Tuesday October 29, 2024

Luke 13:18-21

Jesus said, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with? It is like a mustard seed which a man took

and threw into his garden:

Sometimes when I read scripture, I look for the shock value. What is it that made them rise their eyebrows? Part of our challenge as we read these ancient scripts is we are removed from them by culture and time. And we might not get the obvious.

It is a scandal to compare the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed, a mustard bush. People at this time would have been impressed if he compared the kingdom of God to a Lebanon Cedar but certainly not a mustard bush. This is downsizing the great kingdom and to some insulting it. The mustard bush is not as majestic, in fact it is invasive and a nuisance. Hope you get it!!

Jesus shocks them by suggesting that the Kingdom of God is as common as the mustard bush. We do not know this because we are separated by time, culture and GEOGRAPHY. The call for us today is to notice and give access (if we can) to all kinds of beings this presence of God. No it is not rare, it is as plentiful and accessible as the mustard bush. Notice I called it bush, not tree (hint hint).