue any weekday, 9 to 5! He seemed to forget that this poor old woman had been coming for 18 years, and this is the first time anyone had even given her the time of day.
Now here she is standing erect and glorifying God, and this false shepherd of the sheep is angry. Amazing! What a revelation! Why is he angry? He tells us—because the procedure was irregular! It didn’t fit the system. He’s so bound up in his rules that he cannot rejoice when the power of God breaks through.
Even in the church today we have people who love systems more than people, who are more concerned with the method of church government or the order of service—what music we play and how many hymns, when we pray or how we pray—than they are with the worship of God and the service of men. It is all too tragically true, as Barclay observes, that more trouble and strife arises in churches over legalistic details of procedure than for any other reason.[i]
And what is the result of this amazing incident? Well, it’s two-fold: Jesus’ opponents are humiliated, and the entire multitude rejoices at the demonstration of God’s power. There will always be both reactions when God’s Kingdom breaks through the darkness and the power of God invades our comfortable surroundings. The Enemy doesn’t take humiliation lightly; in fact, he stirs up fierce opposition. But, by the same token, the people of God can rejoice as they see the wonderful things God is doing.
I have been asked by a number of people, “What is going on here at First Free?” Starting with the terrible pain the Beldner family went through last Thanksgiving, we have seen more untimely deaths in the past year than in the previous 14 years of our church’s existence! It also seems to me, though I have not conducted any kind of statistical analysis, that we have had more cancer, more job transfers, more layoffs, and more pain of all kinds than in any other comparable period in our church’s life. Why?
Well, there are three possibilities as I see it. One is that it’s all random—we’re just going through a period of tough luck. A second is that we’re being disciplined because of sin in the camp. And a third possibility is that the enemy of our souls is seeing some unusual evidence of the power of God’s kingdom, and he is fighting back hard. I don’t accept the first option because I don’t believe in luck. The second should not be discarded lightly; in fact, the possibility of God’s discipline should drive us all to our knees in humble repentance.
But I’m inclined to look to the third option as more likely. God is working in this congregation to make his Kingdom more real and evident, and now he is allowing Satan to sift us like wheat. God wants to see if we will trust him in the difficulties of life, as well as when things go well. We’re invading Satan’s turf, and Satan doesn’t like it. I see evidence of this invasion in the number of people who have come to faith in Christ this year. I see it in the marriages that have been healed. I see it in the number of men who are committed to keeping their promises to God, wives, children, church, and work. I see it in the growth of the Small Churches, the Children’s Ministries, and the Youth Ministries. I see it in the faithful and sacrificial giving and serving that characterizes this body. I see it in the way hurting people are being cared for. I see it in scores of ways.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t think we’ve arrived, nor will we ever. But we must not get discouraged at the opposition; we must rejoice at the preview we are getting of the Kingdom of God. His rule on earth is certainly not in decline. In fact, in the next four verses Jesus speaks of …
The glorious growth of God’s Kingdom
The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast are introduced this way: “Then Jesus asked, ‘What is the Kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?’” The word “then” is a transitional word between the story of the crippled woman and the parables. It should probably be translated, “Therefore.” The people were delighting in the wonderful things Jesus was doing. Therefore, he used the opportunity to focus their attention on the Kingdom of God. What is it like?
Externally it is like the mustard seed. The mustard seed was the smallest kind of seed sown by farmers in Palestine. But in a relatively short period of time, it could grow to a bush 15 feet tall! In fact, it could become as large as a tree, and birds would actually establish their nests in it. Birds are often a symbol for the nations of the earth in Scripture. I think the point is that God’s Kingdom will start small (originally just a few unlearned disciples), but it would eventually reach every nation on the earth. Its citizens would come from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.
Internally the Kingdom of God is like yeast. A large amount of flour needs only a pinch of yeast. Working quietly, from the inside, it transforms the dough into a product that satisfies the hungriest person. I think Jesus uses this metaphor to show that the Kingdom will not just grow externally in size, but also internally as it transforms people’s lives. The greatest work of the Kingdom has never been accomplished through armies or through legislation or through protest marches, though on occasion some of these actions may be necessary and useful. The greatest work of the kingdom is through Christ’s influence on human hearts. To manifest the Kingdom’s presence is not to build buildings or pass laws or perpetuate organizations, but to honor God with a quality of life that is directed powerfully by the transforming work of his Spirit.
