J. Albrecht…Trinity 1…June 7^th, 2026…Matt 13:31-35…The Kingdom of Heaven in Its Power

³¹ Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, ³² “which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” ³³ Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” ³⁴ All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, ³⁵ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

Grace, mercy and peace be with you from our Lord Jesus who is the Christ, Amen.

INJ Who has given us the kingdom of heaven as our great treasure – our faith and salvation, DFR:

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip one night. They set up their tent and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes woke up his friend and said, “Watson, look up at the night sky, and tell me what you see.” Watson replied, “I see millions of stars.” “What does that tell you?” Holmes asked. Watson pondered for a moment. Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me Saturn is in Leo. Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.”

Then, after a pause, Watson says: “Well, Holmes, what does it tell you?” Holmes was silent for a moment then said, “Watson, you imbecile. Someone has stolen our tent.” The point is, sometimes we miss the obvious when we are so focus on the minute details of something. That is especially the case when it comes to Jesus’ parables. Jesus often spoke in parables, and a parable is simply an earthly story to communicate a heavenly meaning. We don’t need to spend our time piecing out and finding a relation to every detail, but rather focus on the heavenly meaning Jesus is getting across.

This morning we have before us two short parables – the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the leaven. Both serve as a good introduction to our post-Trinity cycle of Gospel Readings which focus on the Kingdom of Heaven – this Kingdom as a great reality and our connection to it from the very beginning to the end. The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Leaven describe for us the unassuming beginnings of the Kingdom of Heaven, but then its tremendous growth; and also the power of the Kingdom of Heaven to permeate our lives in a way nothing can through the message of the Gospel. All this is summed up in our theme for this morning, The Kingdom of Heaven in its Wonderful Power. Let us pray:

Lord, sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth, Amen.

It is good for us to answer the question, “Why does Jesus speak in parables?” Why not just tell the people in plain language? Matthew tells us why by quoting Psalm 78: ³⁴ All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, ³⁵ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.” The things concerning the Kingdom of Heaven are hidden treasures. Paul describes it as a secret and hidden wisdom. He writes in Romans, The Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. These things are contrary to mankind’s thought by nature.

The natural reaction of mankind to God is one of despising His knowledge and the fear of Him. To put it simply, it is impossible to know and believe the hidden things of God without the Holy Spirit revealing them to us. Thus, Jesus is not speaking in parable to hide the Kingdom of Heaven from people, but that He mighty bring these great spiritual mysteries down to the level of His listeners so that they can understand and believe. Yes, the Kingdom of Heaven is a mystery, but it is meant to be revealed through our Lord Jesus Christ.

³¹ Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, ³² “which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

If you are any sort of botanist, you might be aware that the mustard seed is not the smallest seed of all, though it isn’t far off. Jesus isn’t talking about size, but rather relation from the seed’s origin to the seed’s final state. It goes into the ground a tiny, miniscule of a seed, but it comes out as a tree, large enough for birds to come and rest in its branches. The mustard seed truly goes into the ground with the least amount of expectation, but it comes up out of the grown beyond all expectation. So it is with the Kingdom of Heaven.

In this parable we can make easy connections. The man who took the seed and planted it is the Father. The Father commissioned Christ’s life and death to open the Kingdom of Heaven for believers. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. And the field in which the farmer planted the seed is just that, the world. God did not send Jesus to any random planet in the solar system, but here among us, the creation meant to be a reflection of His glory.

Now think of the insignificance of the seed. Think of the appearance of insignificance that the life of Jesus had. He had a lowly birth of the Virgin Mary. He lived for 30 years anonymously among His father and mother. He spent only a few years preaching publicly, and with that, His main followers were mostly uneducated fisherman. By the end of His ministry, many of His disciples stopped following Him because His teaching wasn’t right for them. Then He was handed over to His enemies and sentenced to a humiliating death. The life of Jesus was very much like that of a mustard seed. He didn’t stand out; it wasn’t this great spiritual revival. He was met with rejection and disdain. Really, the whole movement He started appeared to fail. He died. And that should have been it, that should have been the end of “Christianity.”

It’s quite different, isn’t it, from the great schemes of the world. These have a great beginning. Think of the Tower of Babel. It purposed to reach the heavens, but stands as ruined rubble; while the works of God and most of all His chief work, His Church, have a slight and unobserved beginning, with gradual increase, and a in glorious consummation. So it is with His kingdom the world, a kingdom which came not with observation; so it is with His kingdom in any single heart; there too the word of Christ falls like a slight mustard seed, seeming to promise little, but effecting, if allowed to grow, mighty and marvelous results.”

