Matthew 13:24-43
A. INTRODUCTION
One of the frustrating things about the bible, is that it is not always good at answering all the questions we would like to ask. But then people are naturally curious, and questions like ‘What does God look like?’ and ‘What will heaven look like?’ just don’t seem to have been important to the biblical writers at all.
For sure there are images—shadows or likenesses if you like—and there are plenty of descriptions about God’s character. But there are no clear pictures that truly satisfy the sort of questions that people want to ask.
For example, regarding the description of God himself, there are a number of narratives we can consider—of situations where people witnessed God—where they described what they had seen. But the descriptions are so vague that they really don’t help much at all.
1. Moses (Exodus 3:2-4:17)
So, when Moses recalled his confrontation with God, Moses described an angel somehow appearing to him from a burning bush. But he made absolutely no attempt to describe what he saw of God, except to make the simple statement that God called to him from within the bush.
2. Elijah (1 Kings 19:9b-18)
The prophet Elijah, on the other hand, on fleeing for his life from Jezebel, encountered God. But again, we have no description—only that God revealed himself to him in a gentle whisper.
3. Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:4-28)
Ezekiel, on the other hand, had a fair stab at describing his encounter with God. He described a fire, with strange creatures in it. And he described wheels, and wheels within wheels. And he made a big deal about the creatures and the chariot. But as far as the figure on the throne was concerned . . . Well, all he could say was that it was a figure ‘like’ that of a man: from the waist up, he was like glowing metal, and radiating around was a brilliant light and a rainbow.
4. John (Revelation 4&5)
And even the Apostle John—taken up from the island of Patmos—experienced someone sitting on a throne who had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. But again, like Ezekiel, John spent more time describing what was around the throne rather than on the person who was on it.
Yes, he described someone who had a right hand, and that somehow, at some stage, that person became a lamb. But apart from that his description remains totally inadequate.
5. Comment
Now, of course, in one sense you can understand the inability of people to describe accurately the physical presence of God. After all, God’s appearance was outside their experience. And as a consequence, they were trying to describe an image they hadn’t experienced before. Furthermore, they were hampered by an inability to understand what they were seeing and experiencing. They were also hampered—through the inadequacy of language—to describe what they had witnessed. And, as consequence of those things, we are left with only images—and vague images of that.
6. Jesus
It might be surprising then to realise that the one person who could have described God (and heaven), the one person who would have understood, the one person who did know God intimately, and the one person who would have been best placed to describe God (or heaven) accurately—Jesus—didn’t really try. It’s as if he wasn’t interested; it wasn’t relevant.
However, that’s not to say that Jesus wasn’t interested in either God or his kingdom. He was. Indeed, in Matthew’s gospel alone there are no less than thirty-seven instances where the topic of conversation is the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven. (And God and heaven were the topics most dear to his heart.) But describing what they looked like just wasn’t one of his priorities.
B. PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM
So, if describing accurately what God and what heaven looks like were not his priorities, just what was the emphasis of his teaching? Well, using the three parables of Jesus in this passage from Matthew’s Gospel, I believe we can build up a picture of the kingdom of God
1. The Parable of the Weeds (24-30, 36-43)
And, in the first parable—the parables of the weeds—we have Jesus looking forward to the end times, to the end of the age. And he makes a number of points that are worth noting.
a). It Will Be Occupied Only By the Faithful (38)
The first point is that the kingdom will only be occupied by the faithful—the ‘good seed’—the people of God. And that the unfaithful—the ‘weeds’—the people who belong to the evil one, will have no part of it. It’s a black and white issue: you’re either in or you’re out.
b). The End of The World (39-40)
The second point is that this sorting out of the ‘good seeds’ from the ‘weeds’, will happen at the end of this world. Life as we know it will end, and at that stage ‘the weeds’ will be gathered up and burned.
c). The Place of Jesus (41)
The third point is that Jesus’s own place in the kingdom is paramount. It is Jesus who will take centre stage in the kingdom, and it is he who will have the supreme place of honour.
d). The Absence of Temptation (41-42)
The fourth point is that just as those without faith will be noticeable by their absence in the kingdom, so too all things that cause sin will be absent too. All the traps of life will be removed for all time, having been cast into the blazing furnace with the wicked.
e). The Punishment Of The Wicked (42)
The fifth point revolves around the punishment of the wicked—and with the description of weeping and grinding of teeth. As a consequence, Jesus leaves us in no doubt about not only the unhappiness of the final state of those without faith, but that such unhappiness, for them, will be an ongoing and continuing experience.
f). The People Will Be Radiant (43)
In contrast, the sixth point is that that who make it to the kingdom will be noted for their radiance. They will shine like the sun.
g). The Rule of the Father (43)
And the seventh point is that the kingdom will be ruled throughout eternity by the Father. But it won’t be a harsh authority—more like the rule of fatherly love.
h). Comment
Now, this parable was addressed to a crowd—and a large crowd at that—but a crowd from whom Jesus did not expect much response. As a consequence, Jesus’s priority was not to draw pictures of what God and heaven looked like, but rather to challenge the crowd, in no uncertain terms, to what their options in life were—and to let them know what the consequences of their responses would be. Those who put their faith in him could expect eternal life with God, and those who rejected him faced eternal damnation
In other words, Jesus wasn’t about to draw pictures of God or heaven, in terms of what they looked like, when there was a much more important issue at stake.
