“Heaven is Like…”
Matthew 13:31-33; 44-52
A little over a week ago, as we were flying to Florida to visit our first grandchild, I looked out the window and noticed several puffy clouds in the sky. It was a beautiful scene. I took a picture and wondered if that scene might be what Heaven looks like. I must be honest that I pray a lot to God and think about Heaven when I fly, just in case things go wrong. Those prayers and a vision of what Heaven may resemble comfort me, especially when the plane goes through turbulence!
When I returned to the office the next day, I noticed the New Testament passage for this morning was all about Heaven. So, logically, the glimpse of what Heaven may look like, focusing my flying fears on the promise of Heaven, and this passage from Matthew led to this sermon topic- What is Heaven like?
In today’s passage, Jesus gives us several parables about the kindom of Heaven. You’ll notice that I use “kindom” rather than “kingdom. Author and theologian Rev. Ginger Gaines Corelli writes, “At our church, we often use the word ‘kindom’ in place of ‘kingdom’ to reflect the gender-neutral view of God’s community, the kinship we share with all of humanity, and the belief that God’s vision for creation is about a loving, mutual relationship.”
So then, what can we learn about the kindom of Heaven in Matthew? These parables do not fully clarify eternity, the kindom, or its boundaries, but they point us to Heaven’s mystery and at least draw some fuzzy lines for us. We can say this: With the birth, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the kindom of Heaven was mysteriously inaugurated. It is here in some ways, yet there is more to come. Hence the parables tell us a bit, but not much. What can we glean from this section of scripture?
First, the kindom is here, now. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says, “The kindom of heaven IS like…not “will be like.” The kindom therefore is a present reality. What does that mean? Theologian Nadia Bolz-Webber said, “The kingdom of Heaven, which Jesus talked about all the time is, he said here at hand. It’s now, wherever you are, in ways you’d never expect.”
This past Thursday morning, as I was getting into my car, I noticed a scene of the kindom unfolding at the Little Free Pantry. A neighbor not formally connected to our congregation placed a lot of food into the pantry from his car. Waiting patiently behind him was a man on a bicycle with a smile, waiting to get some food. He was thin and looked hungry. At that moment, I saw a glimpse of how earth is supposed to be - a place where we share, and those who have more give to those who have less. It’s what we pray for every Sunday- for our world to be “on earth as it is in heaven.” That is not just a far-off prayer request but one we can see here and now. We glimpse a view of the kindom whenever we see moments of love, justice, peace, humility, equity, and mercy.
When our neighbors and we stock food in the pantry, when we collect peanut butter, offer overnight parking to people living in their cars, give out food cards to those who are hungry, etc.; we do those things to bring just a glimpse of how this world is meant to be - on earth as it is in Heaven. People then see that the world can be a much different place, and perhaps they are inspired to work for that vision alongside us.
What do today’s parables tell us about this kindom?
Jesus begins by using the example of a mustard seed. This parable is a comparison parable- something small becomes something big. From a scientific point of view, the mustard seed is not the smallest of all seeds. But it was the smallest in the personal experience of 1st-century farmers. A large bush was grown from this tiny seed, one of the largest in the holy land. Nowadays, we understand more clearly how God helps this growth from small to significant. The fantastic power of DNA does the trick. Something much smaller than the mustard seed, which composes the building blocks of all cells, including plants and animals, carries the unique characteristics which give the mustard its identity and growth potential. Therefore, a tiny seed becomes a huge bush.
Jesus’ second parable parallels the first- a small amount of yeast that in the original Greek was “hidden” in 3 measures of flour, which equals 50 pounds of flour, ends up making a lot of bread, at least one hundred loaves. The message is the same. From something relatively small and almost invisible comes something big. Some theologians have also suggested that the yeast in this parable stands for Christ’s death and resurrection- that is, as the yeast expands the dough, Jesus’ teachings to a small band of followers have expanded throughout the world exponentially.
Consider the words of Craig Barnes, president of Princeton Theological Seminary. “Christ was born in a manger to a family for whom there was no room. He was raised by unremarkable parents in an unremarkable part of the world, conducted a ministry that was missed by most people, died as a criminal on a cross, and his ascension was seen only by a small band of disciples who then led a movement that within three centuries changed the world.”
A vast movement has grown from those small beginnings. Jesus’ followers over the centuries have numbered in the hundreds of billions, with an estimated 2.1 billion Christians on the earth now, approximately a quarter of the world’s living population. The kindom of Heaven, which was ushered in by Jesus and his small band of followers, has grown substantially, acting as a sheltering tree of hope and a nourishing loaf of bread for the impoverished of the world.