See, the death of Christ wasn’t the end of Christianity. It was the catalyst for its beginning. For Christ our Savior rose from the dead, sealing for all the promise of forgiveness and eternal salvation. It was Jesus Christ crucified and risen again that spread throughout the whole world. From Eunuchs to tent makers. From godless cities to expectant and faithful towns. Where the Gospel of Jesus Christ went, the Kingdom of Heaven spread. All the way, for nearly 2000 years and across continents; until it came to you. The branches of the Kingdom of Heaven – the Savior’s rule of grace in which He dispenses His love and mercy and all other gifts.

These gifts have come to you through faith. And it’s not some far away thing that you don’t have any part of right now. Not only is the Kingdom of Heaven Jesus’ gracious rule in your heart, but it is also present in the communion of saints. When you look around, there are fellow citizens of God’s Kingdom. Fellow recipients of God’s grace – your brothers and sisters in Christ irrespective of age or origin – we have all become coheirs of the great mercy and grace of our God.

Does that ever make you feel out of place? Maybe it made you pause and think back over your life, “Do I really deserve to be a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven?” The second parable Jesus tells is just as important, for it tells us of the power of the Kingdom of Heaven to make you a recipient of God’s grace.

³³ Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

“Leaven” isn’t used all that often in Scripture. When it is used, and especially in the New Testament, it often refers to some bad spiritual influence. Jesus warned against the leaven, or false teaching, of the Scribes and Pharisees. Paul warns of the leaven that can come from boasting or other sins. So then why does Jesus use leaven here to describe the Kingdom of Heaven? Because of how it permeates the flour.

Yeast, or leaven, is what causes bread to rise. Without it, you end up with dense, flat bread, rather than the airy and fluffy bread you often want. The leaven in the parable is hidden in three measures of flour. It works silently, hidden from sight, but permeating and affecting the whole flour. So it is with the Kingdom of Heaven. It works to change hearts and the power to do so is the Gospel message of Christ crucified and risen again. We saw how, with the mustard seed, the Kingdom of Heaven has grown and expanded to the ends of the earth. Not everyone has become a believer because of it, but it has still effected a change in the hearts of man – believer or not.

We can look at Church History and see how the Gospel eradicated many heathen practices and customs, overthrew slavery, restored the status of women, uplifted children to a place of importance, made education an essential part of childhood development for boys and girls, and the list could go on. There is no doubting the effects the Gospel whenever it has free reign to go where it wills. But the chief work of the Kingdom of Heaven and its power, the Gospel, is in the heart.

Remember how leaven is often used as some evil influence. We cannot deny how sin has permeated its presence within us. Leaven of pride, despair, anger, jealousy, envy, covetousness, idolatry, and so on and so forth. It is a spoiled and rotten leaven. The Kingdom of Heaven, that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ alone has the power to change what is spoiled and rotten and permeate us with righteousness and holiness. Instead of the disease of sin, God fills us with His presence, His love, and His forgiveness.

This power of the Kingdom of Heaven works first and foremost invisibly. It is the Holy Spirit creating faith in your heart to believe. But it is also a divine work through means. God works through your parents who love you and guide you into adulthood. He works through godly friends who support and encourage you. He works through your fellow church members who pray for you and spiritually assist you. These are all gifts of God’s grace that belong to you as a citizen in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Finally, God works through you. In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus uses a future idea, “When it is grown.” The Kingdom of Heaven has not stopped growing, and it will not stop until its glorious consummation at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the meantime, you are tasked with extending its reach. But, don’t worry, God has given you the leaven, the power to bring growth to His kingdom, You take the Gospel with you wherever you go, knowing that the Holy Spirit will bring blessing and grace wherever it is proclaimed. Our work here as representatives of the Kingdom of Heaven is not complicated. Remember, we don’t need to get lost in the finest of details, when we have the simple truth right before us.

My Grandpa always used to say, “Preach the Gospel.” No matter where you are be ready to share the Kingdom of Heaven. It was a simple thing because he knew the power rested not with him, but with the message we proclaim. Preach the Kingdom of Heaven, the Gospel, but not just with those who aren’t in it. Include your fellow believers, for who knows when we might need to be reminded that we too are within the comforting branches of God, Amen.