Low Profile Kingdom

To what would Jesus compare God's Kingdom? If you had a fast-food franchise would you compare it to a street food cart that sells fishballs on the sidewalk? Nope, you'd want to promote it and compare it with a well-known, trendy food store business. Because you're proud of it. But Jesus compared God's Kingdom to a small seed. Photo above by Max Böhme on Unsplash.

A great multitude was following him then at the lake, almost crowding him out that he got into a boat and told them parables from there. Why parables? Some of his disciples wondered and asked him that. Why not just talk to them plainly and get more people in to join him in his cause? That would've been an easier ministry. Why make it hard for them by making them figure out things, which they couldn't?

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Yeah, I agreed with the disciples. Why parables and why compare the Kingdom to something so small and uninteresting? He should've compared it to a big farm or market full of fruits and crops. I'd probably compare my ministry with SM City. Why a small seed? Well, today we all know what kind of seed he was talking about. But back then, in his time, all people understood was a parable about some seed. Period. Imagine a pastor telling people, "My church is like a one-centavo coin which you can even lose if you don't know what to do with it."

Not very interesting. Not very entertaining.

We'd like to promote our church and build it up in the minds of people--impress and hype them--and say something like, "Our church offers very good programs, the best worship services, relevant activities and ministries that will definitely help you live a good life," and probably put that on a streamer with a agile-looking "eagle" logo to hint at your spiritual sharpness and potential.

Why would we do that? To attract more people. Because more people means more income.

But Jesus had a different thing in mind. He wanted to dissuade people from following him. See that? Shocked? We want to attract people. He wanted to discourage them. A great crowd followed him but he wanted only the genuinely sincere ones. Jesus never went for size or numbers. He wanted only those with ears to hear. So he told them parables. That's what parables are for--to make people get nothing.

"...the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them...This is why I speak to them in parables...'(They) will be ever hearing but never understanding; (they) will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused."

Made sense to me. I almost clapped to applaud Jesus. What good is a big crowd of calloused people who have decided to close their eyes to what Jesus says? So that's what I also do. Often, I tell nothing significant or interesting to people who just want to try or "test" the ministry God gave me or my Word sessions. I tell them what a small seed the ministry God gave me is. I make them see that it's nothing special. Or, it's nothing.

So, if the crowd who followed Jesus got nothing but parables that gave them nothing but tips on gardening, would they still think him worth their time? Well, after the church service, they all just went straight home. There was a time when even some "disciples" became pissed off by his flesh-eating and blood-drinking lectures--because they got nothing but parables of his flesh and blood--and just decided to quit him for good. But not the twelve. They stayed to get the "secrets." Only a few would dare do that.

I just wonder what Judas Iscariot made of those secrets. Why didn't he get the idea? My guess is that he didn't see how the secrets would turn out lucrative for him. Would it give him more church income? More money? Because anything that did not translate to money was nonsense to him. I saw how he stole from Jesus' money bag and how he balked at the idea of a costly perfume being "wasted" on Jesus.

So why didn't he leave Jesus earlier if he saw nothing useful about the secrets? Some would stay just a little bit longer to see what's really in it for them.

But why a small seed?

Here's what God usually does. He presents the BIG things of the Kingdom in very small packages, too small that they seem insignificant, or even nothing. Zero. Small as a mustard seed. It's like hidden treasure or a fine pearl. Like the hidden treasure, it's true value is not obvious and cannot be found until God makes you "stumble" on it. Remember, the secrets of the Kingdom are not given to everyone. Only to those God chooses. That's what Jesus said. Thus, many people--even Christians--miss it. All they get are parables.

But once God gives you the grace to "stumble" on it and find it, make sure to "sell everything" you have and "buy the field" where it's hidden. If you fail to give it that much importance and priority, you end up like Judas and the disciples who quit. Christians fall into this pit when they see how the secrets will not translate to money. They see success only one way--a big church with big membership and big income.

They don't see how the secrets (the seed) can grow their churches because the "seed" is too small and even boring to attract people. Remember, parables are meant to make people get nothing. That's a losing proposal. This is why some seeds fell in rocky places where at first they were excited but later became discouraged and died. Some seeds fell in thorny places and were "choked" when they found that it was not lucrative. It didn't grow church membership and didn't translate to money.

God's Kingdom is not being and remaining small, but "looking" small. Jesus looked poor to make us rich through his "poverty." But he wasn't really poor. He just looked poor to test the hearts of men. Worldly people (who pretend to be spiritual) always go for BIG. So they miss the small seed of the Kingdom, the secrets. God won't open their eyes so they'd get nothing but mere parables because of their callous hearts. So God decided to stay low-profile.

