Have you ever read the poem about the six blind men and the elephant? It tells of six men who wanted to find out what an elephant was like, but they had a problem. They couldn’t see it. So each of them approached the elephant, grabbed on to the first thing they could reach, and formed their conclusions on the basis of what they experienced.

One caught hold of the tail, and said, “An elephant is very like a rope.” A second found an ear, and said, “An elephant is very like a fan.” Another touched one of the elephant’s legs and said, “An elephant is very like a tree.” And yet another stumbled against the elephant’s broad side and insisted, “An elephant is very like a wall. ” And so it went. They had a lot of discussion and argument, each loudly insisting his conclusion was correct. And the poem ends, saying, “Though all were partly in the right, they all were in the wrong!”

How do you describe something you can’t see? It’s hard, isn’t it? The only way to begin is to seek for comparisons. And by making many comparisons, a picture begins to emerge.

In making analogies and parables, it’s important to remember the blind men and the elephant, and not to make the mistake they made of thinking that one picture says it all. When Jesus came to this earth and began to try to describe the kingdom of heaven to people who had never seen it, He employed parables. It took a lot of parables. No one could say it all. But each parable added a dimension of understanding to fill out the picture.

Let’s look at some of His mini-parables and try to find out more about the kingdom of righteousness that He tried to portray. When Jesus spoke of His kingdom, He was talking about one of two things, either the kingdom of grace, or God’s work of grace in the human heart. So each of His parables about the kingdom of grace gives us further insights into His righteousness, which comes by faith in Him. Watch for it as we proceed.

The Grain of Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31, 32)

“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”

What can we learn about the kingdom of heaven in comparing it to a grain of mustard seed? Well, it starts out small, and then grows. Zechariah 4:10 asks, “Who hath despised the day of small things?” It’s an easy thing for us to do, isn’t it? But God often works through what might appear to be insignificant. We are often in danger of missing the still, small voice in our search for the wind and the fire.

Yet just because the beginning is small doesn’t mean that it stops there. The results are as big as eternity. Jesus knew this and worked on that principle in His dealings with Nicodemus. He planted the seed in the heart and then waited. For a long time there were no apparent results. But in the end, Nicodemus became one of the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.

That’s how it works, in salvation by faith in Him. The seed may be small, but the harvest is sure, as we give the Lord time to work in our lives.

The Leaven (Matthew 13:33)

“Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”

God’s work of grace in the heart is unseen. It works from the inside out, not from the outside in. God knows that when you make bread, you put the yeast on the inside, and then wait for it to do its work. You don’t make the bread and then sprinkle yeast across the top and expect it to rise.

The plan of beginning on the outside and trying to work toward the inside has always failed, and always will fail. God’s plan with you is to begin at the very seat of all difficulties, the heart, and then from out of the heart will issue the principles of righteousness; the reformation will be outward as well as inward.

Do you want to know if God is working in your life? You won’t always be able to tell by looking at the outward manifestations. You can only know if you are accepting the leaven of His grace in your heart on a daily basis. As His grace is received into the heart, the results are inevitable, even though they may not be seen immediately.

As the leaven, when mingled with the meal, works from the inside to the outside, so it is by the renewing of the heart that the grace of God works to transform the life. No mere external change is sufficient to bring us into harmony with God. There are many who try to reform by correcting this or that bad habit, and they hope in this way to become Christians, but they are beginning in the wrong place. The first work must be with the heart.

The parable of the ten bridesmaids in Matthew 25 brings out the same truth. It was not enough that they had lamps—external goodness. In order to be admitted to the wedding, it was essential that they have oil–the Holy Spirit in the heart. It is what’s on the inside that counts in the kingdom of heaven, not the externals.

First the Blade, Then the Ear (Mark 4:26-29)

“And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, and after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.”

We can help in sowing the seed, but we don’t make the seed grow. The growing of the seed is God’s work. Suppose a man should cast seed into the ground and then try to stay awake to help it grow. Suppose he sat out by his garden plot and kept an eye on things. Why he would fall asleep before the first radish sprout made it to the surface, wouldn’t he?

The farmer’s job is to sow the seed, to give it regular water and cultivation, and then leave it alone. God takes care of the rest of the process.

We aren’t expected to watch ourselves, constantly checking ourselves to see if we are producing fruit. Our part is to sow the seed. And remember what the seed represents–it is the Word of God. We study God’s Word for ourselves, we accept Him into our lives day by day, and then we let Him do His work. We may not understand how He does it, but this doesn’t matter. What’s important is that we understand how to do the work assigned to us.

