Then he said, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed that a person took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and ‘the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.’”
20 Again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed [in] with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”
22 He passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. 25 After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ 26 And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ 27 Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where [you] are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Jesus is teaching as He travels toward Jerusalem, where His mission will be fulfilled (v. 22).
He first explains the kingdom’s surprising growth. A tiny mustard seed is planted; in time it becomes a large bush where “the birds of the sky” find shelter (vv. 18-19). The picture is simple: what begins small in Jesus’ ministry grows into a large place of refuge for many. The image of birds nesting signals a welcome wide enough for the nations, not just the chosen people of Israel.
He adds a second image from ordinary life. A woman mixes a little yeast into three measures of flour until “the whole batch of dough was leavened” (vv. 20-21). The kingdom works from within. Its influence is quiet but pervasive, and the result is certain. What God begins in Jesus spreads through hearts, homes, and communities until the whole is changed.
A question then shifts the scene: “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” (v. 23). Jesus does not give numbers. He redirects the crowd from curiosity to conversion: “Strive to enter through the narrow door” (v. 24). The verb points to serious, sustained effort. Salvation is grace, but grace is received in a life that actually turns toward God.
The warning follows with a brief parable. When the master rises and locks the door, latecomers knock, appealing to past contact: “We ate and drank in your company” (vv. 25-26). The reply is stark: “I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!” (v. 27). Familiarity with Jesus is not the same as fellowship with Him. Shared meals and street-side teaching will not replace repentance and obedience.
Jesus names the cost of refusal. There will be “wailing and grinding of teeth” when those who presumed they belonged see the patriarchs and prophets in God’s kingdom while they stand outside (v. 28). The promise is also wide: people will come “from the east and the west and from the north and the south” and recline at God’s table (v. 29). The kingdom’s growth from seed to shelter becomes visible as a global gathering.
He closes with a reversal: “some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last” (v. 30). Status cannot guarantee entry. What matters is real response to Jesus—entering through the narrow door now, rather than relying on background, tribe, or proximity.
Augustine (354–430) notes that the question about “few” is misplaced; the Lord urges humility and effort rather than counting others (Sermons on the Gospels). John Chrysostom (c. 349–407) explains that “I do not know you” exposes a life inconsistent with Christ, not the Lord’s ignorance; recognition belongs to those whose deeds match their confession (Homilies on Matthew/Luke). The Fathers hold together the kingdom’s expansive reach with the personal call to enter by real conversion.
Lord Jesus, make Your word take root in us like seed and work within us like leaven. Grant us the grace to turn from complacency, to walk with You now, and to be gathered at Your table with people from every place and walk of life. Amen.
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Sources and References:
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition (Four Courts / Scepter, 2008).
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. Chiu et al. (Paulist Press, 2018).
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, 1990).
- Bernard Orchard et al., A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (Thomas Nelson, 1953).
- St. Augustine (354–430), Sermons on the Gospels.
- St. John Chrysostom (c. 349–407), Homilies on the Gospels.
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