A Mustard Seed

"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."

Most of us feel pretty small most of the time. We view world events from afar and feel powerless. Gaza, Ukraine, Iran and other conflicts move us profoundly, but we can't ourselves move anything in response. Momentous decisions are made in Washington DC, in Downing Street and perhaps one day in Manchester, but we feel powerless. Powerless not only to influence them, but powerless even to comment on them meaningfully. In a democracy we do get to vote, but that too seems tiny in comparison with the power of billionaires and presidents.

In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus points out that the tiny can become mighty. The Kingdom of God had started as small as a mustard seed, in the form of the disciples around Jesus, but would (he predicted) grow and grow. And so it has.



Some seeds are destined to grow. Perhaps the ethics and beliefs which drive our views on world events are seeds of that type - ultimately destined to outgrow the rampant and destructive weeds which seem to fill the garden of the world. And when they do, perhaps the Garden of Eden will have returned.