The King and His Kingdom

Luke 13:10-21 - Riley Boggs

One of the biggest mistakes you can ever make is going kayaking down a creek or river where the water isn’t flowing at all. Some of you, I’m sure, have stories of when you made this mistake. See when the waters flowing, you just have to paddle a little bit here and a little bit there in order to keep yourself heading downstream. Really the only you have to do is steer. The stream carries you along But, when the waters not flowing, it’s all up to you. You have to paddle the entire time if you want to keep going. And if you ever stop paddling, well…you stop moving.

Often times when we come to church and hear the preaching of the Word, we expect to simply be told that we need to keep paddling, maybe even chastised to paddle a little harder. We expect to sit and hear that we’re all a bunch of bad kayakers and that it’s time to get after it, because we aren’t going to get to the end unless we put in the work. And sometimes, that can sort of be the case. Sometimes we do see texts that urge us towards running the race harder. We are reminded to labor for the glory of God. Sometimes we do need be reminded to pursue God more, to obey Him further, and so on. Not because our eternity isn’t sure, but because we have been called to run the race well. Sometimes texts tell us to do stuff. That’s the point.

However, we are mistaken if we think that is the only purpose of preaching. Preaching is not just about making us feel like guilty lazy bums all the time, even when we might be. Truthfully, more times than not, preaching is intended to remind you that the water is moving. It’s intended to remind us that it’s not all up to us and instead of trying to white knuckle ourselves further down the stream, we need to trust and believe that the Lord is going to accomplish His purpose in our life and in the world. We need to be reminded that while we have been called to paddle and strive, the God Himself is moving us along, despite our weakness and failure, and He will ensure we make it to the end. Instead of the text telling us to do stuff, it tells us to believe and trust and rest.

This morning, I think, we are in a text accomplishes this second purpose so well. It is a text that I think you will find immensely encouraging. It’s a story where we see Jesus do something miraculous and it’s a story where Jesus reminds us of the amazing reality that is the Kingdom of God. It’s a story that can convict and admonish, but most certainly will encourage. So as we dive into this text, I want to urge each of you to really consider the truths before you. Listen to what the Living Word of the Living God has to say. Look at the beautiful reminders laid out here, take them to heart, and allow them to help you trust the Lord and grow in your faith.

Now typically when I preach through passages like this, I work through the text beginning to end. And that’s because more times than not that’s how the passage is intended to be read. This morning, however, I think we can come to a better and more full understanding of this passage if we start at the end first and then come back to the beginning. Not because it was written that way, but simply because I think it can help us think more clearly about all the larger point that Luke is making here. So, I want to start by looking at verse 18. In that verse you can see that Jesus poses a question to Himself and then answers it. He asks, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?” He then answers and says, “It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

Now a mustard seed is an incredibly small seed. It would’ve been one of, if not the, smallest seeds that would have been sown at this time. Typically they are about 1 millimeter in length. For comparison, a sunflower seed is about 10 millimeters. So this is an incredibly small seed Jesus is talking about. Actually in Matthew’s account of this, he adds a phrase. In Matthew 13:31-32 Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds…” The point that Jesus is trying to make is clear. The mustard seed being sown is incredibly small.

And yet, despite its small beginnings, what happens to that mustard seed? Jesus says that it grows up into a tree, so large that birds make their nests in it. Actually, again in Matthew’s Gospel another phrase is added. In Matthew 13:31-32 Jesus says, “32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants…”

So, the question is, how is the kingdom of God like this? What is Jesus trying to convey about the Kingdom of God by saying it is like this small seed that turns into a large tree? Well, I think it is this… 

1.) The Kingdom of God is greater than we can imagine

There are several true observations we could make about the mustard seed that are also true concerning the Kingdom of God, but I think this one helps us to encompass almost all of them. See I think the point Jesus is making is this. Whenever you see such a small seed, a mustard seed, it’s hard to even imagine all that it can be. It seems so small and insignificant. It seems as if there is no way this small thing could ever become anything, let alone a large tree. And yet, that’s the reality. We know that a mustard seed can and will grow into a large tree, but when you look at it in the palm of your hand, your mind cannot wrap around all that it can and will be.

