Restore to Factory Default

You have probably noticed by now people can be pretty messed up sometimes.  Oppression and exploitation, empires, abuse and manipulation.  It's everywhere and it's not just "them"; we all have our moments of failure and selfishness.  Please don't think me misanthropic, I just don't believe humanity left to its own devices will ever save itself.  We were not designed for this; we were not meant to live and operate in sin.  In the Beginning God created us good, whole, and sinless.  

Ever since the Fall humanity has been glitchy; some of our files and systems have been corrupted.  Not only are we born broken into a broken world, but we pick up more bugs along the way (wounds, lies, wrong priorities, etc).  Our sin goes against our programming and slows us down from living as God intended.  In truth we become less and less ourselves as we accumulate more problems and stains of this world.  On our own we all will spiral down to the "blue screen of death."

This is where Jesus steps in.  He came to save us from ourselves and our glitches.  By God's grace Jesus comes into our lives and goes about helping us reboot our system and restore us to our perfect factory defaults of Eden.  Thankfully this does not wipe our memories or personality; instead we are freed up from the burden of harmful thoughts, patterns, and behaviors.  We are made new and renewed.  Praise God for accomplishing what only He can.  With this new freedom we are now able to walk in our true identities.  But this world is still a dirty place and we will continue to pick up glitches along the way.  Thankfully by the same grace of God we can be restored and renewed again and again and again.  I know I need this grace.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a coffee shop

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a coffee shop;  
A caffeinated retelling of three parables 
(Matthew 13:44-48)

People love stories; it is a part of how we are wired.  There is no coincidence 70% of the Bible is narrative.  Stories are fun, inductive, and memorable.  Good communication requires the audience be able to recall what was told to them, and studies have found stories are well suited for this.  Beyond simple storytelling, parables require the audience not only to listen but to engage with and decipher the story; to wrestle the meaning out of the parable.  This sheds some light on why Jesus purposefully told stories and parables.  With that in mind let's have some fun retelling three of Jesus' parables from Matthew 13:44-48.

1.  "The Kingdom of Heaven is like searching for the best cappuccino in town, and having found it, joyfully not settling for any other drink." (Mt 13:44)

We often read the familiar parable of Jesus declaring "the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field" and think of it as just that, a treasure, and miss the meaning of the parable.  Is God's Kingdom the object or the verb?  Can we own or obtain the Kingdom of Heaven?  Or do we seek the Kingdom?  

The Kingdom of Heaven is a verb and Jesus is our treasure.  His parable illustrates the only proper Kingdom response to finding such a great treasure as Jesus is to sell everything and surrender all that we are for Him.  The Kingdom is not a prize but a pursuit.  We do not earn God's Kingdom, but we gladly give up everything for what has been offered to us through Jesus.  

2.  "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a barista who shops around to find the best coffee beans, to find the right temperature and timing to make the perfect espresso." (Mt 13:45-46)

Again we often try and make the Kingdom into an object, a pearl of great value, when in reality the Kingdom of Heaven is like the merchant looking for fine pearls.  The Kingdom is an occupation; it is a way of ordering and arranging our lives.  Have we centered ourselves around Jesus?  As promised in Jeremiah 29:12-14 when we search for God He will be found by us.

3.  "The Kingdom of Heaven is like an open wireless internet network.  It is available to everyone, but you have to get connected." (Mt 13:47-48)

Finally, there is no auto login option with God's Kingdom.  God's Kingdom is everywhere and we have the opportunity to respond to what has been offered us, but it requires us to take an active step; there is no passively entering the Kingdom.  Furthermore the Kingdom affects everyone, not only those logged in, and the reality of the Kingdom will affect everyone come Judgement Day.  There are affects and consequences for both those who log in and those who do not.

I hope you have enjoyed this retelling of three parables.  Jesus is the master storyteller.  Cheers!