Very few people have eyes for the small things of the Kingdom which are really big, like a hidden treasure and fine pearl. Like the small amount of yeast that worked through all the sixty pounds of dough. Like the small mustard seed that grew abnormally into a biggest tree in the garden. Like how Jesus and John the Baptist lived and started ministry. Like how no one could open the seals of the scroll in Revelation except the simple Lamb that was slain (why not the Lion that was victorious?)

The cross is foolishness to the wise of this world, but it is the power of God. 

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

People of this world (especially people of the worldly church) always go for grand and BIG. They are addicted to it. They'd do anything to avoid being least and small and insignificant and pursue after being identified with anything that is great in this world. They worship anything big and become easily susceptible to worshiping the Beast of Revelation.

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

After telling about the seeds, Jesus moved back to his own hometown. And people there said this:

“Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him.

In short, when they analyzed how Jesus was small-time, they rejected him. 

He Sat at The Lake, Then the Father Moved

He left the house and strolled at the lake. Finding a nice place to relax, he sat down. As simple as that. It's all he had in mind. He didn't intend a big meeting that day (although it was his Father's plan), but the crowds still came anyway. Jesus never planned or announced a "Lake Meeting" or anything like that. He didn't promote himself so people would know where to find him. He simply left the house and relaxed at the lake. Just that. Photo above by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash.

And then people came to him in droves. The Father promoted him.

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This despite that fact that Jesus had been earning the ire of the religious leaders--those bragging about their traditions and bible knowledge and human theology. They followed Jesus around looking for ways to discredit him, correcting him and teaching him about the "sound" interpretation of Scriptures (probably thinking that with their degrees in human theology, they alone could interpret Scriptures correctly), although Jesus never bothered with them or their theology or what they thought.

Jesus simply received instructions from the Father. Supernaturally.

Yup, the authorities so hated him. And why not? He'd been pissing them off with his "off" responses to their queries and challenges ("off" to them, that is)--like what they thought or had to say didn't mean anything to him. Like it was all garbage to him. Worse, he often demolished them, not with arguments, but with his undeniable miracles, especially when a badly deformed hand was restored on the spot at his Word right in front of everybody--both his detractors and audience. How could anyone refute that? What chance does human theology have against it?

In Matthew 12, at the fields, they questioned him about picking and eating grains on a Sabbath. Later, in the synagogue, they tested him about healing a man with shriveled hand on a Sabbath. Getting out of their synagogue, Jesus was later followed by a "large crowd" and healed all the sick. But the Pharisees again found something theologically wrong about this and said his gift of healing was only due to "the prince of demons" vouching for him.

Religious people simply wouldn't let him alone, so he took off and went to the lake to relax. But crowds just kept tailing him, not really because they understood what he said, but they heard something different. Actually, all they got from Jesus were parables, and they took them home with them--nothing but parables--or gardening tips at best. How to plant seeds, what places they best grew up in and how to manage their growth.

Just try to imagine--the people got nothing but parables but they still followed Jesus. Some say that parables are "illustrations" that help people understand a message better. But Jesus thought otherwise. He used parables so people who are not really interested in the Kingdom would NOT understand anything he said. Yes, they followed Jesus around, but they were just after the blessings they'd get from him--as many church goers do today.

“You'll hear but never understand; you will see but never perceive. 15 This people’s heart has become so hardened that they hardly hear with their ears. And they have closed their eyes." [Matthew 13]

Like so many who get as many seminary degrees as they can, not to know Jesus more, but to get titles that will make them get more respect and higher salaries. But despite their "systematic knowledge" about the bible, all they get are parables.

Because, Jesus said, genuine understanding of Scriptures is "revealed" by God to those he chooses to, not learned from schools by every religious Tom, Dick and Harry who enroll and pass the exams and graduate. No matter your theological studies, you won't get the correct meaning unless God chooses you, and you're deep within the Jesus circle. It's all by God's sovereign will and it's relational. You have to have the right relationship. More aptly, you have to be chosen by God to be in a genuine relationship with Jesus.

"...knowing the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but not to them."

And he was talking to his disciples (non-degreed, simple men), not theologians, when he said this. Jesus chose guys who the world thought were dumb and uninitiated. Then Jesus added that:

Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

It's all supernatural, through the Holy Spirit alone. ALONE.

But those who don't see and hear will always follow Jesus around, even claim a close relationship with him, even if they get nothing spiritually beneficial, but only material blessings. Even if all they get are parables and get titles and degrees out of them. They will build a "Christian" religion about Jesus using his words then hang on to the religion, and later be found crucifying Jesus without realizing it--as those who followed Jesus initially (but got nothing but parables) later wanted him crucified.