The same thing is true when it comes to the kingdom of God. Right now, on Earth, the Kingdom of God can seem very insignificant. If you were to go and tell and unbeliever on the street that you are a part of a Kingdom, the Kingdom of God in fact, they would likely look at you and laugh. I mean it almost seems silly to say that out loud, right? That we, right here in this room, are a part of the Kingdom of the God of the Universe. And yet, it is true.

And if that’s true now, we know it was certainly true in this time and place. There was an expectation among the Jews that when the Messiah came, He would bring an earthly kingdom. It would be a dominating kingdom where salvation comes to Israel and judgement comes against all those who oppose them. Israel would return to a time that is even better than the glory days of old. But, when Jesus shows up, that doesn’t happen.

It's not as if the kingdom of God hasn’t come. It’s not as if the kingdom of God is being put on delay. It is that the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom that does not exist in political power and physical territory. It is a kingdom that lives within the hearts and men and women who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He has come to save them. But see the issue with that is that it seems very insignificant from the outside. Heart change does not impress the crowds like the conquering of nations does. And so because of this, there are those who deny that the kingdom of God has come at all. They scoff at the idea that Jesus is the coming King. They are like those holding mustard seeds laughing at the idea that these small seemingly insignificant things could become a tree.

But see that is exactly what Jesus is teaching us to expect by telling us that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. Though it seems unlikely, even impossible, the truth is that the Kingdom of God is far greater than we could ever imagine. After Jesus dies on the cross, is buried, and resurrects, He says something to His disciples, and He tells them something. What does He say? You can find it in Matthew 28:18. He says, “…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Do you know what kind of language that is? It is kingdom language. He is saying that in His death, burial, and resurrection, He has taken His rightful place on the throne. He has defeated sin and death and the enemy, and now has all authority. He is the King of the Kingdom of God.

So many who watched Jesus walk the streets of Jerusalem could not conceive of this being a possibility, and yet, it happened. And as people then and now place their faith in this King, slowly but surely, the Kingdom grows and grows. It continues to do this until one day, the King returns to turn that which cannot be seen in full, into a fully visible reality. And on that day, when we see the Kingdom of God in all its glory, it will be far greater than we could have ever imagined.

I won’t spend as much time on it because I think Jesus is simply reiterating the same point, but look at verses 20-21. In verse 20, He asks that same question again, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?” And again He answers in a similar way. He says, in verse 21, “It is like leaven that a woman took and hid three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” In this example you have a woman who has hidden leaven in 3 measures of flour, which is about 50 pounds of flour. And then, once you have added water to that flour, you get over 100 pounds of dough. See what Jesus is saying is the same thing He said concerning the mustard seed. Leaven seems insignificant, it seems small, and yet what will come of it far greater than we can imagine. So it is with the Kingdom of God. This is what Jesus is teaching to those present, and us, by these 2 comparisons.

Now in the beginning of our passage this morning, I think, we have a real-life example of this truth taking place. While it is true that the Kingdom of God in its fullness has not come, it is also true that it has come in part and that we get glimpses of its glory from time to time. Every morning when we gather together here, we are getting a glimpse of what it to come. There’s all sorts of things that make these glimpse pail in comparison with what it to come, and yet, it is still a kind of glimpse.

The same thing is true with the story that is in verses 10-17. In this story we get a picture Kingdom of God expanding. We get an example of the mustard seed beginning to grow. We get an example of the leaven having an effect little by little. And so, with this truth in mind that the Kingdom of God is far greater than we can imagine, let’s look at this story.

In verse 10 we read that Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. And as He was teaching, there was a woman who had been disabled for 18 years. Now Luke tells us that though this condition had a physical reality, this was no doubt a spiritual thing. He says that she had a disabling spirit. That will be important as we think through all that is happening here. And we read that Jesus sees this woman, calls her over to Him, and says, “Woman, you are freed from your disability!” Then He laid His hands on her and immediately she was healed and began glorifying God.

