In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

When we are paying attention to the words of the Lord this morning about the Kingdom of God, it’s important for us to remember that things are not necessarily quite as black, and white as we sometimes are trying to take such readings. The Lord is definitely saying, however, that there are people who will not get into the Kingdom of God. He says this on the one hand, and on the other hand He says: “And they will come from the east and the west, the north and the south, and sit down in the Kingdom of God”. So what does this mean? What is He talking about?

He is speaking directly to people who are still very much conscious of the Law, and doing the details of exactly what is right (in other words, obeying the letter of the Law). This obeying of the letter of the Law is what we human beings are always getting stuck on. We are treating God as if He were automatically angry with us, and as if He were waiting to pounce on us, as though there were some sword of Damocles hanging over our heads. We are always going around like frightened puppies, or like our frightened little cat who is frightened for who knows what reason, frightened of her own shadow often, it seems. We do go around in this frightened way, worrying about transgressing the smallest iota of God’s commandments. He is saying: This is not what it is about. They are knocking on the door, and He says: “I don’t know where you come from”. They say to Him: “We ate, and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets”. But He will say: “I tell you, I do not know where you come from”. There’s a modern idiom: “Do you know where I’m coming from?” Saying: "I don’t know where you come from" is tantamount to saying: I don’t know who you are. Why doesn’t He know them? Because they don’t really know WHO HE IS. The Lord can’t recognise His own in them. That is what this is partly about.

I can’t claim by any means to give the whole story of what the Lord’s parable is about, but this is partly what it is about. We, who have eyes, often can’t see, and we who have ears, often can’t hear, or sometimes maybe even won’t. This is all couched in fear, because we human beings live in fear – it’s our burden, I suppose you could say. We ourselves sometimes cannot recognise the Lord for WHO HE IS, when He is right in front of us, because of this fear. Yet in the context of all this (it’s very serious), the Lord recognises those who respond to Him in love, and who are not worried about making the iotas of the Law a higher priority. The observing of the iotas of the Law, and the little, miniscule things about the Law are supposed to be things that come naturally to people who love the Lord – it’s a product of love. It’s not in front of the love. When it comes in front of the observance of the law of love, it blocks the proper relationship with the Lord. This is, I believe, where the Lord is apt to get through to us. People coming from all points of the compass will still come, and sit down in the Kingdom of God, but those are the people who have responded to Him in love. You could even say that this is sort of a prediction of the spreading of the Gospel to the whole world, to the Gentiles, and to everyone else.

Now I am going back to the very beginning of the Gospel. It’s important for us to remember that when we are living our lives in the proper context (that is, if our lives are filled with the love of the Lord), the expression of the Kingdom that He gives at the beginning of this Gospel can take place. In the context of this loving relationship with the Lord which everything is all about, the Kingdom is like a mustard seed which is a very, very, tiny seed. However, it grows into a very big tree. I saw one once in Palestine. It is amazing. It’s quite a big thing from a little, tiny seed. Sometimes big seeds only produce bushes. This tiny seed can grow into something huge. A little bit of yeast in a lot of flour can produce much bread. The Lord said the same thing in another place about salt.

The point is, that it doesn’t take much – it really doesn’t take much. What is, in fact, from the world’s point of view insignificant, can produce an amazing amount of fruit, good fruit, life. When the Lord is talking about these things, He is talking about things that are exploding into life. This mustard seed produces such a big plant, bearing much fruit. It’s not just a few mustard seeds that the mustard plant is producing. What happens with just a tiny bit of yeast in some flour produces how many loaves of bread? It’s all about life, and the abundance of life that comes with living in this loving relationship with the Lord. The Kingdom is expressed in love, and in life, and in multiplication exponentially, by I don’t know how many superscript figures to what power. The Lord is going to bring fruit, and productivity from our lives. That’s what He is talking about.

He is looking to you, and to me to respond to Him in love, to live in love. The Law will come second, because if we want to be pleasing to Him, we will naturally observe the Law which is really an expression of how we are supposed to live. He wants us to live in love with Him, so that He can give life, not only to us, but to people around us. He wants our lives to be bearing fruit like the mustard seed, and like the yeast. From all the points of the compass the Lord will bring those who encounter His love to Him, bring them to His table, and sit down with them in the Kingdom of God, and rejoice in eternity, glorifying the all-holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

† Archdiocese of Canada - Orthodox Church in America