The Rotten Loincloth

~~~ Jeremiah 13:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 32 ~~~ Matthew 13:31-35 ~~~

Parables of the Kingdom of heaven continue as Jesus tries to help understand.
Pearls, buried treasure, mustard seeds, yeast....
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:

Even though we can relate and understand some of these parables,
for the most part the heaven remains a mystery.

Stories are a useful medium to illustrate a particular point.
In today's reading from Jeremiah he also uses a story to make his point.
The LORD said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth;
wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water.

This loincloth was worn next to the skin.
Our relationship with God should be just as close...
next to our flesh...nothing separating us from him.

Jeremiah was set apart by God to bring messages to the people;
many times they were uncomfortable words.
Jeremiah was commanded by God to do three things with this loincloth...
Buy it, Hide it, and Retrieve it.
Furthermore it was not to be put in water
probably meaning it was to be kept unsoiled...clean.

It was to be hidden in a rocky crevice.
Hidden so no one would accidentally disturb it or remove it.
  God was not pleased with the people. Was he himself hidden
 from them by their own choosing,
their own actions?

We can feel as if God is hidden from us even though he is not.
We get confused when we cannot 'feel' his presence
 in our life as one feels the linen loincloth.

If we live our life pretending God is hiding himself from us
 eventually we can become 'rotten' as well just as the hidden loincloth.
Losing our close relationship with the Lord because
 we doubted his nearness to us is like this deteriorating linen.

Cloth that is rotting becomes very fragile easily torn...ripped to shreds.
Is this the kind of relationship you desire with God?
One that is thread bare and fragile...one that does not endure.

We must remain vigilant so as to not allow ourselves
 to become like the rotten loincloth.

The parables of the Kingdom of God offer hope to those who will listen.
Small seeds grow into trees with many branches, home to many birds.
A single handful of yeast leavens the whole batch of flour.

The Kingdom of heaven parables radiate hope.
We must cling to this hope as we long for our place
someday in the Kingdom of God.

You have a choice today;
rotten loincloth or the handful of yeast.
One speaks to a loss of relationship with God, the other
to the great abundance possible with him.

Blessings come from his parables even today.
~~~Peace~~~