And then all those who were there saw this and starting singing worship songs and all was merry and bright. No, that’s not what happened. Instead the ruler of the synagogue decided that he would use this opportunity to try and trap Jesus. He became angry because Jesus had healed this woman on the Sabbath. He said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

Jesus hears this and responds by saying, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” In other words what Jesus is saying is that they are not consistent. On one hand they want to over apply the command to keep the Sabbath by keeping Jesus from healing this lady, and on the other hand they will labor to make sure that their animals get their proper water. See what He is doing is forcing them to see the contradiction of their belief. After all, which one is more important? The healing of the woman or the animal getting water? Of course the woman being healed, and yet, this is what they want to outlaw.

Luke continues on verse 17 and says that this statement by Jesus put all of His adversaries to shame. Their deceitful traps had accidentally grabbed their own foot. And as they sat there in their shame, all the other people began to rejoice at all the glorious things that Jesus had done.

From this story, I think we learn 2 important truths concerning the Kingdom of God. I’ve combined them for our second point, which is…

2.) The Kingdom of God powerful and redemptive

In this story we see a woman redeemed by the power of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. When your strip away all the circumstances, that is what the simple truth is. A woman who had been bound by the enemy for 18 years was set free from her bondage because of the power and redeeming work of King Jesus. And I think it’s important that we frame this within the kingdom of God language because it being used intentionally in the following words of Jesus that we just looked at a moment ago.

The way in which we do this, I think, is by acknowledging how there are 2 kingdoms at war within this story. This woman had been troubled by the Satan for 18 years. That’s hard for us to even imagine, but I want you to try to. Don’t dismiss the horrible nature of this woman’s condition. For 18 years Satan himself had afflicted her, causing her to be disabled. Jesus uses the language that she had been bound by Satan. Think about that language with me. When you are bound, what can you do about your condition? Nothing. You’re restricted. You’re immobilized. Unless something or someone from the outside comes to your rescue, you will remain bound. It does not matter how much you strive, you depend on the compassion of another for freedom. Such was the case with this woman. And so you have this woman who had been seized by the enemy and was in the kingdom of darkness. She was afflicted, bound, and suffering. She was precisely where the enemy desired her to be.

But then something happens. The kingdom of darkness comes up against the kingdom of light. The One who had been sent by God to establish the Kingdom of God within the hearts of men and women is on the scene. And as He stands there teaching in the synagogue, He decides to bring her into the Kingdom of God. The power of the Kingdom of God is put on full display as she freed from her bondage, despite the enemies hold on her. The redemptive nature of the Kingdom of God is put on full display as she is healed and begins to glorify the God who has saved her.

Sometimes we are tempted to think that this kind of stuff doesn’t happen anymore. We are tempted to think that this dramatic encounter is a thing of the past. But I want to remind you that is so far from the truth. Every time a person places their faith in the Risen Lord, there is a cosmic, universe-shaking, reality taking place. When a person is transferred from death to life, from the darkness to the light, it is a big deal. It is not small thing. When your child repents of their sins and believes in Jesus Christ in your bedroom at 9PM, Jesus Himself has unbound them from the grasps of the enemy. The Kingdom of darkness has been stripped of a soul, and the Kingdom of God has grown. That is the reality. That is the world we live in.

In Colossians 1 Paul puts it like this. He says, “3 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” There is a transferring taking place when one places their faith in Jesus Christ.

And what we need to remember this morning, from this passage, is that the Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of power and redemption still today. It is a Kingdom that continues to grow by the proclamation of the Gospel and the work of the Spirit of God in unbelievers. And as people hear the Gospel and believe, they are being added, one by one, to an eternal Kingdom. The Kingdom is powerful. The Kingdom is redemptive. And the kingdom is a reflection of the King. That is the final thing I want us to see…

3.) King Jesus is the powerful redeemer who is far greater than we can imagine

The reason that the Kingdom of God is great and powerful and redemptive is because the One who sits on the throne is great and powerful and redemptive. And while it would be good and right for us to consider the glory of the Kingdom of God itself, because it is glorious. We will have missed the mark if we do not take a moment to cast our minds on the King of the Kings.

