Do you remember the last time you thought about life being eternal? It’s been said that “we are so captivated by the allurements of the world, that eternal life fades from our view.” I don’t know about you, but this happens to me. Like a fish attracted to a shiny fishing lure, I get easily distracted by the world’s attractions and temptations. And so, as we conclude our teaching series on the kingdom of heaven, let’s look together at one final parable where Jesus sets the reality of eternal life front and center.

Recently my kids and I have been reading Encyclopedia Brown books. Each chapter of these children’s detective novels involves a mystery that is meant to be solved by the reader. Fortunately, if one is unable to solve the mystery, the “Answers” section in the back of the book reveals it. You might be thinking, “What does this have to do with the kingdom of heaven?” Well, after the disciples hear Jesus tell a parable about the mystery of the kingdom, they ask Him for help in understanding it. I can’t wait to share the parable of the weeds with you. It’s one you may have heard or read before, and while the meaning of the parable may surprise you, it’s the application we must not ignore.

What do soil, weeds, a mustard seed, leaven, a hidden treasure, a pearl, and a net all have in common? Jesus spoke about each of these things to help His disciples understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Over the next several weeks Pastor Sherm and I invite you to join us for a new teaching series called “The Kingdom of Heaven is Like…” As we walk through the stories Jesus shared in Matthew 13, our hope is to be a people that value God’s kingdom above all and to discover ways to participate in seeing His kingdom come to earth. To kick off this series let’s start by asking “what is the kingdom of heaven?”, “when does it come?”, “where is it?”, and “why does it matter today?”