Of seeds, yeast, treasure, and a pearl

Sermon for Pentecost IX, 2026, delivered at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Louisville, KY
Text: Matthew 13:31-33,44-52

This morning’s gospel reading is a scattershot of parables that illustrate the kingdom of heaven, and there does not seem to be a connection between them. In fact, the commentaries I read as I prepared this sermon say to not try to bring them all together, but instead pick one and focus on it. I am known for not always reading the instructions first, which earns me looks of exasperation. But, I think there is a theme here, something that links these separate illustrations of the kingdom of heaven together other than just being illustrations of the kingdom. The theme has three parts to it. The first is the butterfly effect, the second is sorting out what is in the kingdom, and the third is what leads us to the kingdom. The butterfly effect is an older mathematical theory that says that small, seemingly insignificant changes in a large, random environment creates large, unpredictable changes. The illustration is that a butterfly flapping its wings sets a cascade of actions in motion that eventually causes severe weather. As ridiculous as it sounds, it works really well in predictive mathematics, but not as well where humans are involved. 

We do not live our lives mathematically. We learn, we yearn, and we make decisions based on what is in our hearts, not always what is rational for us and others. But I can think of a couple of instances in my own life where small but significant decisions led to significant actions that have defined the arc of my life, and led me here, in this pulpit, this morning. I could not have predicted this when I decided to go back to school for a professional degree after a failed attempt to enter Seminary. Jesus’ parables of the mustard seed and yeast illustrate this, that small things can lead to great things in our lives. This is also an illustration of our distorted perception of the futility of bringing the kingdom into a seemingly hopeless world through small acts. The kingdom may start small, almost invisible and ineffective. But over time, it will expand and become visible and have an impact on us and the world. Likewise, the treasure in the field and the pearl both speak of small things having great value, like spending an extra $20 on food for Calvary’s pantry, or taking a few minutes to listen to someone. Those are small things to do that have a great value to the people we help. The kingdom depends on us to make it visible through ordinary, mundane actions that are unexpected, or out of context. Things we do that make people stop and ask, “Who said that?” or, “Who did this? And why?” And the answer will be “because the kingdom is near, and this is what it looks like.” This butterfly effect works in parallel, both in our lives and in the greater world at the same time. We enter and live in the kingdom of heaven and establish it in our part of the world by how we live our lives.

Within the kingdom, there is a sorting of good and evil, where Jesus says, “The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is frightening to read literally, that a heavenly figure is going to physically drag you out of the kingdom and throw you into a hot furnace. I do not think that is how Matthew intended these words to be read, though. Jesus is describing the kingdom with metaphors, what it compares to that we can understand. The kingdom is not a real treasure in a field, a pearl, a mustard seed, or yeast. Matthew was writing his Gospel in a familiar apocalyptic style of his time drawn from the book of Daniel to make a point: that there is no room for evil words, actions, or intent in the kingdom. Those who wish to enter the kingdom but who do not look for hidden treasures or the pearls will not enter the kingdom because it is about finding small, valuable treasures.

Within the kingdom that starts so small and unnoticed, we pursue everything in it with all that we have. That leads us to a choice as we are drawn to the kingdom - do we obtain those treasures spending everything we have, or do we hold on to what we already have? Which has more value for us, what we discover, or what we have already? This, I think, describes two ways in which we can view our faith: always in search of a new treasure as a revelation from God, or holding on to the familiar faith we keep in the treasury of our heart, soul, and mind. Neither of these approaches to our faith is better than the other, but are instead a reflection of how we manage our faith. Do we hold on to the traditional 1928 prayerbook language, or do we embrace the 1979 prayer book language? Do we hold on to “traditional family values” or do we acknowledge changing social and economic realities that shape family structures? My default reaction to this is to find a compromise between these two positions, but I think that does a disservice to both, here. Instead, I need to avoid the either/or interpretation of the kingdom where a net is cast and the good fish are separated from the bad fish, however we see fit to define good and bad. To have an opposing nature of faith is not to be judged as good or bad, but to be part of the treasure found in the field. Notice that the treasure in the field is not for us collectively to find, but for the one, referred to as “he” in the text, to find. So, what we look for, and what we find is our own treasure, something that leads us individually to the kingdom that is near to all of us, but one that we will all live in together as one people of faith. 

No one but God gets to define what the kingdom will look like, but the signs that point each of us to it will be ones that we recognize on our own. That sign may be a mustard seed, or a tiny clump of yeast, or a treasure, or a pearl, but it grows as we discover the breadth of the kingdom, present in places we did not know it existed. Think about where you would look for the treasure or the pearl and what they would look like to you. Think about where you would plant a mustard seed, or what would you add yeast to. More importantly, think about what treasures you already have that you would give up, to sell, to enter the kingdom. Entering the kingdom has a cost, but it is one that we can bear, even willingly because the treasure in the kingdom is worth it.