Right now there is a throne where Jesus Himself sits. He sits there with all the authority that there is. And He is slowly but surely building His Kingdom here on Earth. And each of us here who have placed their faith in Jesus and begun to follow Him are in this kingdom and live our lives in submission to the King. And what I want to remind you this morning is that the King that we serve is such a wonderful King. He is powerful, He is the redeemer, and He is far greater than we can ever imagine.

Just consider all that this story tells us about the character of Jesus. First of all, this woman never even asked to be healed. She didn’t come to Jesus pleading her case as to why she should be healed. She didn’t come to Him begging for a new life. She did none of this. And yet, because Jesus is so compassionate and kind, He sought her out. He went after her and delivered her from something she likely never thought she could be delivered from.

Such is the case for all people who are saved. Jesus seeks them out, though they continue in their sin. Out of compassion He draws them to Himself and lavishes grace and mercy on them. Out of kindness He brings them into the Kingdom. Such was the case for all of us.

Second, Jesus showed absolute power over the enemy. There was no struggle. There was no bargaining. There was only Jesus coming and taking that which He wanted from the enemy. If King Jesus desires a soul, there is nothing that can keep Him from acquiring it. It does not matter how tight the enemy thinks they have someone bound, Jesus is stronger. His power has no ends. There is no cosmic struggle between good and evil, where we just hope and pray that Jesus wins out. No, the Lord has all power on heaven and earth, and He does what He pleases. For now, He is long-suffering and patient, slowly bringing people into His kingdom.

Thirdly, Jesus puts evildoers to shame and causes the righteous to rejoice. Jesus is not one to overlook injustice. He is not one to allow His bride to be unnecessarily harmed. Jesus is not concerned about playing by the pharisee’s laws. What Jesus desires is for those who have placed their faith in Him to rejoice and to put to shame those who come against His people. In this story we see this played out, and in eternity, we will see it played out again. Jesus is a good King. One who can be trusted to do what is best for those whom He is over.

Lastly, Jesus is worthy to be praised. When the woman is freed, she gives praise to God. When the people see all that Jesus has done, they give praise to God. Each one of us here know the grace and mercy of King Jesus. Each of us here who have been saved know that left to our own devices we would never follow Jesus. And yet, He brought us out of the darkness and into the light. He saved us and brought us into the kingdom. Now, daily, we ought to praise the King. We are to recognize His glory and splendor and power. We are to call Him what He is, a King, who sits enthroned in the heavens waiting to come back for us. Until then, and then forevermore, we praise Him for what He has done and what He is doing.

There is debate about the timing of when Revelation 11 is, or will, take place. But I am under the impression that the timing is now. We are in it. As I have mentioned before, I believe that the book of Revelation is not supposed to scare us, but is intended to comfort and encourage Christians as they face tribulations until the Lord returns. And an example of this understanding of the book is played out clearly in chapter 11 verses 15-18. I believe this is the reality we are living in now. And if that’s the case, listen to what is being said. “15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. 18 The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

Do you hear that King and Kingdom language that we have seen in our text? Jesus has begun to reign. The One who is and was, is on the eternal throne. And though the nations rage and though there is a future judgement to come, the kingdom is still advancing. Those who fear the name of Jesus small and great, are accomplishing His Kingdom work of taking ground from the enemy. They are destroying the destroyers of the earth by the proclamation of the Gospel.

It's my hope and prayer this morning that you hear all of this and are moved to trust Jesus all the more. Trust that He loves you by remembering all that He has done for you. Trust Him enough to submit your entire life to Him and begin to worship and obey the King day-by-day. Amen.