The Kingdom of heaven

A tiny quantity of yeast leavens a whole loaf of bread

Today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel (13:31-33, 44-52) is about the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Kingdom of Heaven is a central part of Jesus’s teaching for Matthew. At the very start of his ministry Jesus proclaimed, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near’ (Matt 4:17). And when Jesus sent out the Twelve he instructed them, ‘As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near”’ (Matt 10:7). In Mark and Luke ‘the Kingdom of God’ is used to mean the same thing.

So, just what is this Kingdom of Heaven? As a skillful teacher, Jesus uses parables based on everyday experience to teach those who follow him. I think he wants his disciples to work out the truth for themselves, not just learn it parrot fashion without properly understanding it. He gives us clues in parables about the kingdom of heaven, which we are meant to think about deeply, and share what we find between us.

So let me tell you what I find in these parables.

The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast tell us how the Kingdom of Heaven grows.

·         God does not bring the Kingdom of Heaven into existence suddenly, fully formed, in a kind of spiritual ‘big bang’. Rather it grows organically, bit by bit, just as the tiny mustard seed grows almost imperceptibly into a tree, or a tiny quantity of yeast works to leaven a loaf.

·         Sometimes it may seem as if nothing is happening at all. Then suddenly we notice a new shoot bursting, or the dough expanding. And when we come back later we see whole new branches, or the dough rising above its container.

·         If we search for the Kingdom of Heaven we will find it really has come near. It grows all around us.

The parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value tell us what it feels like to find the Kingdom of Heaven.

·         It is like a farmer finding treasure in a field, or a merchant the most perfect pearl. When they find it they joyfully trade everything else they value to obtain it.

·         We are so used to calculating what a thing is worth, aren't we. It is hard to imagine something that is beyond price. Yet there are some things that are worth infinitely more than money or possessions. The Kingdom of Heaven is literally priceless. To live as part of it, by its values, as it grows, will bring us more real joy than anything else possibly could.

The parable of the net tells us what happens if we don’t live by the values of the Kingdom of Heaven.

·         We live in a world full of people of every kind, good and bad, just as the sea holds fish that are good to eat, or not so good, or so-so. But it is not for us to decide which is which. Just as in the parable of the tares we heard last Sunday, it is for God and his angels at the end of the age to separate the evil from the righteous.

·         God’s generosity is stupendous, isn’t it? In God’s creation we have been given enough and more than enough for all to flourish, both the good and the bad. If you eliminate the fish that are not good to eat you damage the whole eco-system, and those that are good to eat will also suffer. If we exclude those we don’t like from our community, from our church, we impoverish it, and ourselves. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not entirely certain whether God’s angels will find me evil or righteous – or most likely a bit of both.

·         Our task is to seek out the Kingdom of Heaven, to help it grow, and to live by its values. But part of these values is to be inclusive and leave judgement to God.

So far, so good. But these parables don’t by themselves answer one crucial question, I think.

It is this: How are we to recognise the Kingdom of Heaven when we find it?

I think the Lord’s Prayer fills the gap. Jesus teaches us to pray to our heavenly Father, ‘your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’.

We can recognise the Kingdom of Heaven because God’s will is done there. And Jesus shows us how to discern God’s will. To find the Kingdom of Heaven is to align our will with God’s will.

·         When any one of us does God’s will, in no matter how small a way – when we do what is right, or don’t do what is wrong - the Kingdom of Heaven grows accordingly. It is a bit like Pinocchio’s nose in reverse – in the children’s story, remember, his nose grew longer every time he told a lie.

·         When we experience the life and growth of the Kingdom of Heaven we feel a joy which encourages us to change our way of life for the better. That is why repentance is good for us.

·         We live more as part of the Kingdom of Heaven, we do more of God’s will, and we become better people. Our example may inspire others to do so too, and the Kingdom of Heaven grows some more.

·         Finally, at the end of the age, God’s angels will have less work to do to separate the evil from the righteous, there will be less weeping and less gnashing of teeth.

That is the story of our salvation.

