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Solomon compares the desire of the righteous to that of the wicked
He teaches that positive aspirations end in good to others as well as to the righteous themselves, while those who advantage themselves at the expense of others will eventually experience what they intended for others
People who give freely will grow more prosperous, while stingy people will come to poverty
Holding back from giving does not secure anyone a permanent state of sufficiency rather being in danger of going poor for withholding unduly
A generous man is more concerned about the well-being of the community than a selfish gain; he trusts in his God and not his wealth, and such will not fall
People who hoard stock when they sense a coming scarcity so that they can sell at an inflated rate are not only selfish, but are cursed.
But the people bless the one who sells in time of need
In the second lesson, Jesus speaks in a parable to the people but always explains the deeper truth to his disciples when they are alone
He uses parables to reveal the truth of the mystery of the kingdom and thus exposes the response of the hearers in their choices, to life or judgment
Jesus was careful in his description of what the kingdom looks like, this time He illustrated it with a mustard seed.
When a mustard seed is planted, it becomes the largest of all garden plants, with birds making nests in its branches and shades
In Jesus’ day, some people seem to be tempted to underestimate the power of the kingdom of God because of its small unimpressive beginning
The people expected the Messianic movement to be compared with great cedars.
Nonetheless, over time the kingdom of God would supplant the great empires of the world