Breaking the Word

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. (Mt 12:38-42)

The scribes and Pharisees also followed Jesus. The ordinary people followed him and they were ready to believe what he said about God and the kingdom and even about himself. The scribes and Pharisees saw Jesus to be different and they were not able to pin him down to be someone. In their search they were not willing to accept the revelation. They were asking for signs that would answer their search.

Jesus was definite about not giving them a sign. He did not want to be an answer to their intellectual search. Even if he were to give a sign it would not be an answer to their search. He would be greater than signs. People of the faith have had signs in the old Testament. And those signs were sufficient for the people of that time to repent and return to God.

Jesus life would be a prophetic sign. In fact it would be greater than a prophetic sign. His death and resurrection would be more than a sign. That would be the goal and scope of the life of every believer. Solomon was a wise king. Jesus’ wisdom was greater than that of Solomon. Jesus’ wisdom was all about the kingdom. Jesus was more than a sign of wisdom.

He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat,… Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'" He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'" He spoke to them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened." All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation (of the world)." … (Mt 13:24-43)

Jesus spoke in parables and only in parables regarding the kingdom. Jesus used parables to reveal the truths about the kingdom. These truths were not the result of search by the intelligent and clever people. These were revelations and the revelations are true to the believing people. People of faith accepted these revelations and they were given the secrets of the kingdom.

One of the secrets of the kingdom is that the kingdom contained in itself both good and the bad. God intended only the good but the evil is present among them. But the labourers of the kingdom are not to be bothered about removing the evil but they should only continue to work and work so that the good may reach their completion. Probably what St. Paul says in Romans 12:21 (overcome evil by doing good) is the result of this revelation.

Second and the third revelations about the kingdom are: 1) the kingdom is so small and insignificant that it may go unnoticed.  However it will be a place of rest and abode for many; 2) the way the kingdom functions is so unnoticed that only at the end one realizes that the kingdom has taken over the whole society.