Focus Scripture: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-46 (NLT)
I believe today’s scripture suggests several points you can apply as you try to make sense of the parables of our life. Look beneath the surface. Some things are deep and rich and escape casual glances with the human eye. Some of the gems will be old; some will be new. But just as everything else, we have to look beneath the surface for some things are deep and rich and escape casual glances with the human eye. Put everything to the test. Scrutinize each one. Know what you’re looking at. Look at the big picture. Examine the potential and value in the things of life. Look at the commonalities and differences. Look for that which is common among us and that which is good and right and true.
Life is a parable. In each of these short accounts, Jesus teaches about the kingdom, which is already come through him but has not yet been realized. In other words, it is “already but not yet.” These messages help us to grapple with things that are beyond our understanding by comparing them to things we might be exposed to in our daily lives. Interpreting parables requires a bit of work. Discerning the meaning in parables might start by looking at the similarities and differences presented.
And as you are examining the parables of life, hold onto your hope. How do I do that, you might ask? Find the Kingdom of Heaven within you, right there in the recesses of your child’s heart. I believe the Kingdom of Heaven might very well dwell there. Right here is where I can go and recover the gems in the storehouse. It’s a place I can go to retrieve a bit of the old wisdom and look at it side-by-side with what new insights you have gained. It’s a place where, even in your seasoned years, you can still hope and dream for peace.