(Luke 13:18-21)
Prayer – O Jesus, plant your powerful Kingdom in my heart.
Imagination: (Picture Jesus preaching to the crowds)
Context:
These two little parables are excellent images of the reign of God. The mustard seed and the leaven are both small but powerful. As they are planted, people learn how forceful they are.
Gospel Text: (Read slowly, possibly aloud.)
Jesus asked, “What is the Kingdom of God like? What does it resemble?
It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a great tree, so the birds of the air lodged in its branches.
Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast which a woman took and placed in three measures of flour until the whole mass of dough began to rise.”
Thoughts: (Read all. Ponder the ones that attract you.)
- These excellent images make the Kingdom of God easy to understand.
- God places the Kingdom in the baptized like a farmer places the mustard seed in the ground.
- The gigantic tree represents a symbol of the mature Christian.
- The woman also knows the power of the yeast. She places it in the flour.
- The whole mass of dough is expanded. The yeast changes everything. That is what the Kingdom does.
- Jesus’ Kingdom seems so small, yet it totally changes people’s lives.
Affections: (When one touches your heart, use your own words.)
- Jesus, place your Kingdom in my heart.
- Nothing is more real than your Kingdom. Thy Kingdom come!
- What power your Kingdom has. It bestows eternal life!
- O Jesus, Your Kingdom will change everything.
- I will seek first the Kingdom of God.
- By the power of your Kingdom, Jesus, all things are possible.
Resolutions: (Possibly you might want to make your own.)
- I will place great faith in the power of God’s Kingdom.
- I will allow God’s power to act within my heart.
Thought for the Day: (To recall your meditation).
What does the Kingdom of God resemble? To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed or like yeast.