Monday Devo
Scripture:
Luke 13:18-20
18 Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? 19 It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.”
20 He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? 21 It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”
18 Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? 19 It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.”
20 He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? 21 It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”
Commentary:
13:18–21 The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven. Luke concludes his first section on Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (9:51–13:21) with two parables emphasizing the arrival of the kingdom. They contrast the kingdom’s modest beginning and its glorious final state.
13:19 The mustard seed would have been the smallest known seed to Jesus’ audience. became a tree. The mustard “tree” refers to a large herbal plant that grows to the height of 8 to 12 feet (2.4 to 3.7 m). The birds … made nests emphasizes the surprising supernatural result—i.e., the enormous size of the final plant in comparison to the very small seed from which it grew. The Jews expected the kingdom to come with apocalyptic power, bringing God’s judgment on all evil, and hence Jesus’ teaching that it would arrive in such an “insignificant” way was surprising.
13:21 Similar to the mustard seed (v. 19), a minute quantity of yeast can permeate a large amount of dough to produce a large amount of bread. Three measures would have produced enough bread to feed 100 people. Some think these parables teach only the contrast between the small beginning and large end result, and not the gradual growth process of the kingdom between start and finish. Others argue that the growth process is also in view. Both sides agree that the parables contrast the apparently small and unnoticed arrival of the kingdom (the “already now”) with its extensive and glorious consummation when the Son of Man returns (the “not yet”). See The Already and Not Yet of the Last Days
13:19 The mustard seed would have been the smallest known seed to Jesus’ audience. became a tree. The mustard “tree” refers to a large herbal plant that grows to the height of 8 to 12 feet (2.4 to 3.7 m). The birds … made nests emphasizes the surprising supernatural result—i.e., the enormous size of the final plant in comparison to the very small seed from which it grew. The Jews expected the kingdom to come with apocalyptic power, bringing God’s judgment on all evil, and hence Jesus’ teaching that it would arrive in such an “insignificant” way was surprising.
13:21 Similar to the mustard seed (v. 19), a minute quantity of yeast can permeate a large amount of dough to produce a large amount of bread. Three measures would have produced enough bread to feed 100 people. Some think these parables teach only the contrast between the small beginning and large end result, and not the gradual growth process of the kingdom between start and finish. Others argue that the growth process is also in view. Both sides agree that the parables contrast the apparently small and unnoticed arrival of the kingdom (the “already now”) with its extensive and glorious consummation when the Son of Man returns (the “not yet”). See The Already and Not Yet of the Last Days
Study Questions:
- Every Jewish person spent their lives eagerly awaiting the promised Messiah. They expected him to cause a revolt, a political rebellion, an earthly king that would rule and reign with great power and wealth. But instead, Jesus was poor and spent his time preaching, feeding and healing people. So they missed it. They missed HIM. In fact, many people today still miss him because they are looking for the wrong things. They trade the truth for a lie. There was a time when we all were guilty of this until his Spirit opened our eyes to the truth.
- This sets up the tension between the Kingdom's modest beginning and its glorious final state. One such tension is that his Kingdom is about TRANSFORMATION, not CONFORMATION. It's about being transformed, from the inside-out, not conforming to some group of laws or behavioral standard. Jesus is saying that those who think they deserve it won't receive it, and those that realize they don't deserve it will. Many will stand before Jesus one day, and he'll say, "I don't know you. You may have conformed but you haven't been transformed. I don't know your heart and you don't know mine." What do you think the difference is between someone that is transformed and someone who has just conformed? What are the different kinds of fruit produced by each life?
Pray:
- That you would seek out the heart of Jesus.
- That you would be transformed from the inside-out.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
6. Is the Bible God’s Word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
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