Let me finish in prayer with the Collect of the Word set for today:

O God, the fount of wisdom,
you have revealed to us in Christ
the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price:
grant us your Spirit’s gift of discernment,
that, in the midst of the things of this world,
we may learn to value the priceless worth of your kingdom,
and be ready to renounce all else
for the sake of the precious gift you offer.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen

The Lovingkindness of our Good Shepherd

Fresco of the Good Shepherd from a restored burial chamber
in the Christian catacombs of St Domitilla in Rome

Reflection on Psalm 23, at Morning Worship with the Community of Brendan the Navigator on Friday 24th July 2026

Psalm 23 is so familiar to us, and so much loved, isn’t it? It is the song of someone who is completely secure in the knowledge of God’s love. Someone who knows they have nothing to fear in this world, because God has blessed them with enough and more than enough, and they can trust him to continue to do so.

Today, I’m going to reflect on the Psalm 23 verse by verse to tease out what it means to me.

1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

The Israelites were a pastoral people, so it came naturally to them to see the lovingkindness of their God Yahweh as like that of a shepherd. Jesus uses this metaphor about himself. He declares, ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep’ (John 10:11). As Christians, we have made the metaphor our own. Because God our loving Father has given us his own Son to be our Good Shepherd, we know we will always have enough, if perhaps a bit less than our greedy desires.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;

In a pastoral society, sheep need a shepherd to lead them to good grazing and to find water. If we follow the Good Shepherd’s teaching, we can be sure that our basic needs will be met. But more than that, the pastures will be green and the water still - what a beautiful image of plenty!

3He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.

Like sheep, we are wayward and headstrong creatures, always liable to do what we want, not what our loving Father wants of us. But if we only follow the example of our Good Shepherd, if we respond to his voice, we will not stray far from the right path.

4Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Older translations of Psalm 23 talk of ‘the valley of the shadow of death’, rather than ‘the darkest valley’, and metrical versions we sing as hymns talk of ‘death’s dark vale’. This is surely why Psalm 23 is used so often at funerals. But this version is better. We are not just anxious about the certainty of our own death. We may often be anxious about our personal relationships, about losing our homes and livelihoods, about change that seems threatening. But we can set aside all anxieties, we need not fear evil. The Holy Spirit, the rod and the staff of our Good Shepherd, speaks to us through our God given conscience, comforting and reassuring us. When we are faced with anxiety and depression, we hear his voice telling us, ‘You are loved. This too will pass.’

5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Our enemies are not just people who hate us and wish us ill. They are our own very human fears and worries. But we can be certain that our Loving Father wants only to welcome us to a banquet of good things. Anointing the head with oil is an ancient symbol of blessing and welcome. Our cup will overflow with joy if we only respond to the Good Shepherd.

6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.

We should not see ‘the house of the LORD’ as a building, as a temple or a church, I suggest. It is surely our own heart and soul, into which we welcome our Loving Father, the Good Shepherd, and the Holy Spirit. When we do so, we can be sure that the goodness and mercy of God will follow us, indeed it will hunt us down, all the days of our life.

Psalm 23 is traditionally ascribed to King David himself.

If so, he must have been a man of great faith. Yet, like us, he was deeply flawed, and walked many dark valleys. But he never ceased to believe in the lovingkindness of Yahweh.

And nor should we. However bad and unworthy we feel, we must never turn away from the loving kindness of our triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

 

‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, John Martin 1852

Reflection at Morning Worship with the Community of Brendan the Navigator on Tuesday 14th July 2026

‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!, says Jesus (Matthew 11:20-24).

He has been travelling around Galilee, including these towns, and nearby Capernaum, proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven has come near, calling on the inhabitants to repent and believe the good news, and healing the sick. But for the most part, they have ignored his call. Now he bewails their indifference.

They are his own Jewish people. They have seen and heard him, they have witnessed his deeds of power. But they have not responded. He says that in the long run, ‘on the day of judgement’, they will rue their indifference, more than the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon, more even than the city of Sodom. Tyre and Sidon were gentile, Phoenician cities, notorious among Jews for their sinfulness. They could not be accused of ignoring his message, because he had not preached there. Sodom was the city destroyed by God in the far distant past, according to the strange story of Lot in Genesis. It was and still is a byword for wickedness, whose very location has been forgotten.

