THE ALL-INCLUSIVE SEED
This wonderful One is the seed. In this seed are death and resurrection. In this seed are the receiving of the bride, the wisdom, the building of the house of God, and the bruising of the serpent’s head. In this seed are the passing through of all the tests, temptations, sufferings, and eventually the reaching of the goal. In this seed are the human element and the divine element, humanity and divinity. Abraham and Isaac are included, and so are David and Solomon. The Holy Father, the Holy Son, and the Holy Spirit are all included in the seed. This little seed is the all-inclusive wonderful One! What a Jesus is this very One in whom we believe. This Jesus, this wonderful One, is the seed of the kingdom. The New Testament is a book concerning the kingdom, and the first book presents the Lord Jesus as the seed. This seed is called Jehovah-plus and God-plus.
THE SEED BEING THE KING
Accepted by the Gentiles
Chapter two shows us that this seed of the kingdom is the King. The Lord Jesus was accepted by Gentiles who had no religion, no Bible knowledge, no religious forms, no doctrines, and no teachings (Matt. 2:1-2). Such a simple people accepted Him as a King. They did not know the Bible. It was to such a people—simple ones without any Bible knowledge or religious concepts and who did not even know how to worship and serve God—that Jesus, the wonderful Person was revealed. He was revealed to them and accepted by them.
Neglected by Religion
The Lord Jesus, on the contrary, was neglected by the religious people. The chief priests and scribes were in the highest position among the religious people. They had knowledge; they knew the Scriptures and even knew where Christ was to be born. Yet none of them cared for Him. When they heard the news of His birth, no one went to Bethlehem to see Him. They just discussed Micah 5:2. Because of their indifference, they neglected the Lord Jesus.
Many religious people today are the same. In many cases, after the religious ones talk about Jesus in their services, they go their own way—some go fishing, others gamble or pursue their worldly pleasures. When one of my college classmates became a Christian, he and others began to have communion in his home on Sunday evenings. After their so-called communion, they turned the table cover over and used the same table for a gambling game. Among today’s Christians, many talk about the Lord Jesus, but very few care for Him. Their Jesus only belongs to the cathedral or the pulpit or the altar. When the religious service is over, the people do as they please. If you went into their wonderful cathedral to tell them what the Lord Jesus really is, they would be offended. They would say that you teach falsely because they never heard such teaching from their priests or pastors. Thus, Matthew 2 shows us the proper persons to accept the seed of the kingdom: not the religious ones with Bible knowledge, but simple people who can receive the heavenly vision, and to whom the heavenly star can appear.
(The Kingdom, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee)