Over and over again we are reminded that there is a process involved. It takes time to grow. It takes time for the leaven to do its work. Even after the plant has surfaced, even after the seed is no longer hidden in the earth, it still takes time. First comes the blade, then the ear, and after that the full corn in the ear.

We hate this delay! We want instant righteousness, now–yesterday if possible. We want it prepackaged, just add water–kind of in the same way we can have instant soup or instant oatmeal. Waiting is not our idea of a fun way to spend time. Yet the very waiting process which we find so distasteful is in itself of value. It shows us where our weaknesses lie. It shows us what our priorities really are. It shows us ourselves and our deep need of the grace God offers. The waiting develops the fruits of the Spirit in our lives, even while we chafe at the time factor involved.

But God knows how to do His work, in nature as well as in human hearts. He has built in the time factor as the very best way in which He can do His work. We cooperate with Him as we accept His time frame instead of trying to force Him to accept ours. And although it takes time, the results are sure and certain so long as we stay with Him.

Treasure Hid in a Field (Matthew 13:44)

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”

The Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45, 46)

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

These two parables are similar and offer an interesting picture of the kingdom of God. After repeatedly teaching that salvation is free, that whosoever will may come, that we have nothing to bring except our great need, all of a sudden Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven has to be bought. How do we explain this?

Have you ever tried to give something to a child whose hands were full? Have you ever smiled as you saw their eyes light up and heard their squeals of delight at the sight of what you had to offer? And then have you watched their dilemma as they try to decide what to do? They realize they can’t take what you are offering them until they let go of what they already have. And sometimes it takes a struggle to decide which is more important!

That’s the way it is in the kingdom of God. No matter what you have that you are depending on, you must let go of it before you can receive the treasure of heaven. It is essential that you “sell” all you have. Are you rich? Are you intelligent? Are you well educated? Are you talented? Are you good looking? Are you capable? No matter where your strengths lie, you will only be strong in reality when you realize your weakness. Your only hope is still in accepting the gifts that Jesus has to offer. And so long as you hang onto “all” that you have, no matter what that all includes, you cannot accept His priceless treasure.

The kingdom of heaven is free, yet it costs everything. It cost Jesus everything. He held nothing back as He came the full length of the road that reached from His house to ours. He did not spare himself. And as we accept His free salvation, we can hold nothing back. If we do, we will find our hands full of our own baubles and toys and be unable to reach out to accept what He has to offer.

Of Such Is the Kingdom of Heaven (Mark 10:13-15)

“They brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.”

What is it about little children that appeals to us? What can we learn from them about the way to the kingdom of heaven? Well, first of all, little children are helpless. They are dependent. They need the protection of someone who is stronger and wiser than they are.

In this life, we expect our children to grow from dependence to independence. If we are wise parents, we encourage them in their reaching out to learn so that they can grow and become capable. We don’t want them to stay dependent upon us forever. We know that if they continue to be helpless and dependent, something has gone wrong in their development.

But in God’s kingdom, it’s just the opposite. We start out thinking we can handle things on our own. We start out independent, and He has to lead us through the painful process of realizing our helplessness, our need of complete dependence upon Him. Perhaps this is why Jesus specified little children as being the ones to use as our examples.

There’s another thing about little children. They haven’t been around long enough to develop a track record. They come to us with their needs because they have needs. They don’t come with a long list of the good things they have done for us as reasons why we should give them our help. It is enough that we have the help to give and they need the help we have.

And that’s the way it is with God. It isn’t what we’ve done to deserve or merit His help that motivates Him to save us. Our great need is our greatest argument, now and always. It isn’t what we have done for Him. It’s what we need for Him to do for us.

Little children are not afraid to love. They haven’t become hardened through years of fear of rejection and pain and disappointment. They love openly and trustingly and expectantly. How easy it is to reach children with the love of Jesus. When He was here on this earth, the children came to Him gladly. They shouted His praises. It was the older folk who held back and questioned and rejected the evidences of His love for them.

The seed and the leaven and the growing com and the hidden treasure and the pearl and the little children-all are pictures of the kingdom of God. Each one by itself is inadequate. No parable could say it all. But taken all together, we begin to understand the message of Jesus as it relates to the nature of His kingdom and how we may enter into it.