Jesus made the bold statement (recorded in Matthew 11), “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been breaking forth and those breaking forth are pursing it.” According to Jesus, the kingdom (the rule and reign of God here on earth) has been forcefully advancing for the last two thousand years. If this is true, then why is the world still so messed up? This is THE question – both for us now and for the Jews in the first century. In order to answer that question, Jesus told them a parable about the kingdom of heaven being like a mustard seed. When understood, Jesus essentially said, “The kingdom is advancing, but it may not always do so in the way we hope, because more often than not, the kingdom advances through the small and seemingly insignificant.” When we see the small and seemingly insignificant with new eyes, it can make all the difference.

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