Kingdom stories
Matthew 13: 31-3; 44-52
Reflection by the Revd Dr John Darch
I’m a great fan of cartoons.
By that I don’t mean movie cartoons like Tom & Jerry or Bugs Bunny or even The Simpsons. Nor do I mean cartoon comics like The Beano. I’m thinking more of political cartoons that try to make sense – with a large dose of humour – of the events in world around us. They began in the 18th century with cartoonists like James Gillray and George Cruikshank poking fun at George III, William Pitt and Napoleon. Victorian cartoonists like John Tenniel brough Gladstone and Disraeli down to size and today we have Peter Brookes and Morten Morland in The Times and Steve Bell in The Guardian following on in that irreverent tradition. Political cartoons healthily prick the bubbles of pomposity of those who are merely human but can sometimes appear to set themselves up as something superior.
But my especial favourites are those cartoonists who never draw a politician but have ordinary people talking about what politicians and those in the public eye and positions of authority have said or done. Bruce Bairnsfather was a First World War cartoonist who drew ordinary Tommies in the trenches discussing the way the War was going or decisions the generals had made. Giles, whose cartons appeared in the Daily Express for 40 years after World War Two featured the life of an extended family, and how they reflected on the national and international scene. Today Matt in the Daily Telegraph and Banx in the Financial Times usually feature a conversation between two people – perhaps husband and wife or work colleagues – who in just a few words put something profound, or shocking, or complex into terms the average reader can understand and reflect on.
All of which brings us to parables, which have been described as ‘earthly stories with heavenly meanings’. Interestingly, Jesus didn’t invent parables, he followed the well-established Jewish tradition of putting his message over in terms easily understood by his hearers – using contemporary language and scenes from everyday life.
This is the third week in which our Gospel reading has been taken from the parables of Jesus in Matthew 13. We are familiar with longer, ‘story’ parables like the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, and the Sower (last week’s Gospel). What we have this week are five very short parables; so short they lack a story and are more like comparisons: the Mustard seed, the yeast, the hidden treasure, the merchant and the pearl of great price, and the fishing net.
The reason Matthew has gathered these parables together (Ch 13) is because they all have a similar theme. Each begins with the words ‘’the Kingdom of heaven is like….’. But what is the Kingdom heaven (or Kingdom of God as it is often known)? It’s NOT just life after death, but signs of God’s presence in the here and now and these parables give us some clues as to the nature of the Kingdom.
Firstly, it is Growing. Being small shouldn’t be a discouragement to any Christian community. Like the tiny mustard seed (31-2) which grows into a very large plant the kingdom is capable of much growth and yeast (33) multiplies and multiplies. We may feel insignificant but are capable of considerable growth.
Secondly, it is Infinitely valuable. The treasure hidden in field (44) and the pearl of great price (44) both tell of something that is more valuable than anything and is worth giving up everything we already have in order to possess it.
Thirdly, it is Inclusive. The fifth short parable is about a fishing net (47-50). By their nature nets are not selective in what they catch. Fish and sea creatures of all kind are caught up in it. Similarly, the kingdom of heaven is for everyone, not just those who are white, middle-aged and middle-class. Every church needs to ask what this principle means for us today. Race and nationality, gender, sexuality, economic status, political and social beliefs vary hugely in our society. We should actively want to see our churches full of all kinds of people, not just those who are like ourselves.
Back in the 1960s the media guru Marshall MacLuhan famously said: ‘the medium is the message’. In other words how we present something affects people’s understanding of it, even their acceptance or rejection of it. The Christian message is the good news of Jesus – that God loves each one of us unreservedly and longs for a response to his love.
To help get this message across Jesus used stories, images and metaphors from everyday life. But too often our medium of communication is prone to undermine our message: churchy language, theological jargon, assuming that people have biblical knowledge. We patronize them or fail to adequately explain what we mean.
In one sense the lockdown of recent months has been a blessing – it’s helped parishes, and dioceses and national churches to think afresh about communication. Seeing an archbishop leading a communion service from his kitchen table was just one example of innovative new ways of using available technology to share the Christian message free of the usual constraints; and certainly those who had thought the church was a stuffy organization of elderly folk, using archaic language in historic buildings will have had pause for thought.
And now the numbers are being been crunched it seems that far more people have been attending church services virtually than ever do physically. Have we hit on an effective means of mission that we hadn’t previously considered? That question should give us real pause for thought, reflection and prayer on how we do church after the lockdown is over.