Mustard

             Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32)

 

Trivia Time. There are two plants (or plant families) called by the name, Mustard. The first is the herb related to broccoli, with bright yellow flowers and from which we get the condiment some people enjoy. Personally, my enjoyment of this mustard is confined strictly to a series of commercials from way back when in which people asked one another “Avez vous du Grey Poupon?” Mustard plasters are made from flour, water, and the powdered seeds of this kind of mustard. If I get COVID again, I’m tempted to try this.

The second is Salvadora perisica, which is a popular evergreen shrub that can grow 6-60 feet tall and 20 feet wide depending on plant variety and growing conditions. The seeds are sometimes  used in making wine, and the name comes from “mustem ardens,” which is loosely translated as “burning wine.”  The shrub is native to the Middle east.

The third bit of trivia is that mustard gas is derived from neither. It’s a manufactured product with a chemical signature of C₄H₈Cl₂S.

 

             Back to the Scripture. The main idea Jesus was trying to get across isn’t unusual. It’s the rags-to-riches story, the tale of the 98 lb. weakling or the sickly little boy who pumped up or grew up to be a strong man, or the little acorn that grows to be the mighty oak. Some may point out that the seed is not physically the smallest seed in the world. It pays to consider the audience. It may have been the smallest tree seed known to anyone in that area at the time. Or its smallness may have been more metaphorical, being perhaps of little importance. The point is the same.

            The kingdom of God may begin in one’s life as something small. It may begin in an area as something small. It grows to be large. It grows to be so large that things that are not the kingdom of God, the birds can perch in its shade. This brings to mind the vast benefits that have been given to the world, some of which you can read about here: Christian Influence In History

            It also brings to mind that complaint I’ve heard from atheists who claim that it’s wrong to say atheists can’t be moral, good people. But the question they don’t answer well is where that morality comes from. By in large, the morality they claim as their own came from the teachings of Scripture. It may be found elsewhere (since Truth is Truth wherever it’s found) but they didn’t get it by studying a culture that hasn’t existed in two thousand years or is found in a village in Africa or Asia, or by figuring it out from scratch. They got it from a culture that has been strongly influenced in the past by Scripture, perching in the shade of the Kingdom even though they aren’t part of it.