In Sunday’s sermon, we tried to understand a little more about the Kingdom of Heaven, at least as Jesus spoke about it in the parables in Matthew 13. I encourage you to read Matthew 13, and then read the following chapter. They read quickly, I promise.
What do you notice?
To me, the sequence of events underscores the stark contrast between the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, God’s reign, and the Kingdoms of Earth, like the Roman Empire and Herod’s governorship of the region. Themes of potential and resilience and courage slam up against the unjust arrest of John the Baptist and his ghastly execution as a party trick.
This is the moment that sets the stage for two of the most well-known stories in the Gospels. The disciples of John the Baptist find Jesus and tell him about John’s death. Jesus is grieving, but the crowds follow him anyway. Were they aware of the news, too? Were they in need of answers or comfort? Were they demanding revenge?
Instead of rallying the people to storm the capital of Judea, Jesus feels compassion for them and tends to their own worries (and grief?). As evening approaches, the disciples are worried that the crowd will get unruly with little food. And that’s when the feeding of the 5,000 unfolds, a miracle recorded in all four Gospels. The feeding is miraculous, as generosity wins out over the anxieties of scarcity and hunger. It’s an image of a different kind of gathering and meal, one that captures the spirit of the Kingdom of Heaven, yet one more contrast with that party Herod threw for his rich friends.
Could you imagine if the President were throwing extravagant parties or building new ballrooms while people went hungry, without food benefits or paychecks?
Jesus is showing what he would do, and did, and which set of actions is true to the character of God.
I know a church in Worcester that recently did its best to model the latter in the face of the former, gathering canned goods and non-perishables, knitting gloves, hats, and scarves, and donating gift cards to those who needed help.
Jesus isn’t suggesting that the Kingdom of Heaven will conquer the kingdoms of the world. But he is modeling the way God’s kingdom works. Love might seem weak or insignificant, but God is quite okay with being underestimated and surprising us with the unexpected. Even when it puts us at personal risk, like was the case for John the Baptist, Jesus is saying that indulging in love, generosity, and kindness is closer to the heart of God than giving in to fear and self-protection.
I’ll close with a personal reflection. This past week in Chicago, two friends and clergy colleagues were arrested for nothing more than speaking and standing at the front of a crowd who’d gathered to protest ICE and their tactics of intimidation and arrests without due process. One of these friends was shot with a rubber bullet the week before at the same protest. These are not violent people. They are not breaking the law. Like John the Baptist, they are merely speaking truth to power at great personal risk.
It begs two questions as I’ve reflected this week.
If they do this to ministers wearing clergy vestments in broad daylight, what are they doing to their targets behind bars and out of the public eye?
And second, are we prepared to be so brave if the moment chooses us?
The Kingdom of Heaven is like this.
