On Line Bible Study - For the week February 7-13, 2011

Lesson 65

Luke 13: ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed ... ²¹ It is like yeast ... ²³ Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
(Click above to see the full text under consideration...)

We are talking about mustard seeds, yeast and a narrow door this week. Luke moves back and forth between hope and judgment, all under the umbrella of time. Do we know what time it is? It is the time of the kingdom of God, but it's not going to happen the way folks thought it would.

In his commentary on Luke's Gospel, Darrell Bock points out that Jewish messianic hope had a quality of immediacy to it. The assumption was that the Messiah / King would either quickly rise up from among the ranks or miraculously appear from heaven. In these two short parables Luke paints a different picture.

First - the mustard seed. There are several Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) passages that refer to birds finding shade in the branches of trees - Psalm 104:12; Daniel 4:12. Perhaps the passage that most closely compares to our text in Luke 13:18-19 is found in Ezekiel 17:22-24. A major difference, however, has to do with the tree itself. In Ezekiel the tree is a cedar - noble, tall, and great. In Luke 13 it's a mustard seed - small, insignificant. The surprise is two-fold: Jesus uses the mustard seed. Matthew and Mark both tell us this is a small seed (Mark 4:31; Matthew 13:32). There is nothing majestic about it. Then, we learn that the kingdom is not going to happen instantaneously; rather, it's going to be something that has to grow.

Now - the leaven. If you have seen and experienced leaven you know we are talking small but mighty! The mustard seed provides protection; the leaven describes the power of the kingdom to permeate every corner of the universe. The time will come, says this parable, when everything that exists will do so under the influence of the kingdom of God. It's going to take time, and it's going to have to be worked in, but it's going to happen.

Finally - the narrow way. You will notice this section opens with the following:
Luke 13: ²² Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.

The 'narrow way' is one Jesus is willing to take. There certainly is irony in the question addressed to him - he has met resistance to his message, and now he heads into the very center of religious fervor - Who will be saved?

The surprise in this section is less about how many are saved and more about who will be saved. Familiarity with Jewish law and practice is not equivalent to a "pass" into the kingdom.

I suspect the person asking the question assumed he or she was "in". Jesus' answer counts no one out; nor does it assure anyone that they are in. It concludes with the surprising statement: ³⁰ Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” "People come into blessing from everywhere." So comments Bock. However, there is only one way to get to the blessing, and that is God's way. The reason people miss getting through the door is because of our tendency to try to get through on our own terms.

I take home three lessons from this section:
First, God's kingdom offers protection. Second, the kingdom has to be worked into the world - that is a task I can participate in. Third, it's God's kingdom, not mine. "Narrow" doesn't mean difficult; it means 'specific'. It's God's kingdom and we get there by following God's instructions.