WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD LIKE?

Passage: Luke 13:18-21

Key verse: 18

NIV

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast(A)(B)

18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God(C) like?(D) What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree,(E) and the birds perched in its branches.”(F)

20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”(G)

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Footnotes
  1. Luke 13:21 Or about 27 kilograms
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

18 (A)He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like (B)a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 (C)It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in (D)three measures of flour, until it was (E)all leavened.”

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. It is like a mustard seed (18,19)

Jesus talked about the growth of God’s kingdom in two ways—its size and its influence. Jesus first compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. The mustard seed is a tiny seed that grows into a very large plant- up to ten feet tall! Like a mustard seed, the kingdom of God started out very small. It seemed insignificant—just a man and his 12 followers. But, also like a mustard seed, the kingdom of God grew until it covered the whole earth. May many weary people come to take refuge in God’s kingdom.

2. It is like yeast (2

,21)

Next Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to yeast. A small amount of yeast worked into a bit of dough causes a chemical reaction that causes the whole batch of dough to rise. Yeast is like influence. When the kingdom of God is planted in a person, it changes that person, like yeast does a batch of dough. When this happens in just a few people, the whole world can be changed.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of God.

One Word: The Kingdom of God is growing!