It is sometimes suggested that Jesus was cursing these cities. But that would not be like the merciful and loving Jesus of the Gospels. The Greek word ‘ouai’ translated as ‘woe’ expresses sorrowful pity rather than anger. Jesus is heartbroken that his own people do not respond to the good news he preaches. He mourns for what will become of them. Those who have responded to him surely mourn too. But all is not lost. As Jesus declares in the Beatitudes, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.’

Today we are living through a growing crisis of global heating and loss of biodiversity, a result of human ignorance and greed. Our earthly home is in danger, and all its creatures including ourselves. To continue business as usual would be a blasphemy against the world that God has given us, and that he sees to be very good.

For decades now scientists have been warning us that we must change our behaviour, or suffer the consequences. Christian and other leaders are calling on us to change and move rapidly to a just transition away from fossil fuels. But the global response has been quite insufficient – so far.

If Jesus were to return today, I am certain that he would be crying ‘Woe’ in sorrowful pity over our cities and towns. Woe to you, Nenagh! Woe to you, Dublin, Belfast, Limerick, Cork, and Galway! Woe to you, London, Paris, Moscow, New York, Tokyo and Mexico City! As we roast in this unprecedented heat wave, as we mourn the accelerating breakdown of our climate, we must not give up hope. Let us listen to him, and to the climate scientists, before it is too late. Because he blesses us, saying ‘those who mourn … will be comforted’.

 

The Parable of the Sower

Address given at St Mary's Nenagh and Killodiernan Church on Sunday 12th July 2026, the 6th after Trinity

Sowing the Seed

Today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel (13:1-9, 18-23) is commonly called the Parable of the Sower.

A parable is a story describing a scene from everyday life, which conveys a deeper meaning. I think Jesus taught so often in parables because they conjure up memorable images. They lead those who hear them to reflect on their meanings, and to discover the truth in them for themselves. No lesson is better learned than one you tease out for yourself! Parables are a bit like slow-release fertilizer, gradually yielding up their truth to people who ponder them.

The parable of the sower comes in Mark’s and Luke’s Gospels as well as Matthew’s, and in startlingly similar words. Scholars believe the vivid image was remembered and recorded, and an edited version was used by the Gospel writers when they composed their texts years later. All three Gospels also contain the same authoritative explanation by Jesus of what the story means.

So let us in our imaginations picture the scene, let us reflect on the parable’s meaning, and let us tease out its relevance for us now, 2000 years later.

Let us begin by entering into the parable in our mind’s eye.

So many people wanted to listen to Jesus that he used a boat to address the crowd on the beach. The beach was on a lake, the Sea of Galilee. I’ve never been there, but I see it as rather like Lough Derg. It’s about 40% larger in area, and wider but not so long. Imagine the people crowded on the beach at Dromineer, and Jesus a few yards off shore in a lake boat talking to them.

Did Jesus see a man sowing in a nearby field? Perhaps this prompted the parable, and everyone could literally see what he was talking about. In my minds eye it could be my neighbour Padraig Slattery's field.

The sower isn’t using a seed-drill; he is broadcasting the seed by hand, just as our ancestors would have done only 150 years or so ago. The seed is in a bag or a basket, and he walks steadily up and down the field, taking a handful of seed and throwing it out as evenly as he can. Even at a distance it is quite clear to everyone what he is doing: they have seen it hundreds of times before, and many have done it themselves.

Imagine a big field divided like allotments into strips, each one belonging to one family, with paths between them, beaten down hard by the passage of many feet. The crowd can see the birds following the sower swooping down to gobble up the seed that inevitably falls on the path, for all the sower’s skill.

Everyone would understand that different parts of the field are of different quality.

