Matthew 13:31-35

Exodus 32:15-24, 30-34

Psalm 106:19-20, 21-22, 23

Matthew 13:31-35

Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.

“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.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for the seed of your kingdom that has been sown in my heart and my family. I hope and pray that I am truly transformed by your divine grace so that I may extend your Kingdom throughout my community.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Fulfillment of Psalm 78: Jesus teaches in parables and, in this way, fulfills a prophecy from Psalm 78:2. “St. Matthew sees everything in the Old Testament as prophetic in some way; Jesus fulfills the law, the prophets, and the figures and stories. So it’s natural for him to see the Psalms as prophetic, as did the early Christians. David, author of most of the Psalms, was the original Christ, so it stood to reason that his Psalms would ultimately point to his ultimate descendant, the end-time Christ” (Huizenga, Behold the Christ, 260). The first way, then, that Jesus fulfills Psalm 78 is by teaching the mysteries of God’s plan of salvation in the form of parables. Just as a little mustard seed develops into a large shrub and invasively grows in a field, and just as a little yeast transforms a batch of dough, so also the Kingdom of heaven will start small and grow to international proportions and transform the nations of the world, represented by the birds of the sky, the field, and the bread dough. As the teacher of the mysteries of salvation, Jesus does not just recall the history but reveals its ultimate meaning.

2. Bread from Heaven and the New Exodus By invoking a line from the beginning of the Psalm, Jesus is calling to mind the entire psalm. Psalm 78 is a lengthy meditation on biblical history from the Exodus of Israel from Egypt to the election of King David. In verses 23-24, Psalm 78 narrates how God “opened the doors of heaven,” and rained manna upon the people for food. And in verses 52-69, the Psalm highlights how the Lord led out his people like sheep from Egypt, brought them to his holy mountain, and drove out the nations before Israel. In response, Israel tested the Lord and rebelled against God and did not observe his decrees. By invoking Psalm 78, Jesus is warning the people who hear his words not to be like the rebellious Israelites in the desert. In the next chapter, Matthew 14, Jesus will provide them with an abundance of bread from heaven. How will the people respond? Like rebellious, forgetful, and defiant Israel (Psalm 78:8-11)? Or will they welcome the seed of the Kingdom of Heaven like good soil, bear abundant fruit, and collaborate in the transformation of the world?

3. The Merciful Shepherd-King: Psalm 78 contrasts the infidelity of Israel with the faithfulness of God. The compassion of God is fully revealed in Christ. Jesus doesn’t just retell Israel’s history but enters into it and redeems it from within, bringing God’s merciful love to all people. Psalm 78 ends with the election of David: “He chose David his servant, took him from the sheepfolds. From tending ewes God brought him, to shepherd Jacob, his people, Israel, his heritage. He shepherded them with a pure heart; with skilled hands he guided them” (Psalm 78:70-72). Jesus is the Son of God and the Good Shepherd. David led the twelve tribes of Israel as their king and prepared everything for his son, Solomon, to build the Temple on Mount Zion. In a greater way, Jesus will gather Israel scattered among the nations into the New Israel. He accomplishes this through laying down his life for his sheep and sending out his apostles to the ends of the earth to preach the Good News of salvation and extend the Kingdom of heaven.  

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to ponder more deeply the mystery of the New Exodus. I know that you lead me as my royal shepherd, that you send the cloud and fire of your Spirit to guide me, and that you feed me with the Eucharist, the new manna. Lift up my eyes to see the horizon of the heavenly Promised Land where the Father awaits to embrace me.

Living the Word of God: Can I take some time (maybe 5-10 minutes) to pray Psalm 78 today? Which verses stand out the most? How do they apply to my life today?