The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ is a fantastic mystery, but I do not think God just stuck a full-term baby inside the waiting mother. Technically, though God is not always technical, God the Father implanted a zygote, a fertilized egg, into Mary’s womb. A zygote is a single cell filled with DNA that divides and replicates, then begins to specialize into organs and limbs. It all starts with a genetic code.

With this image in mind, I jump to Jesus’ parable in Matthew 13 about a farmer scattering seeds. One thing we learn immediately about this particular seed is that it produces feast or famine. It is easily choked out, and when it is, it produces nothing. But when it takes root and grows to maturity, it produces a harvest rarely seen—a bumper crop, enough to feed everyone!

A seed is a zygote that has developed into an embryo (multiple cells) with a protective layer. Again, all the genetic code for growth is compacted into that small packet. As Jesus explains his parable of the scattered seed, he says the seed is “the message of the Kingdom.” The blueprint of the entire Kingdom is imprinted in the smallest possible communication.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount contains the DNA for his message about the Kingdom. In Matthew 6, Jesus speaks of three daily intentions: be generous, be forgiving, and be self-controlled. I may be naive, though the Gospels indicate that naive thought is required to understand the Kingdom, but I wonder if, by embracing these three daily intentions, it would produce the feast-like harvest promised in Jesus’ parable.

Be Generous Like Everyone Is Family

Biblical Examples

My two favorite stories in the Gospels are the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. In the first, a stranger, a foreigner even, is the only one who treats a wounded man like one of his own. In the second, a father shows incredible favor to a son who most certainly does not deserve his favor. In Acts 2, we see the faithful selling their lands to meet the community’s needs. This behavior would typically be reserved only for family.

A Daily Mindset

For the Kingdom seed to take root, I must change my mindset and consider everyone I meet, even the stranger, as family. This does not mean I treat every person as a lottery winner. When people are family, we must be more honest with them because the relationship is non-negotiable. I’m also thinking of how to give each person an opportunity that I would love for my children or parents to have. What could I give them that would have the most significant impact? This is far richer than just giving someone cash.

Abundant Fruitfulness

Jesus says that when this intention takes root in a community, not just in the life of a faithful person, the community thrives. The whole community is abundantly supplied with resources and opportunities. There is an embarrassment of riches. The Kingdom of God has an economy based on generosity rather than debt.

Be Forgiving Like Your Own Forgiveness Depends Upon It

Biblical Examples

In Matthew 6:15, Jesus says pointedly, “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Yet, we should be forgiving like God is forgiving. Though He has been offended, He turns His cheek and again offers forgiveness and generosity. He restores the offender. Again, in the Prodigal Son, the offender is prepared to apologize, but before he has the chance, the father has already begun to restore his broken life.

A Daily Mindset

My lack of forgiving my own father for his lukewarm attention is the obstacle to my becoming a whole, healthy, unoffendable person. As a spiritual exercise, I made a forgiveness snowball. I listed every person I have yet to forgive and ordered them from least to greatest. Then, each day, I start at the bottom of the list and forgive the least offenses. While my dad was not at the top of the list, the top offenders were people whom I had set up as fatherly figures and who had all failed to give me the fatherly attention I desired.

Abundant Fruitfulness

We do not forgive to restore the other person, though that is often a great benefit to them. We forgive to restore ourselves. We become unoffendable as we let the slights (and the atrocious behavior) of others easily fall away. We become able to stand firm in our place and continue to offer our lives as a gift to the community. We are no longer victims but pillars.

Be Self-Controlled Like Others Depend on You

Biblical Examples

In Matthew 4, Jesus is tempted by the ultimate tempter, the devil, to shortcut his dependence on his Father by assuaging his hunger with miraculous power, by protecting himself from harm by calling on legions of loyal angels, and by becoming king without sacrifice by bowing down to the devil himself. Jesus resists temptation, unlike all the kings who came before him, because our fates were directly tied to his self-control.

A Daily Mindset

The Kingdom is not a zero-sum game. It is an infinite-sum game. There is more than enough for everybody. Jesus introduces this concept to us by asking us to fast, which practically no one does, including me—at least not on a regular basis. When I do fast, my typical response is “I’m hungry.” I become even more aware of the desires that beckon me, calling for me to provide some relief. And yet, God says He will provide the relief.

Abundant Fruitfulness

The self-controlled person is not distracted from the critical functions of the community—to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). Psalm 1 says the self-controlled person “is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Imagine a Kingdom of such people and the fruit of their combined goodness.

Conclusion

One does not become a citizen of the Kingdom by petitioning for admission. One becomes a citizen by letting the DNA of Jesus begin to form in their daily practice. The Kingdom comes as followers of Jesus release the fruit of their daily intentions upon a dry and weary world. The Kingdom comes as counterintuitive actions show themselves as the very actions that produce the world we have all been longing for.

Our daily intentions make us better citizens, better parents, and even better coaches. We provide a safe place for those around us, who do not have to worry about us taking from them, judging them, or abusing them. People must feel safe to thrive, and we not only help ourselves through these intentions, but we give life to an entire community through them.

These are not just good actions. These are Gospel actions. The Good News is that people no longer need to fend for themselves. Their sins will no longer be held against them. They will no longer be blown to and fro by the constantly changing winds of desire. Humanity will find a firm place to stand and provide a place for everyone to thrive. It all starts today with our mindset and our intentions.