Lots of parables! In last week’s Sunday gospel we had the parable of the sower and soils. This week we have the parables of the weeds in the field, the mustard seed, and yeast mixed into dough. And next week we receive the parables of the hidden treasure, pearl of great price, and the fishing net.
I personally love parables as they are so rich and evocative. They make me think every time I encounter them, and they seem to speak to my life. They also remind me of my upbringing which I share so you can better get to know me. I grew up on a farm in Seneca, Kansas. So, I am well familiar with helping prepare the soil for planting and with the weed removal business. I never found any hidden treasures in a field, but I sure found plenty of rocks and weeds. The weird thing is they also kept coming back. Weeds I could understand, but where did all the rocks keep coming from? We didn’t fish on the farm, so no sorting out of nets, but we did raise hogs, so at times I helped sort them out by size to know which ones to sell. And, no, I never threw pearls before swine (Mt 7:6), but I’m quite sure they would try to eat them.
But right now, the mustard seed and the yeast in dough strike me most strongly. As I begin pastoring here at Prince of Peace, such a big place with so much going on (maybe not as much during a pandemic though), it can be overwhelming to me. But just today in my prayer, it seemed God was saying to me that the simple things work, and don’t overcomplicate them. A simple tiny mustard seed grows into a large bush, and simple yeast changes flour and water into delicious bread! Simple things with God work! Things like prayer, kindness, gratitude, small acts of service, and so on that we are all capable of doing. With God they can do amazing things! Why worry about big stuff, when life is always lived in little moments? Maybe good advice not only for me, but all of us in these stressful pandemic days.
I encourage you to spend some time reading and even praying with these parables—all in Matthew chapter 13. See your life, your joys, and struggles in these parables, and see what God tells you. I assure you it will be unique for each of you.