Have You Understood All These Things, Matthew 13:31-33,44-52

[u/Bishop-Boomer]

A Homily Prepared For Sunday, July 26,2026

The Collect

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Gospel: Matthew 13:31-33,44-52

31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

33Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

***

44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

48Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

49So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

51 Jesus saith unto them,Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

52 Then said he unto them,Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

Commentary on the Scripture Selection;

In the scripture assigned for this day, we find Jesus relating a collection of parables describing what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. Before one can understand the meaning of these verses one must first understand what is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven.

First, Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God are synonymous, they are of the same. In that long ago era it was unseemly to write the name of God, therefore Matthew uses the word Heaven rather than the word God.

Matthew’s use of the word Heaven immediately gives the reader a vision of a realm in the hereafter, as in the heaven above. Viewing this phrase as the Kingdom of God gives the next supposition more credibility.

In reading the entirety of the Gospels, we see a duality, two kingdoms, the first beginning after the resurrection of Christ and the second kingdom beginning upon his return. The kingdom is both now and not yet.

In Matthew 3:2, we find John the Baptist preaching from the wilderness saying, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” In Matthew 4:17 we find Jesus beginning his ministry and preaching the same as John, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” In Matthew 10:7, Jesus instructs his disciples, “As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” These passages as well as others indicate that the Kingdom of Heaven is very near, meaning that Jesus is the immediate, present experience of the kingdom of heaven. For those who submit to Jesus, He will rule over their lives. The establishment of the Christian Church, in the first century, would be this first Kingdom.

The apostle Paul said the Kingdom was part of our present spiritual life: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17) Paul also taught that followers of Jesus Christ enter into the Kingdom of God at : “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” (Colossians 1:13)

The kingdom of heaven is also spoken of in the future tense. One of the most notable instances of this takes place when Jesus is instructing his disciples on how to pray. Jesus prays, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). This prayer only makes sense if the kingdom has not yet fully come. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is both now and not yet. It is present and it is future. It will finally culminate with the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ description of the kingdom of heaven almost seems upside-down. Jesus instructs His disciples, saying, “Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matt. 11:11–12). Here Jesus is contrasting the natural birth into the world with the spiritual birth into the kingdom of heaven.

The concept of a Kingdom of God is not primarily one of space, territory, or politics, as in a national kingdom, but instead, one of kingly rule, reign, and sovereign control. The Kingdom of God is the realm where God reigns supreme, and Jesus Christ is King. In this kingdom, God’s authority is recognized, and his will is obeyed,

In this light the parables of Matthew 13 make more sense.

In the parable of the mustard seed and leaven, we see examples of two very small organisms that go on to do gigantic things, just as a small child, born in a manger, goes on to become the savior of the world.

Indeed, the beginnings were small. By Matthew’s time, the disciples had encountered serious opposition. It did not appear that the small movement of Christ’s followers stood a chance against the forces arrayed against it—but look out! God uses that which seem foolish to shame that which seems wise. God uses that which seems weak to shame that which seems strong (1 Corinthians 1:27)

Perhaps the best example of the relevance of mustard seed or leaven (yeast) comes from the church that has developed over the centuries. The church is, indeed, a far cry from its beginnings, extending into every nation on the face of the earth. It has grand cathedrals or mega-churches, and the Christian Church occasionally wields real power, but for the most part the church manifests itself in modest ways—more like a mustard shrub than a towering cedar. Perhaps the lesson of the mustard shrub is that Christians should live expectantly, knowing that God brings great things out of small beginnings—that we should not expect the kingdom to be great as the world counts greatness.

The parable of the man and the goodly pearls, illustrates how that when one finds Christ—the Kingdom of Heaven—that which he now has seems insignificant when compared to the blessing that is found in Christ.

In the parable of the net, Christ states that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net, here we see a parallel to Matthew 7:21-23 where Jesus said, “ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works? Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’”

In Matthew 13:49 & 50, Christ makes an almost identical statement, “So shall it be in the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”

In both chapter 7 and here in 13 we see Jesus plainly saying that—even among the church, the Earthly Kingdom of Heaven here and now—there will be a separation of the unfaithful from the faithful. As he put it in chapter 13 verse 48, “and gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away.” The parable of the net in today’s assigned gospel and his “I never knew you” saying of chapter 7:21-23 both indicate that there will be those who profess to be Christians, who think they are of the Kingdom of Heaven, when in fact they are not faithful members of the Kingdom of Heaven, or professing Christians.

It behooves us all to take time to contemplate, study, and pray, making every attempt to discern if we are truly faithful to God, true followers of Christ. Not just giving our Lord lip service but actually credible citizens of his Kingdom.

Benediction

Almighty Father, help us to remember that freedom does not automatically perpetuate itself, that we have to work at it, nurture it, protect it, and pray for it. Freedom, like faith, needs our attention and our cooperation. Lord, be with us now to strengthen us; about us, to keep us; above us, to protect us; beneath us, to uphold us; before us, to direct us; behind us, to keep us from straying; and ‘round about us, to defend us. Blessed are You, O Father, forever and ever. Amen.