Now Jesus tells a parable. He compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. A mustard seed could be sown in the garden until it grew into a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.
A mustard seed has become the familiar image of something that begins small and grows into large. Even more familiar is probably Jesus’ comment that faith, even the size of a mustard seed, can move mountains.
But in this particular case, Jesus is talking about the kingdom of God. Now, the kingdom is difficult to strictly define. At various times it appears to be something small, other times large, sometime it appears future related and still other time something that is present. The kingdom of God is within and among us.
Scholars have devoted extensive studies to what it means to define the kingdom of God. Yet Jesus didn’t define it, just accepted it as a dynamic reality that is both present and becoming; it is under the authority of God, yet humans, creations of God, are granted responsibilities in helping build up the kingdom; it is alive in the midst of creation, yet also beyond the life known by humanity.
Jesus didn’t define and therefore limit the understanding of God’s kingdom. And the parable of the mustard seed seems to contain a wry humor that is often lost on people today. Scholars point out that the description of mustard as becoming a tree is an exaggeration. It can grow into a mighty plant, some eight to nine feet high, but it is highly unlikely that birds would ever nest in a mustard plant. They do grow large, but are not trees and will die back after a season, though casting their seeds to grow into new plants. Mustard grows wild and in some cases is regarded as pest rather than a desirable plant.
Some Mustard Seed Extras:
The mustard seed and its aroma and flavor has been popular for thousands of years. The condiment is made from the crushed seeds of the plant. At first they were mixed with vinegar, but in the Middle Ages it was replaced with something called grape must, which is where it got the name we know today of mustard. Grape must was simply the juice from the grape. (Mustard – native to Europe and South-eastern Asia; grown in temperate regions. Well known since days of ancient Greece as a condiment and for medicinal uses; frequently referred to in the New Testament and Greek and Roman writings;. (Collins, Mary, Spices of the World Cookbook by McCormick, U.S.A.: produced for McCormick by Penguin Books, 1964), p. 36. As the Greek and Roman Colonizers spread their civilizations throughout Europe, they took their knowledge of spices with them. It is on record, for example, that the first mustard seed were brought to England by Roman soldiers in 50 b.c.
The parable of the mustard seed was likely intended by Jesus to have echoes in the scriptures of his people. Nebuchadnezzar dreams of being a great tree with the birds of the air nesting in its branches. Ezekiel’s oracle (17:22-23) is an even more specific reference. Yet these older images refer to the kingdom as a great cedar, while Jesus describes it as a mustard. One scholar says that the mustard seed is a parable of the kingdom’s beginnings, but not of its final manifestation. The ministry of Jesus, although with amazing events, was more like a mustard seed, though people expected a full grown cedar.
Scholars tend to downplay the final result, taking literally what grows from a mustard seed. But is it possible that Jesus was including a little humor here? The mustard seed is small, an inauspicious beginning, but Jesus pictures it growing into something entirely unexpected - a great tree that can give refuge in its branches. In other words, the kingdom of God will grow into something quite surprising by human standards, understanding or expectations.
The coming of the birds to next in the branches has been interpreted by some to be a reference to the Gentiles who would be welcomed into the church. If Jesus is echoing the images of Hebrew scriptures, this would seem unlikely. The older references are about peace, security and refuge. Yet the Gentiles also found this in the church, just as many who were Israelites did. Luke did have a strong interest in the Gentiles (he may have been one himself) coming into the church. And a later parable (Luke 13:29) will refer to the fact that “people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God.” Double meanings were popular in the ancient Near East, so it is not impossible that Jesus saw a vision of the gentiles being among those who would come to nest in the kingdom of God. Given the fact that he was speaking to an orthodox Israelite audience, this could even be one of the extremely unexpected things that would grow from the mustard seed.
Again, from human expectations, something grows, or should grow, by increments. Therefore, if Jesus announced the small beginnings of the kingdom as a mustard seed, then two thousand years later, it must surely be larger. But that would ignore the fact that Jesus announced the kingdom for individuals, groups, for creation itself. It is always in the process of becoming. Its growth may or may not be visible to the human perception. Its manifestation may not be what human standards expect.
Do you use or think of the imagery of the kingdom of God?
What does it mean to you?
Do you have expectations about God’s kingdom?
Are your expectations limiting your perception of the kingdom’s presence?
No comments:
Post a Comment