Next, Jesus uses two stories about treasure to explain a bit more about the kindom of Heaven. First, we hear of someone who has found a treasure hidden in an unknown, apparently vacant field. I think of that great scene from the movie Shawshank Redemption, when Morgan Freeman’s character, Red, finds the box hidden for him in a wall by his friend, Andy Dufresne, played by Timothy Robbins. In this case, however, the man finds and then re-hides it and sells all he has to buy it. Practically, you may wonder why he didn’t take the treasure when he found it, but I think that would be drilling down a bit too far in this parable, and we miss the overall point. The kindom of Heaven - faith and hope in this world and an eternity yet to come - is quite a valuable treasure.
I heard a story recently about a guy who wanted to sell everything he owned on eBay: his salt and pepper shakers, his toaster, the pictures on his walls, his bedding, and so on. The only stipulation was that he had the right to visit his former things whenever he wanted. He might go to Maine to visit his salt and pepper shakers, California to see his toaster, or Texas to visit his former bed linens. Needless to say, I don’t think he had any buyers. But can you imagine putting up everything you own for sale, all you treasure in this life? That is what the person in the parable did. If he did so, this hidden heavenly treasure must be valuable beyond all other earthly things.
The second parable on treasure is a bit like the first. Yet it suggests that the seeker of Heaven has some work to do. The merchant must go through a lot of pearls to find one of great value, and when he finally does so, just like the man who found the hidden treasure, he sells everything to own the pearl.
Many people in this world try to find those pearls of great value, those big homes up on the hill, expensive cars, fame and fortune, and financial security. They chase those financial dreams in the hope of having it all but find, in the end, they have nothing of lasting value. Earthly pearls look great and may seem as if they offer us something, but they are hollow and meaningless in the end. Norwegian Playwright Henrik Ibsen said, “Money can buy the husk of many things, but not the kernel. It buys you food but not appetite; medicine but not health; acquaintances but not friends; servants but not faithfulness; days of joy but not peace and happiness.”
When we have the hope of a future in eternity, it is a pearl better than any earthly wisdom or any financial windfall. Protestant reformer Martin Luther said, “I would not give up one moment of heaven for all the joys and riches of the world, even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years.” That pearl of hope is what I remember when I look at the pictures of my father and mother or of our first child on the shelves in my office or remember those who have died in this congregation and gone on to be part of the great cloud of witnesses surrounding us this morning. It is the same pearl I hold onto when I pray over someone dying as they begin their transition from this life to the one in Heaven. I often use the passage from John’s gospel, John 16:22 “So now, you are sad. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and your joy, no one will take from you.” (John 16:22) reminding the person dying and myself that there will be a great reunion one day for us and our loved ones in Heaven. What a treasure that knowledge is for us! Yet this parable also suggests something else about the here-and-now kindom of Heaven.
Pearls are the result of irritation. The oyster forms a protective coating around a foreign object, layer by layer. Apart from their beautiful colors, pearls are valuable simply because of how long a process of deposition they represent. They are the oyster’s persistent resistance to invasion and threat. It is interesting how something beautiful and highly valued could result from what started as an irritation! The kindom of Heaven in the world today is like that: an irritation to the world that can bring beauty in time. Love stands in opposition to hate. Mercy stands in opposition to cruelty, everlasting life in opposition to death and separation. Each glimpse of the heavenly realm upon earth becomes a pearl of great value, a treasure worth everything we have which stands in opposition to evil.
Jesus ends his teaching on Heaven with the parable of warning- the net and the fishermen. This parable is about the day of judgment when Christ, our sovereign, returns and judges the world on how it did justice, loved mercy, and walked humbly before God. Regardless of what we believe about Heaven and hell, we must be careful to think that we know the color of the clouds in Heaven or the temperature in hell. Our role as people of the kindom is to show the love of God to all and express our hope of Heaven to others. Jesus said, “Judge not, lest you yourself be judged.” (Matthew 7:1)
Lastly, Jesus tells the disciples that those who understand these parables about Heaven are like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom both new and old treasures- this is a reminder to us that we have two treasures in scripture- the old and new testaments, which speak to us of the kindom and its sovereign. Understanding the relationship of all these readings and their message of God’s faithfulness is a great treasure of wisdom- the story of God’s people, the first covenant, and the new covenant in Jesus Christ.
So, what lies ahead? Hard to say. But it is a place of hope, new life, and wonder, and we see glimpses of it here and now. In pondering Heaven, theologian Anne Lamott wrote, “Grace will be sufficient for whatever lies ahead.” In the meantime, led by faith, spurred on by hope, we work for the kindom here and now, assured of what is yet to come. Alleluia! Amen.
