Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

Matthew 13:12

One sad thing I see in the interpretation of Matthew 13 is a large branch of thinking that rationalizes that Jesus was saying that the Kingdom of Heaven is somehow corrupt, not holy, or not pure.  Because of lack of understanding, or partial revelation (which we all must deal with — 1 Corinthians 13:9), many have assumed the Jesus meant somehow that the Kingdom of Heaven was itself divided.

In the case of Matthew 13, most of the parables start with the phrase “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…”.  The Kingdom is likened to 7 things.  Some see believe that because they cannot find a species of mustard plant that grows from a very small seed into a large tree, that Jesus must have been implying some abnormal growth.  In addition, with parables such as the leaven which a woman hid, they assume that because in MOST of the references to the leaven in the Old Covenant are a reference to sin, and that sin was outlawed in most of the sacrifices, that Jesus obviously couldn’t be saying that the Kingdom was like leaven.  However, Jesus also plainly said in John’s gospel that unless you ate His flesh and drank His blood, you would have no life in you (John 6:53), a highly detestable practice in Jewish custom.  In the course of Jesus’ teachings, the fact that the image was abhorrent because of misunderstanding did not seem to matter to Jesus.

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The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:5

The light is real.  It shines with a glory that the natural eye cannot see.

As the people around Jesus’ baptism, some heard the voice, and some say, “It only thundered”.

The things of the Kingdom cannot be seen by those who do not believe.  You could hear the principles of the Kingdom expounded for years and years but it is only when Faith comes that the light finally comes on.

As with parables, the purpose was the hide the obvious.  Yet, for the person who sees beyond the veil, they become a little more clear every day.  The parable meant to conceal becomes the best setting to display the jewel.

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 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he used to say, “Come, and let us go to the seer”; for he who is called a prophet now was formerly called a seer.)

1 Samuel 9:9

A seer is a prophet.  A seer is one who sees; a “see”-er.  Particularly, they see into the realm of the Spirit.  While some people in the Kingdom of Heaven may never see angels, demons, and the other things of the Kingdom, a seer sees these things, depending on their level of ability, as subject to the will of God.

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One thing I have asked of the LORD, this one thing I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,

that I may gaze upon His beauty,

and inquire of Him in His temple.

Psalm 27:4

The House of the Lord is my home; I have none other.

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If you would see the Kingdom, you must be born again.  If you would enter into His life, His Word of life must come into you as a seed and begin to grow.

Everything starts small.  It starts obscure.  We do not despise the smallness, but we understand that everything which is planted, in its full time, grows to maturity.

From the yeast beginning with just a small bit for the entire dough, to the mustard seed which would grow, the life of the Spirit must begin very small, yet grow to its size.

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