There are numerous parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. No single one says the definitive word about the Kingdom, but each one opens a different window for us to catch a glimpse of what Jesus was setting forth in His Kingdom parables. If there is any view which defines the Kingdom, it surely must be the cumulative view that brings them and so many other teachings together. Some of those Kingdom teachings are more commonly known and more clearly understood, but all them offer something unique.
One of the more familiar Kingdom parables is the parable of the mustard seed. When we stop and think of the grandeur and majesty of God's Kingdom, it seems strange to liken it to something as small and insignificant as the tiny mustard seed. While the fruit of the mustard seed is described in the gospel as "the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree," (Matthew 13:32) most of us think not of a mustard tree, but of a green leafy edible plant grown in most fall gardens. The common denominator for both, however, is the tiny seed. Anyone who has tried to plant one mustard seed at a time soon gives up on the task and mixes it with some sand before broadcasting it in the garden.
What is clear from the parable is that the Kingdom of heaven is experienced not in the grandiose, but in the small. From something as small as a mustard seed comes the Kingdom. The Kingdom can be seen and experienced in the smallest of things. When Jesus came into the world, He came not in the vestments of a king, but through something so small it was nurtured within the womb of a woman. As we open our eyes up to see the small things like the widow's mite, the smile that greets us in the morning, and the kind word giving us grace we begin to understand something of what Jesus meant when He spoke of the Kingdom being among us, yet, also coming.
One of the more familiar Kingdom parables is the parable of the mustard seed. When we stop and think of the grandeur and majesty of God's Kingdom, it seems strange to liken it to something as small and insignificant as the tiny mustard seed. While the fruit of the mustard seed is described in the gospel as "the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree," (Matthew 13:32) most of us think not of a mustard tree, but of a green leafy edible plant grown in most fall gardens. The common denominator for both, however, is the tiny seed. Anyone who has tried to plant one mustard seed at a time soon gives up on the task and mixes it with some sand before broadcasting it in the garden.
What is clear from the parable is that the Kingdom of heaven is experienced not in the grandiose, but in the small. From something as small as a mustard seed comes the Kingdom. The Kingdom can be seen and experienced in the smallest of things. When Jesus came into the world, He came not in the vestments of a king, but through something so small it was nurtured within the womb of a woman. As we open our eyes up to see the small things like the widow's mite, the smile that greets us in the morning, and the kind word giving us grace we begin to understand something of what Jesus meant when He spoke of the Kingdom being among us, yet, also coming.
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