At sixteen she quit high school to make a fortune in the Promised Land
She got a job behind the counter in an all-night hamburger stand
She wrote faithfully home to mama, “now mama don’t you worry none”
From small things, mama, big things one day come
It was late one Friday, he pulled in out of the dark
He was tall and handsome, first she took his order then she took his heart
They bought a house on the hillside, where little feet soon would run
From small things, mama, big things one day come
Indeed, from small things, big things one day come! For instance, a young entrepreneur named Ray Croc once visited a small hamburger business run by the McDonald brothers. Seeing something unusual in their restaurant, he developed a vision for a nationwide chain bearing the brother’s names. The corporation started in California in 1955, and one hundred million hamburgers were sold by 1958. Now besides the over thirteen thousand restaurants in the United States, there are some thirty thousand locations in 120 countries abroad.
Likewise, if you have ever toured the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Waterbury, VT, you have probably heard the unlikely story of how two below average guys started with a $5 correspondence course in ice cream-making from Penn State and a $12,000 investment ($4,000 of it borrowed), a renovated gas station scoop shop into a global ice cream powerhouse.
Another example of this is the remarkable growth of Facebook. Since its launch on February 4, 2004, it has grown to 1.59 billion monthly users and generates 18 billion dollars of revenue a year—not bad for a few Harvard College students!
A Small Seed and a Little Leaven (18-21)
From small things, big things one day come—and so it is with the kingdom of God. As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he stopped at many towns and villages to teach the Jews about the kingdom of God. On this occasion, Jesus took the opportunity to correct some common misperceptions about the kingdom of God. First, he tells two parallel parables to address the growth rate of God’s kingdom.
Most people in Jesus’ day expected the kingdom of God to arrive with great fanfare and fireworks. It was Israel’s national hope that in the last days God would establish his rule over all people. They were looking for the Messiah to come with military might to overthrow Roman authority and establish a Jewish socio-political empire. They wanted a Jewish king to rule a Jewish kingdom as in the days of King David, and they wanted it right now! But his was not the kind of kingdom Jesus came to create and this was definitely not the way it would happen.
Jesus was the Messiah/king and he did come to establish his kingdom, but it was a spiritual kingdom. Instead of might, he came with meekness. Instead of pomp and power, he led with gentleness and humility. His purpose was not to save the Jews from Roman political oppression, but to save people from the power of Satan and the penalty of their sins. He was not a king who came to annihilate his enemies; he was a king who came to die for his enemies on the cross and procure redemption for mankind. And this would not happen all at once; rather, it would start small and grow steadily.
To make this point, he told the crowd the parable of the small seed and a little leaven. Jesus compares the growth of his kingdom to a mustard seed, which begins as one of the tiniest of seeds but grows into a large tree and provides shade and shelter for the birds of the air. Likewise, the kingdom of God is like a little bit of leaven or yeast that slowly permeates through a large amount of flour and causes the bread to expand. Jesus is saying, “From small things, big things one day come!” His kingdom will start small, but it will gradually grow into greatness and cover the whole earth. Luke would record this miraculous expansion in the book of Acts.
As Christians in 2016, we have the benefit of looking back on 2000 years of church history and seeing how Jesus’ kingdom has grown. It is absolutely miraculous how God used a blundering ragtag community of 12 Jewish disciples to change the world. In the first few centuries, God’s kingdom expanded all over the Mediterranean world and eventually swallowed the Roman Empire. Through the Middle ages, the good news spread into throughout Europe. Saint Patrick took the gospel to Ireland; St. Olaf took the gospel to Scandinavia; the pilgrims and Puritans brought the gospel to North America; and for the past two centuries America has sent missionaries all over the world.
Even though Christianity is currently declining in Europe and North America, it is spreading like wildfire in South America, Africa, and Asia. In China, there are an estimated 90 million Christians in the unregistered underground alone. Today, there are an estimated 2.2 billion Christians in the world, which is about one third of the world’s population. From small things, big things one day come!
But God isn’t done yet! The small seed is still growing! The little leaven is still expanding. And we should be grateful that God chose to reveal himself to us. He certainly didn’t have too. Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, “Why did God choose me? Why did he extend the grace of his kingdom to me?” If you were born in America, you should be thankful that you have the freedom of religion where the gospel is still accessible in the public square! If you were raised in a Christian family, you should appreciate the fact that you have been exposed to the Bible and that someone loved your soul enough to take you to church! If you are a Christian, you should be eternally grateful for the growth of God’s kingdom and that he has offered it to you!
We should also be grateful that God has chosen us to join his mission of expanding his kingdom. He has called all Christians to carry his cross wherever we go! He has called all Christians to proclaim the good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ with our community! He has called all us to share our testimony of how Jesus has transformed our life with others! What a privilege! What an honor! What a responsibility! Will you be a small seed for the kingdom? Will you act like a little leaven where you study, work, and play? Will you do your part to grow the God’s kingdom?
The Narrow Door (21-30)
After Jesus addressed the misconception about the growth of the kingdom, he went on to correct the misconception about who will enter the kingdom of God. I suspect that we have all wondered about this at some point in our lives. Well, someone actually came up to him and asked him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” Instead of answering the question directly, he uses the image of a narrow door to affirm that only a minority of people will enter the kingdom of God. He says that “many will seek to enter and will not be able.”
As a matter of fact, when God holds his great welcome feast in the banquet hall of heaven, many will be left standing outside looking in. When they start knocking on heaven’s door and saying “Lord, open to us’” he will say “I don’t know you or where you come from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!” And they will be left in the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, which is a reference to hell.
In Matthew 7:13, Jesus uses the similar phrase, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Jesus is saying that many people take the broad road, which is a highway to hell. And only some people take the narrow road, which is the only way to heaven and eternal life. So, what is this narrow door? No, the question should be, “Who is this narrow door?” It is Jesus—he is the door! A personal relationship with Jesus is the only way to the kingdom of God!
Though their birth made these Jews excellent candidates to enter the kingdom of God, they did not respond to Jesus. What is especially painful is seeing the fathers of the faith—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all of the prophets—but not being able to sit at the table with them. Many will come from every direction will come to feast with them, but some who have had the greatest blessing will miss the blessing. The effect of Jesus’ remarks has altered the theoretical nature of the original question to a practical level. The question, “Will the saved be few?” has become, “Will the saved be you?”
Now that is the real question that Jesus is asking us in this passage! Will you be saved? If you enter through the narrow door by personally committing your life to Jesus Christ, you will one day experience all of the blessings and bounties of heaven. If you try to enter through another door or if you wait too long to enter through the narrow door, you will not partake in the great feast; instead you will spend eternity in hell, where there will be pain and frustration.
There are many people today who make the same mistake that the people in Jesus’ parable made. They assume that because they have been born into a “Christian” family that they will automatically receive God’s blessing. Like Jews who thought it was mostly a matter of heredity or cultural heritage, some call themselves Christian, not because of any faith commitment, but because of their family connection, a denominational affiliation, or cultural contact with Christianity. This is false hope! The kingdom of God has a narrow door! The only way to become a true Christian is to commit your life to Jesus!
Have you entered through the narrow door? Has your soul been saved through a real relationship and commitment to Jesus Christ?
The kingdom of God started small, but it is getting bigger! Will you enter the kingdom? Walk through the narrow door!