Imagine That!
Posted on Sep 21, 2014 by David Whetter
Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who abides in which of us. Amen
As we have listened to Jesus these past few weeks, he has offered parables about what the kingdom of heaven is like. In both of the previous two weeks, he has offered us a way to imagine the kingdom and then has followed it up with an explanation of each of the parables. Two weeks ago we heard him explain the parable of the sower and how different soils can affect the seed. Last week, he shared with us the parable of the wheat and the weeds and he explained that the wheat and the weeds, or the good and the bad will co-exist until his day of judgment comes.
But today is a little different. Today, Jesus offers us several parables to help us imagine what God’s kingdom might be like, but today he offers us no explanations about each parable. He says, “the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, yeast, hidden treasure, a pearl, and a net…” But beyond that he doesn’t say anything else, after offering lengthy explanations the past couple of weeks, Jesus leaves his followers, and us, hanging on how to interpret his descriptions of the kingdom of heaven. He leaves it up to our imagination.
In the case of the mustard seed, I imagine Jesus is trying to help us see that God’s kingdom starts out very small. In fact, it is so small that many cannot even see it, but like a mustard plant, it will grow to provide food and shelter. As God’s kingdom grows, more and more people will find safety in the kingdom and more and more will call it home.
In the case of the kingdom being like yeast, once again, God’s kingdom is small, but it is also mixes in with everything else. If you have ever made bread, you know that you do not put very much yeast in with the flour, and once you mix the yeast in with the flour, you cannot even see it, but as the dough sets, it rises and expands, because although you cannot see yeast, it is in it and it is working to expand the dough. We cannot always see God’s kingdom amongst us, but it is there and it is at work. Like the yeast, it might be invisible to our eye, but it is doing big work.
Then he switches gears and he says, imagine someone finds a hidden treasure, or a valuable peal and they are so overcome with joy tin their new discovery that they are willing to give up everything they have for that treasure or that pearl. Imagine being so thrilled to see the kingdom that you would do anything to be part of it. The treasure, like the kingdom of heaven, when found, will capture out hearts. It will inspire us to change our lives. God’s kingdom is priceless!
Jesus also challenges us to use our imaginations to realize that this kingdom of heaven is universal, it is for everyone, as it is like a net that will catch every kind of fish. And he reminded his followers once again, that judgment belongs to God, no one else.
Wow, I love all these incredible images of God’s kingdom, each one of them offers me comfort and some reassurance that, although, I might not be able to see God’s kingdom, it is here now and it is at work and it is priceless. But I also have to wonder as I listen to Jesus’ parables, “Which one is it, Jesus”
Unlike the disciples who claim to understand all of this when Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all this?” I don’t always get it. A lot of times I have to say, I don’t get it. Why didn’t Jesus just tell us what the kingdom was like in a concise, simple way so we would all describe it the same?
I wondered about that this week and I came to the realization that the reason Jesus offers us so many parables and so many ways of seeing and experiencing the kingdom is that the kingdom is so incredible, so unbelievable, so indescribable, that until the end of time, when the Kingdom will be once again fully realized, none of us can see it fully or clearly and so we have to use our imaginations. We must use are eyes to see what others cannot see and our ears to hear what the world ignores. We all have different needs, different understandings and different backgrounds, and Jesus says to each of us, whatever you need, that is the kingdom of heaven. Use your imagination. Imagine the most incredible place you could ever imagine, and that is heaven. You never know what might click for you, when the connection will happen, for your faith, for what you believe. What illustration, what analogy will resonate? Each day is different when it comes to being a disciple, isn’t it?
The possible pictures of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus has provided for us are not exhausted in this story. In fact, I would argue that he is challenging us, today, to use our imaginations to describe the kingdom. I know, particularly, for us adults, using our imaginations is hard, but when it comes to the kingdom, Jesus says, “Imagine it, imagine that!
A few weeks ago, my 3-year old granddaughter, Addi, said to her parents that it was very important to have an imagination. They were somewhat taken by surprise because they didn’t even know she could say the word imagination, so they asked her if she knew what an imagination is, and she said ”Imagination is what makes people fly!”
Jesus wants us to fly. He wants us to realize that we are not stuck on the ground somewhere looking up to a far away place called heaven that we can only hope to get to some day. No, God’s kingdom is a place we can all fly to. It is a place that is available to us now. It is a place that can and will bring us great joy if we only imagine it and allow ourselves to fly.
The kingdom of heaven is not limited in its description and I decided this week to create my own descriptions of heaven, based on some of the needs in my life recently. For me, “The kingdom of heaven is like a small child’s play group where all children are welcomed and no one, yet, knows that each one is different.” Or, “The kingdom of heaven is like a hospital where every one is cured of all their illness.” These descriptions bring me joy, they bring me hope and they offer me comfort. That is what the kingdom of heaven is for me, it is a comfortable couch that allows me to find rest.
So, use your imagination and describe the kingdom of heaven for yourself and others. In fact, I would love you to email me your own parable of the kingdom. Use your imagination and describe the kingdom. Go ahead, imagine that place that is so incredible, so wonderful, so indescribable that it brings you great joy. Then imagine that that place is here, now and like the yeast, it is working to do great things. Imagine that it is working to help you fly. Imagine that! Amen.