Thoughts for the Day

Jesus put before them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field: it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.'

(New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

I found some mustard seeds in a shop in Nazareth. They were certainly small seeds, although when I looked at poppy seeds at home, these were much smaller. However, in Israel the mustard seed grows into a substantial bush and can reach anything from 6 feet to 20 or 30 feet.

Jesus uses this image to talk about the 'Kingdom of Heaven' rather than the 'Kingdom of God' which the other gospels use. We might think these terms are the same, but it's likely that the other gospels are referring to the earthly Kingdom that the Pharisees thought they lived in, and Matthew uses 'Kingdom of Heaven' to refer to the spiritual Kingdom within Jesus and his disciples.

This tiny parable is not just about the spread of the Kingdom it's also about us. We need to spend time planting 'mustard seeds' in our lives. Many will only grow a little, perhaps we don't cherish them enough, but others will gradually grow into huge trees. I am speaking of doing things that will see results, like keeping in contact with someone who needs support, or listening to a person who needs to talk, or spending a little money on helping another. Sometimes these bring little or no result, but at other times when we keep on trying we discover something good has happened because of our efforts.

Sunday 26th July, follow up thoughts

Lord God,
we know that Your kingdom of love
is both partly here and not here.
Help us to be instigators of Your kingdom;
help us to work away at the small things
that make changes to the lives of others;
and help us never to give up
even when nothing seems to change.
Amen.