True Followers

In The Word

Read: Luke 13:18-35

 

Parables of Mustard Seed and Leaven

18 So He was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches.”

20 And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened.”

Teaching in the Villages

22 And He was passing through one city and village after another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.25 Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin standing outside and knocking on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ and He then will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ 26 Then you will begin saying, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets!’ 27 And yet He will say, ‘I do not know where you are from; leave Me, all you evildoers.’28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. 29 And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

31 At that very time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away and leave this place, because Herod wants to kill You.” 32 And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I reach My goal.’ 33 Nevertheless I must go on My journey today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside Jerusalem. 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her young under her wings, and you were unwilling! 35 Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation


Walking In The Word

 

These scriptures should be hitting us hard in the best way. Jesus starts with these tiny pictures of God’s Kingdom—like a mustard seed or a bit of yeast. Small stuff, that ends up having a big impact over time. It’s Jesus saying, “Don’t sleep on the small beginnings; they turn into something massive.” I love that. It’s like a quiet nudge to keep going, even when my faith feels puny—God’s doing big things in me and around me.
Then He flips it, talking about the narrow door. Not everyone is getting in, and that stings. It’s not about showing up late with excuses; it’s about really knowing Him. I get it—sometimes want to just coast, thinking we are good, but Jesus wants us locked in, not just tagging along. It’s a wake-up call to ditch the half way in mentality and chase Him for real.
Jesus gets warned about Herod, but Jesus doesn’t flinch. He’s got work to do—healing, casting out junk, heading to Jerusalem. He knows the cross is coming, but He’s steady and ready. He’s not dodging danger but He’s walking into it for us. And then He mourns over Jerusalem, longing to gather them like a hen with her chicks. Man, that’s love—raw, real, and relentless. I feel it in my bones; He’s that way with me too, even when I’m a mess.
So here’s where it lands for me: God’s Kingdom starts small but explodes with life for those pursuing it, not just drifting around in it. Jesus is the real deal—unshaken, chasing me down, even when I’m clueless. It fires me up to lean in harder, to trust those little seeds of faith I’m planting today. They’re not nothing; they’re everything. He’s building something special through them, through us. I don’t always see it, but I’m holding on, inspired to keep growing, knowing He’s right there, pulling for me. You feel that too? Let’s keep running after Him together.

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