The Tiniest Seed
www.moravian.org/daily_texts/
Readings for Today:
Psalm 21
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm21&version=NIV
Genesis: 37
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis37&version=NIV
Matthew 13:24-35
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew13&version=NIV
Psalm 21
1 The king rejoices in your strength, LORD.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!
2 You have granted him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
3 You came to greet him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever.
5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD;
through the unfailing love of the Most High
he will not be shaken.
King David reflects on the success he has, as the King over Israel. He recognizes that all of the victories come from the strength of the Lord. At the heart of it all is his trust in the Lord, whose steadfast love has caused him to not be shaken. David was king over Israel at the heights of its glory as a state that was led by God through a human ruler, who obeyed God and ruled with God’s authority. We call this a theocracy. Unfortunately Israel’s heyday is short lived and the David’s son, Solomon, though the wisest man in the world, would turn from the wisdom that David had relied so heavily on as its king, who was a man after God’s own heart. Though we live in a democracy today, where the state/government is separated from the church, we can still pray for our president and those elected to lead our country that they would do so with God’s wisdom and strength.
Genesis 37
Joseph’s Dreams
1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Today we begin the incredible story of Joseph, Jacob’s 11th son. As Jacob loved Joseph more than the other brothers, he made him an ornamental (often called coat of many colors but in reality it was more of a supervisor’s coat with long sleeves) coat. Joseph had dreams where his brothers bowed down to him, and another dream where his brothers and mom and dad bowed down to him. This made the brothers hate him even more, and even his dad was a little miffed at him.
Joseph begin the journey from being the center of his universe where it is all about him, “I had a dream, you all bowed down to me etc..), to a place where God can take the center stage and spotlight and use him powerfully in the salvation story. In the coming chapters, starting with today when his brothers leave him for dead and then mercifully sell him into slavery, we will see that God is with Joseph despite his travails. It is a powerful story of God’s redemption.
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”
Jesus continues to teach using parables, earthly stories that unlock heavenly and kingdom meaning. The parables today teach about how the kingdom of heaven works or becomes effective. Two of them use an agricultural metaphor and then cooking analogy. The idea is that the seeds of the kingdom are planted and grow though often not seen to the human eye. As it grows in multiplies and works its way through the whole dough, so that in the end the thing that has been created has transformed the original form. Or the tree that starts as such a small tiny seed now is a flourishing that provides shade and resting place for God’s Creation.
It is a good reminder for anyone who is trying to make a difference and effect change for kingdom growth. As we faithfully plant seeds and till the garden, the growth will come. We can create conditions for growth and cultivate those conditions, but it is only God who causes the growth. This keeps us humble and reliant on God, but reminds us still to do the work of casting the seeds and working the garden knowing that God provides the growth of the kingdom and in His timing.
It reminds me of the commentary Martin Luther makes on the Lord’s Prayer when he states, “God’s kingdom will surely come without our asking, but might we pray that the kingdom of God would come through us.”
Eternal and ever-loving God, shine your light within our hearts. We thank you for Jesus Christ, the corner-stone, and for the Holy Spirit with whom you have allowed us to dwell. May we grow within the realm of the triune God! Amen.
Readings for Today:
Psalm 21
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm21&version=NIV
Genesis: 37
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis37&version=NIV
Matthew 13:24-35
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew13&version=NIV
Psalm 21
1 The king rejoices in your strength, LORD.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!
2 You have granted him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
3 You came to greet him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever.
5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD;
through the unfailing love of the Most High
he will not be shaken.
King David reflects on the success he has, as the King over Israel. He recognizes that all of the victories come from the strength of the Lord. At the heart of it all is his trust in the Lord, whose steadfast love has caused him to not be shaken. David was king over Israel at the heights of its glory as a state that was led by God through a human ruler, who obeyed God and ruled with God’s authority. We call this a theocracy. Unfortunately Israel’s heyday is short lived and the David’s son, Solomon, though the wisest man in the world, would turn from the wisdom that David had relied so heavily on as its king, who was a man after God’s own heart. Though we live in a democracy today, where the state/government is separated from the church, we can still pray for our president and those elected to lead our country that they would do so with God’s wisdom and strength.
Genesis 37
Joseph’s Dreams
1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Today we begin the incredible story of Joseph, Jacob’s 11th son. As Jacob loved Joseph more than the other brothers, he made him an ornamental (often called coat of many colors but in reality it was more of a supervisor’s coat with long sleeves) coat. Joseph had dreams where his brothers bowed down to him, and another dream where his brothers and mom and dad bowed down to him. This made the brothers hate him even more, and even his dad was a little miffed at him.
Joseph begin the journey from being the center of his universe where it is all about him, “I had a dream, you all bowed down to me etc..), to a place where God can take the center stage and spotlight and use him powerfully in the salvation story. In the coming chapters, starting with today when his brothers leave him for dead and then mercifully sell him into slavery, we will see that God is with Joseph despite his travails. It is a powerful story of God’s redemption.
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”
Jesus continues to teach using parables, earthly stories that unlock heavenly and kingdom meaning. The parables today teach about how the kingdom of heaven works or becomes effective. Two of them use an agricultural metaphor and then cooking analogy. The idea is that the seeds of the kingdom are planted and grow though often not seen to the human eye. As it grows in multiplies and works its way through the whole dough, so that in the end the thing that has been created has transformed the original form. Or the tree that starts as such a small tiny seed now is a flourishing that provides shade and resting place for God’s Creation.
It is a good reminder for anyone who is trying to make a difference and effect change for kingdom growth. As we faithfully plant seeds and till the garden, the growth will come. We can create conditions for growth and cultivate those conditions, but it is only God who causes the growth. This keeps us humble and reliant on God, but reminds us still to do the work of casting the seeds and working the garden knowing that God provides the growth of the kingdom and in His timing.
It reminds me of the commentary Martin Luther makes on the Lord’s Prayer when he states, “God’s kingdom will surely come without our asking, but might we pray that the kingdom of God would come through us.”
Eternal and ever-loving God, shine your light within our hearts. We thank you for Jesus Christ, the corner-stone, and for the Holy Spirit with whom you have allowed us to dwell. May we grow within the realm of the triune God! Amen.
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