Some parts are stony: don’t imagine small pebbles, imagine great sheets of rock just under the surface, with just a few inches of soil on top, like parts of the Burren, for instance. The soil above the rock warms early, and the seeds germinate quickly, but without a depth of soil the young seedlings will soon run out of nutrients and water and shrivel up in the sun.

Some parts of the field are infested with perennial weeds: imagine scutch grass and creeping thistle, which will quickly outgrow the delicate crop, choking it.

But other parts of the field are good land, with a deep, clean soil. Here the crop will have nutrients and water enough. It will flourish and produce a harvest of thirty, or sixty, or a hundred times the grain sown on it.

Jesus said many other things to the crowd that day in parables, we’re told. We don’t know what they were, but I think we can take it that Jesus was ‘proclaiming the good news of the kingdom’ as Matthew tells us elsewhere (Mat 9:35).

‘Let anyone with ears listen!’ Jesus finishes.

Jesus himself explains the parable in terms of the word of the kingdom he preaches.

When his disciples ask him why he teaches in parables, Jesus interprets the parable for them, no doubt to reassure them that they do indeed understand what he is getting at:

The seed sown on the path is the word heard, but not understood, which the evil one snatches away, before it ever has the chance to sprout.

The seed sown on rocky ground is the word received with joy, but by a person without roots, without character, whose initial enthusiasm cannot withstand trouble or persecution.

The seed sown among thorns is the word heard by those who are so trapped by worldly cares and the lure of wealth that they cannot act upon it.

And the seed sown on good soil is the word heard by those who understand it, and act upon it. Only such people will yield a harvest of good.

Like those who crowded to the lakeshore 2000 years ago, we are the soil in which Jesus sows the seed.

On a personal level, the message of his parable remains what it was then: we need to cultivate our character so that as good soil we yield a rich harvest. Each one of us must strive to develop the character traits of attention, persistence, and detachment. Attention, so that we do not miss God’s call when it comes. Persistence, so that we can withstand trouble or persecution when we answer God’s call. And detachment, so that we are not distracted from acting on God’s call by the cares of the world and the pursuit of wealth.

 But we cannot do so by our own will - we need the help of the Holy Spirit at work within us. 

For Jesus, the sower is one who proclaims ‘the word of the kingdom’.

That is himself of course. But it is also his closest disciples, the twelve apostles, whom he sent out saying ‘Proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near”’ (Mat 10:5-7). No doubt the twelve took comfort from the parable that even when their teaching seemed to show poor results, enough people would accept it to make it all worthwhile.

Before his ascension Jesus commissioned the apostles to go out and make disciples of all nations. Their commission was handed on to others in the developing Church, which in all its varied traditions still proclaims Jesus’s good news of the kingdom today. In Paul’s memorable words Christians are all part of Christ’s body the Church. Today the Church is the sower. 

Is there then a message for the Church in this parable? I believe there is.

The Church’s sowing of the seed may not seem to be producing a good harvest these days. The fact is that here in Ireland, and in Europe generally, taking a broad view across all traditions, more and more people are losing contact with Christ’s Church. We see falling Church attendance, fewer baptisms, and insufficient ordinations to maintain the stock of full time clergy. We need to understand why and do something about it, and for that we need the Holy Spirit to guide us.

But we should not despair. Jesus himself was completely realistic about the prospects for his teaching, and so should we be as his Church. As Jesus realised, no matter how good a job we do as sowers, the sad fact is that many people will not become his disciples, and will not be led to the kingdom of heaven by his or the Church’s teaching. Yet those who do, make up for those that don’t by the rich harvest of good fruit they yield – as Jesus put it, 30, 60 or 100 fold.

So to sum up, we can learn these things today from the parable of the sower:

As Christians we need to cultivate the soil of our own characters, to develop the Christian virtues of attention, persistence, and detachment from the world, so that we may yield a plentiful harvest of good grain.

And we should not despair at the state of Christ’s Church today. Rather we should rejoice in the rich harvest of Christian souls the Lord already has. And we must pray for the Holy Spirit of God to guide his Church, and each one of us, to be better sowers of the word in future, so that the Lord’s harvest may be even greater.