The Kingdom of Heaven is like...

This Sunday's reading from Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Jesus talks in similes to teach us about the kingdom of Heaven,

"He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.' 

He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’ 

‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 

 ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, 

‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.'"

Again this week Jesus puts the fear of  the final judgement to us quite graphically. Let us pray that pewsitters hear a proper exposition from the pulpit.

I find the last simile a bit puzzling. I have to think that it is an endorsement of the work of the Gospel writers