The Kingdom of Heaven is Like . . .

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like . . .

    I've been thinking about the fact that for the Christian, this place is not our home.  We live here, but we belong to another kingdom - the Kingdom of God, also called the Kingdom of Heaven.  With all of the political unrest we've been experiencing lately, I'm glad that I belong to a different kingdom ruled not by a politician but by a just and merciful king - King Jesus. 

    In my reading through the Bible in a year plan, I landed in Matthew 13 one day.  One phrase that stood out to me was, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like."  It is used seven times in Matthew 13 as well as four times in other chapters of Matthew.  The other gospels use the phrase "Kingdom of God."   

    So when I saw that phrase repeated over and over, I started asking myself, "What is the kingdom of heaven like?"

Matthew 13:24-30; 37-43:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field." The good seed bears fruit and produces more, but weeds grow up with the good seed.  They both grow together until the harvest when the weeds are burned and the wheat is gathered into the barn.  Jesus gives the explanation of this parable in verses 37-43: 

    “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

In this age, the enemies of the kingdom of heaven (the weeds) will coexist with those who belong to the kingdom (the good seed).  God is patient.  However, when the Son of Man (Jesus) returns, judgement will come.  The kingdom of heaven consists of the patience and justice of God.

Matthew 13:31-32: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed."  It is the least of all seeds, just a tiny thing, but it become a great tree.  The kingdom starts small but grows.

Matthew 13:33: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven," which when put into flour leavens all of it.  The kingdom of heaven will spread and permeate this world.

Matthew 13:44: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field." When a man finds it, he sells all that he has and buys that field.  It is a treasure of supreme value worth any sacrifice.

Matthew 13:45-46: "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.  It is so valuable that the man sacrificed all that he had in order to have it.

Matthew 13: 47-50: The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind."  Afterwards, the fish are sorted.  The good are kept and the bad are thrown away.  The kingdom of heaven is available to all, but not all will enter in. 

Matthew 18:23: "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants."  In the context of forgiveness, the king forgave his servant's great debt, but the servant went out and demanded payment from a fellow servant who owed him a small amount.  He showed no mercy to the man and had him thrown in prison.  When the king learned what the servant had done, he was angry saying, "should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?"    The kingdom of heaven is forgiveness, compassion, and mercy.

Matthew 20:1:"The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. " Some of the workers worked all day, some for a few hours, and some for only one hour, yet they all received the same pay.  Those who worked all day are angry that those who worked less received the same pay.  The laborer failed to be thankful for his own wage because he was blinded by his self-interested lack of compassion for his fellow worker. The landowner asks, "Do you begrudge my generosity?"   The kingdom of heaven is impartial and generous.

Matthew 22:2-14:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son" and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they were not willing to come.  The wedding feast represents enjoying fellowship with God in his kingdom, and entering thus represents entering the kingdom" (ESV study commentary).  All are invited, but not all will come.

Matthew 25:14-30: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them."  To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one.  A talent was a monetary unit worth about 20 years of wages for a laborer.  The servants were expected to earn a return on the what they were given.  The kingdom of heaven involves faithful stewardship of what God has given.

So if this kingdom is ruled by a compassionate, generous king and is so valuable and is available to all, how does one enter in?  Entering the Kingdom of God means to willingly submit to his reign, to gladly receive Him as Savior, and to commit to following Him as Lord.  If that describes you, you  no longer belong to the kingdom of this world.  You belong to the Kingdom of God.  This place is not your home.

If this does not describe you, you are invited to submit to Jesus reign in your life and become a citizen of the most valuable, eternal kingdom that exists under the rule of a holy, merciful, compassionate, generous God.  He invites you in.

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. “Colossians 1:13-14