The unseen Kingdom

31 July 2023 - Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola

He spoke to them another parable. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch is leavened.” - Matthew 13:33

My wife admits she is not a great fan of baking bread. I would not blame her, for I can also see that the process of making bread is a very precise, intricate, and efficient one that needs to be strictly followed, otherwise the quality of the whole bread will be compromised.

One thing that fascinates me in the bread-making process however is how the dough transforms into bread by only using one simple ingredient: yeast.

Imagine, an unseen and somewhat insignificant kitchen ingredient can provide the best quality of bread? How amazing that is. It is not because of the way the dough was kneaded, nor because the ingredients used were of top-notch calibre. No, the best breads were produced because of the right amount of yeast mixed into the dough.

Jesus perfectly likened the Kingdom of Heaven into a yeast in today’s passage.

It is quite interesting to know that the Kingdom of God was somehow described as unseen and, in society’s point of view, less significant.

Jesus could have easily used grand and expensive items that would definitely catch the listener’s attention like an expensive wine or rare jewels, but He seemed to be more into the less-appealing items such as a mustard seed and, in this case, a humble and lowly yeast. It was as if He deliberately used these items to make people become less interested in what He was saying.

But what seemed to be a deviation in the interest of the people turned out to be the complete contrast of society’s expectation.

The more Jesus used parables and figurative literaries to describe the Kingdom of God, the more people sought for the parables’ meanings. The more Jesus used insignificant items, the more the Kingdom of Heaven is revealed.

Just as the yeast causes the dough to rise and take an elevated form when mixed, so does the Kingdom of God in a person’s life. Once God’s Word permeates in one’s life, that person is changed — he will rise and be elevated into a new creation that aligns and conforms to God’s will and plans.

However, just like the process of making bread, a person changing also needs to undergo a process.

God’s timeline is not applicable as an instant fix.

It is not an overnight solution wherein someone wakes up the next day and fully declares that he is a changed man and a devoted follower of God. In order for the Kingdom of God to be effective, God’s time, not man’s, must be involved, long with fully trusting and putting great hope and confidence in the fulfillment of His promises. The process may be long and challenging, it may even involve lots of discomfort and struggle, but the end result will be worth it.

Like the yeast, God’s kingdom is also unseen. It works interiorly that gives outward results. Yeast mixed in the dough loses its prominence; one can never specifically identify the portions of the dough where yeast is present. However, the effect of the yeast produces a new form, from a lifeless dough into its true purpose as bread. Similarly, the Kingdom of God is not a tangible manifestation of God’s glory. It works its way comprehensively through the entirety of the interior being. The effects can clearly be seen by the way the person thinks, speaks, and acts towards others.

With the Kingdom of God inside the person, he becomes a new creation, from a lifeless body to a person mirrored in the image and likeness and purpose of God.

Let us seek, then, for God’s unseen yet life-changing kingdom. May we allow ourselves for His kingdom to cultivate in our lives which will enable us to rise and elevate into our true purpose and meaning.

Dear Papa,

I praise and thank You for Your presence. I praise and thank You for Your grace. I praise and thank You for Your kingdom.

You constantly call me to partake in Your glory. But too often I choose to ignore Your calling. Have mercy on me for failing to recognize You working in my life.

Increase in me the awareness of Your presence, that by making Yourself known I will strive more to pursue You. Change me into the person who bears Your plans and purpose.

Transform me into a man whose heart is fully submitted to You, so that every thought, every word, and every action that come from me reflect You and proclaim Your message.

May Your kingdom be seen in me, and may I bear witness to Your love and mercy to others. All these I pray in the name of Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, together with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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