Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” Luke 13:18-21
Central to the teaching of Jesus was his emphasis on the Kingdom of God. Dallas Willard defines the Kingdom of God as the area of God’s “effective will” being realized. This is why Jesus taught His disciples to pray that God’s Kingdom would come and that His will be done on earth in the same way it is done in heaven. You could think of it as the restoration of life as it was meant to be.
Of course, the full realization of the Kingdom will not take place until Christ comes and brings history as we know it to an end. But that doesn’t mean that the Kingdom isn’t active here and now. It is. Our problem is that we struggle noticing it.
I think much of the reason for this is that we’re looking for something big and spectacular. Certainly, there are times when God does do something big to advance His cause in the world. God splits the Red Sea so that His people can cross on dry ground. He sends fire down from heaven to expose the prophets of Baal. And you can’t get much bigger than the resurrection of Jesus. So yes, God does do big things from time to time. But that is not the normal way of the Kingdom.
Instead the Kingdom operates like a small seed planted in the ground that eventually grows into a large plant. It’s also like leaven that once hidden in a lump of dough gradually permeates the entire lump. In both cases something was happening, but you could miss it unless you were paying attention to its subtle but sure presence. So it is with the Kingdom. God’s Kingdom is at work all around us. We just have to learn to notice it.
As a case in point, I was eating lunch recently at a Mexican restaurant. A TV was on the wall about twenty feet away where a baseball game was showing. Other than the World Series, I’m not an avid baseball fan. Give me college football and basketball any day over baseball. But that was what was showing, and since I was by myself waiting on my food to be delivered, I found myself watching.
It was a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and some other team that I don’t remember. I had only been watching for about thirty seconds when the batter hit a foul ball into the stands. In those stands was a boy who was about 8 or 9 years old. He had on a Tampa Bay cap and a glove. The camera operator did a great job following the trajectory of the ball as it made its way into the stands right where this boy was. Unfortunately, it sailed just out of his reach and was caught by a man who looked to be in his early thirties.
Of course, catching a foul ball makes for a great souvenir and story to tell your friends. But instead this man immediately turned to offer the ball to the boy who was absolutely filled with the wonder of this gift. If that’s all that had happened, it would have been a special moment. But what really struck me was what happened next.
The boy ran to show the ball to his mother. But no sooner than he arrived, he turned around and headed back toward the man who saw him coming and stuck out his arm to give the young fellow a fist bump in recognition. But that boy wasn’t interested in any fist bump. With joy still dancing in his heart, that boy reached out and hugged him.
That’s when it hit me. This was more than just a nice moment at the ballpark. This was an expression of the Kingdom of God. It was a moment in time when life was as it was meant to be – a life full of generosity, gratitude and kindness. And God in His goodness gave me the opportunity to see it. I’m so glad that I did.
Yes, the Kingdom of God is at work all around you. You just have to open your eyes to notice it.