2. The Link
Of course, that was the first parable: the parable of the weeds. However, in the middle of telling that parable and giving its interpretation, Jesus told two other parables—parables designed to encourage those who were followers. And both were designed to put a slightly different, but nevertheless important, perspective on the kingdom of God.
3. The Parable of the Mustard Seed (31-32)
And the parable of the mustard seed has two main thoughts:
a). It Is A Current Event (31-32)
Firstly, it talks about the kingdom not just being a future event, but in some way being a current event too. That in some way Jesus’s disciples are already considered to be members of the kingdom. Yes, they might be small in number and dwarfed by those who are not members, but for all believers, in some way, the kingdom should be a present-day event.
b). The kingdom is dynamic (32)
The second point however is that the kingdom is not static. It isn’t something you can sit down and describe, and it will forever stay that way. No! The kingdom of God is dynamic. From its small origins, Jesus expected the kingdom to grow, and that growth was expected to be extensive.
4. The Parable of the Yeast (33)
And in the parable of the yeast, Jesus reiterated those two points—to reinforce his meaning—but then went on to make a third:
a). The Source of Growth (33)
And that is, that even though the followers of Jesus were (and are) already members of the kingdom, the dynamics and the growth upon which believers need to depend, derive not from themselves, but from God.
5. Summary
So, we may not have any clear pictures of what God looks like, or what heaven looks like. Indeed, all we may have is some vague images. But while that is understandable in terms of Moses and the Prophets and even the Apostle John, the fact that Jesus wasn’t interested in giving any descriptions of that kind either, should tell us something about the priority of the faith and the priority of the biblical writers.
So, then, when we consider what God is like and what heaven is like, therefore, we need to consider the basics:
a). Future And Current Events
There’s a sense in which the kingdom of heaven is a future event when the ‘weeds’ will be sorted out from the ‘good seed’. A time when the faithful will live eternally with God, and all others will be removed and face much unhappiness. But at the same time, there’s a sense that the kingdom is about the here and now. That we’re living in it.
b). God’s Rule
There’s a sense that in the future there will be a place—a realm—where God will rule. But equally there’s a sense that God’s rule is also active now.
c). Dynamic Not Static
There’s a sense that, yes, believers have much to look forward to. But at the same time, God’s kingdom is dynamic not static. There’s a sense that God’s kingdom is something that happens rather than a specific place where it exists.
d). Choices
And, while Jesus may not have been hopeful about the responses to his parables, nevertheless, there’s a sense that he wanted all people to be aware of their options: either faith in him leading to eternal life in the kingdom, or rejection of him leading to be cast into the furnace, not to die but to face eternal damnation.
6. Comment
And if that is Jesus’s teaching on the kingdom of heaven, you can begin to see, not only the reluctance of Jesus to describe God and heaven, but the difficulty that arises for anyone trying to do so. From Jesus’s perspective, there were (and still are) more important issues at stake than what God or heaven look like. But then, how can anyone describe something like heaven in bricks and mortar terms, which is part present, part future and which is dynamic and not static?
C. IMPLICATIONS
So today, where does all that leave us? Of course, it’s always nice to use our imaginations, and we can feed it with images—and the book of Revelation is full of them. But do the concepts of the kingdom of God that Jesus described have a greater priority in our lives, than our curiosity over what God and heaven actually look like?
a). Future And Current Events
After, all do we experience the kingdom of heaven: as both a future event—something to look forward to and give us hope—while at the same time being something that is alive and active that should be part of our experience today?
b). God’s Rule
Do we experience God’s rule as both a hope for the future—looking forward to God’s uncontested reign—while at the same time witnessing his activity and rule in the here and now?
c). Dynamic Not Static
Do we experience the kingdom as a place we yearn to go to at the end of time, while still keeping hold of the fact that it is something that is dynamic—growing and changing—in the here and now?
d). Choices
And, have we taken on, in full, the options that are available to us now: to accept Jesus, now, and take on the promise that eternal life will be ours? Or do we reject Jesus, and live with the future of eternal punishment? Unfortunately, there is no middle ground, and making no decision is the same as rejecting him.
D. CONCLUSION
Without a doubt many people in life would like to know what God looks like, and what heaven will look like too. And that’s part of human curiosity. And there have been a fortunate few who have seen glimpses of God and of heaven, Unfortunately, they have only left us vague images for us to consider.
And the one person who could have described God and heaven, to our satisfaction, didn’t try. And why? Because there was something far more pressing that he had to say. As a consequence, the response of Jesus to God and heaven should get us thinking. For he has given us a challenge: a challenge that not only gives us a choice regarding the afterlife but a choice on how we should live our lives now.
The question today, then, is how have we responded to his challenge? Do we believe and have we embraced eternal life? Or have we rejected Jesus and face eternal damnation? There are no third options. There is no middle ground. Which one is it to be?
Posted: 1st September 2022
© 2022, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au
