WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN LIKE?

Passage: Matthew 13:31-35

Key verse: 33

NIV

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

31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like(C) a mustard seed,(D) which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”(E)

33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like(F) yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[a] of flour(G) until it worked all through the dough.”(H)

34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.(I) 35 So was fulfilled(J) what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,
    I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”[b](K)

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Footnotes
  1. Matthew 13:33 Or about 27 kilograms
  2. Matthew 13:35 Psalm 78:2
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

31 He put another parable before them, saying, (A)“The kingdom of heaven is like (B)a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable. (C)“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in (D)three measures of flour, till it was (E)all leavened.”

Prophecy and Parables

34 (F)All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:[a]

(G)“I will open my mouth in parables;
    (H)I will utter what has been hidden (I)since the foundation of the world.”

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Footnotes
  1. Matthew 13:35 Some manuscripts Isaiah the prophet
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 (31-32)

Jesus gave parables to help people understand the kingdom of heaven, which cannot be seen or touched. It is a miracle of nature how a small seed such as a mustard seed can become a large plant with spreading branches. In the same way, the work of God can grow from very humble beginnings to become a blessing to the world. Each of us can be like a mustard seed of the kingdom when we have the life of Jesus in us.

2. It is like yeast in dough (33-35)

When a small amount of yeast is mixed through a lump of dough, it is invisible. But it causes the dough to rise and expand greatly. In the same way, God's people may not look remarkable among the people of the world, but by their influence they can raise society up toward the kingdom of God. Jesus revealed deep secrets of the kingdom of heaven with stories about ordinary things.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for revealing the principles of the kingdom of heaven. Make me a mustard-seed-like influence in this world.

One Word: The kingdom of heaven starts small and grows.