“…Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.” Mark 4:30-32
“…Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and wereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.” Luke 13:18-19
My Summary & Reflection
In this parable, the kingdom of God is compared to a grain of mustard seed. A mustard seed is tiny when compared to other seeds. But, from this tiny seed, a great tree grows and spreads its wide branches, providing shelter for the birds of the air.
Every day we see the miracles of nature all around us. The fact that a large tree which can provide food, shelter, breathable air, and protection from erosion can come from a tiny seed is just one of those miracles. The fact that a single cell can divide and organize itself into the cells of our heart, our lungs, our spine, our feet is another example of a tiny, yet powerful force that has grand potential. This parable teaches that out of little things, big things can grow. It also teaches that something that may seem inconsequential, may one day be beneficial.
The potential for that massive mustard tree can be found within the tiny mustard seed. The potential for a heart or a brain or a lung can be found in a tiny stem cell. What is the potential that is locked up in you? What is the potential that is locked up in me? I don’t think that seeing a tiny mustard seed, many of us could’ve envisioned the giant tree that it could become. Similarly, I think many of us lack the vision to see the ability for growth and capacity for beneficence that each one of us possesses.
By comparing the kingdom itself to the mustard seed, this parable suggests that the kingdom is itself an organism that continues to grow and to become that large tree in which we, like “the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.” Perhaps we too can flourish and grow into the full realization of our potential in the same way that mustard seed flourishes and grows in the earth.
Your Reflection
- What do you have the potential to be?
- What conditions do you need to create in order to become all that you are meant to be?
- Would we treat each other better if we could see not only who we are, but the potential of what we could be?