TO Jesus on the Mount of Olives came his disciples asking, "What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" They were looking for the kingdom of heaven, but in spite of Jesus' teaching they had not yet learned what and where the kingdom of heaven is. They were still seeking a material sign, a speedy and spectacular herald, which should convince a material people that the Christ had come, and that with a "Lo here" or a "Lo there" there should appear a humanly visible kingdom, probably as richly imposing in its material splendor and power as the empire of Rome.
Read in connection with the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, the parable chapter which follows is full of meaning. Jesus was fully able to describe the kingdom of heaven: he not only lived there himself in constant communion with his Father, but he knew also that in reality, as man is always in that kingdom, the real selves of his disciples were also there, though they must prove the fact for themselves and that it could be done only by watchful, loving, untiring effort. So Jesus spoke his parables, explaining that the kingdom of heaven is like unto the marriage feast, which the alert may enter; the joy of their Lord gained by the diligent; the life everlasting of the faithful, loving feeders of the hungry and clothers of the naked.
Again, familiar with the simple agricultural methods of his country, Jesus turns the life of the plowman also into a parable when he says, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." In countries of small farms one still often sees on a hillside two horses straining at a heavy plow, while a man, with reins perhaps looped over his neck and a guiding hold on the handles, turns the green sod over into a straight, moist brown furrow. He knows that the sky is blue above his head, that the air is soft and fresh about him, that the birds are singing; but though he may rejoice in the freshness and beauty that surround him, his eyes seldom leave his plowshare. Should he look back, his blade will waver and no longer cut its furrow deep and true. He may stop under the shade or by the still waters to refresh himself and his horses for a moment; but while he plows he plows, for upon that his harvest depends. If the plowing is poorly done, the harrowing also is not a success; and if the latter has not made the ground fine and soft, the seeds will not take hold. So the plowman cannot look back. To accomplish his task he must be alert, diligent, faithful, persevering.