Yes, Christianity will grow and spread remarkably, externally and internally, but it will never become the religion of the Empire. Oh, I know Constantine made it that officially, but that was a foolhardy effort and perhaps one of the saddest periods of church history. Biblical Christianity will never be socially acceptable. It will never be politically correct. Despite great growth in God’s church, we will always be a minority until Jesus comes. Why? Because the door to the Kingdom is narrow, and there will be many surprises in respect to who enters. In verses 22-30 Jesus speaks of …
The narrow door to God’s Kingdom
I have analyzed this third section of Scripture in five parts: A speculative question; a practical answer; a tragic fact; a puzzling reason; and a surprise ending.
A speculative question. Someone asks Jesus, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” I don’t know what motivated the question, but I suspect it came from one of those theologically curious people who love to speculate about predestination and the age of the earth and the details of prophecy.
A practical answer. The Lord doesn’t answer the question, but he does answer the questioner. The question was speculative but the answer is practical. Don’t waste your time debating the issue. Look to yourself; are you saved? One writer put it this way: The question, “Will the saved be few?” becomes, “Will the saved be you?” [ii]
In fact, Jesus goes even further and urges his listeners to strive to enter. “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door.” Now this is not easy for some of us to understand, because it has been hammered into our heads that salvation is a free gift and there is nothing you can do to earn it. That is absolutely true, but I think Jesus is speaking here of our attitude. While there is no human achievement that merits eternal life, by the same token, an attitude of apathy and indifference will certainly result in exclusion.
Before we go any further, let’s try to identify the elements of Jesus’ answer. The narrow door is obviously the door to salvation. The owner of the house is God Himself. The many who are unable to enter are those who do not try to get in until it is too late. The closing of the door appears to be either the time of a person’s death or the time of Jesus’ return; in either case, when the door of salvation is closed, so is the door of opportunity. There is no second chance. Third, we are confronted with …
A tragic fact. Many will seek to enter God’s kingdom after the door is closed, but they will not be able to. This stands in sharp contrast to the universal offer of salvation available today. Time and again the Scriptures tell us that whosoever will may come. “Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28); “Let the one who wishes take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). Nevertheless, there will come a day when it will be too late. Knocking or even pleading will be to no avail. Why? Jesus offers …
A puzzling reason, He will answer, “I don’t know you or where you come from.” They don’t understand, for they are very familiar with him. “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets! We know all about you!” “Yes,” says Jesus, “but I don’t know you!” What a dreadfully solemn word from the mouth of deity: “I don’t know you!” The issue of eternal salvation is not to be decided by familiarity with Jesus, but only by personal relationship with him. Outward contact with him or his church counts for nothing, except maybe to increase our liability. What he demands is an inward response. Finally, there is …
A surprise ending. These people who thought their acquaintance with Jesus was their ticket to heaven will be shocked at two things: who’s there and who isn’t. It will be the exact opposite of what they expected. They were taught that all Jews would be saved except for a few blatant sinners who excluded themselves. But for these who felt they had a mortgage on the Kingdom there is a double mortification: they themselves are excluded, but the despised Gentiles are included! The guests from east, west, north, and south are symbolic of people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. And here’s the principle: “Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” It depends upon what we have done with Christ.
And what is the result of this surprise ending? For those who are turned away there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This speaks of the ultimate in frustration and disappointment. They will see the great heroes of the faith sitting down enjoying fellowship with pagan Gentiles, and they will be filled with grief and rage that they have missed the moment.
Conclusion: Many people who consider themselves “kingdom material” will sadly find on that last day (either the day of their death or the day Jesus returns) that their reliance upon an acquaintance with Jesus rather than a relationship with him was a fatal mistake. There are millions of C & E Christians (Christmas and Easter). There are millions more who are counting on a family connection, a denominational affiliation, or a cultural contact with Christianity. But none of that will help one iota when God calls our name.
Friends, the door is narrow and the time is limited, but there is still hope. I can tell you that it is still open for you, at least this morning. In fact, the Savior is pleading with you. Look at verse 34: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” Are you willing today to trust the Savior?
Tags:
Kingdom
Hypocrisy
[i]. William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, 183.
[ii]. Darrell L. Bock, Luke: The NIV Application Commentary, 381.