Mustard

Ezekiel 17:22-24; Psalm 92:1-4, 11-14; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17; Mark 4:26-34

With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.

Have you ever had mint growing in your yard? We did when we lived in Oregon County. It was great! Once it got so big, you could cut the leaves and make mint tea — really refreshing on a hot summer day. Or if you were outside you could just crush a leaf in your hands and breathe in the aroma. Wonderful.

The big problem with mint was that it would spread. Almost uncontrollably. We had to keep mowing it round the edges or it would have spread to cover the entire yard. It could easily go from a delightful herb to an invasive weed.

Jesus, not having this kind of mint around, maybe, used mustard for his parable. When I was a young Southern Baptist, it was popular for young ladies to have a necklace that had a mustard seed set in crystal or glass — both of my sisters had one. It was to remind us of Jesus’ statement that if we had faith “as a grain of mustard seed” we could move mountains. Mark doesn’t have any statements about faith the size of a mustard seed, but he gives us today’s parable instead.

Mustard is an herb that can grow into a kind of thick shrub. Mustard can grow quite large, although I’m not sure about the “greatest of all shrubs.” While not a tree, mustard plants can easily grow to 6 feet in height and have been known to reach double that height. So birds COULD nest under it, in the shade.

But beyond just growing up, mustard SPREADS. In fact, at least one variety of mustard grows and spreads so quickly that the State of California has designated it an invasive species. Its seeds, being so tiny, spread on the wind. And because they spread on the wind, fences and walls mean nothing to the mustard seed. It blows right past them and settles into the soil.

We don’t usually let mustard get very big – or out of control – when all we’re interested in is a condiment. But I think it’s this invasive, wildly growing nature of mustard that is the clue to the parable. Invasive plants cross boundaries. They grow where they want to grow, not where we might expect or WANT them to grow.

We always have to remember when reading Jesus’ parables that they are not meant to give pat, easy answers. In fact, sometimes they raise more questions than they may answer. No, parables are meant to shock you, to bring you up short, to take you out of your usual patterns of thought. They can give you answers that you may not be happy about.

So, how is the kingdom of God like a mustard seed?

The kingdom of God starts tiny, like a mustard seed. Not exactly what the disciples wanted to hear.

The kingdom of God grows, like a mustard plant. The disciples were probably scratching their heads by this point.

And the kingdom of God spreads, like a mustard plant.

The kingdom of God crosses borders, both real and imagined. It grows right past barriers, even the ones we might try to put in the way. We’re really good at putting up barriers. Sometimes we’re not so good about tearing them down. But the Kingdom goes everywhere, with or without us.

The kingdom of God spreads without regard to what you or I want it to do. It spreads to take in everyone. It spreads to include places and people that we may feel don’t belong.

In our passage from Ezekiel today, we read another plant metaphor, this one a cedar tree:

Under it every kind of bird will live;
in the shade of its branches will nest
winged creatures of every kind.

There are those birds nesting under the shade again. But in Ezekiel it’s “winged creatures of every kind.” And I don’t believe Ezekiel is really talking about birds. I think when Ezekiel says “every kind” he’s speaking about every kind of people. To the prophet, that would have meant both Israelites AND Gentiles. Everyone can find rest under the shade of God’s tree. For us, I believe it means…EVERYONE.

Back when I was a kid, my father was a Naval officer. When a decision had to be made for which he didn’t have the authority, he would say, “that’s above my grade.”

Quite simply put, deciding who is in and who is out of the kingdom of God is above my pay grade. It’s above Father Ryan’s pay grade. It’s above Bishop Deon’s pay grade. It’s above Presiding Bishop Curry’s pay grade.

Deciding where the kingdom of God will spread is above our pay grade.

We don’t get to decide that the alcoholic next door, or the sex worker hanging around that bar, or the thief, or the panhandler on the street isn’t fit for the kingdom. But we can make the ground fertile for the mustard seed, by loving them. By accepting them. By making it easier for the kingdom to take root in their hearts.

Invasive species are really, really, hard to kill off. Just ask any farmer in south central Missouri who had to try to eradicate the multiflora rose from their farmland. But in the case of the kingdom of God, we need to take a different tack. We need to help it invade the entire world.

So, instead of trying to decide who belongs and who doesn’t, how about if we fertilize the soil to make it easier for the mustard seed to take root.  Let’s do some reverse pest control. Let’s show everyone all the love and the joy and acceptance that we have found in Christ.

Let’s be mustard farmers.

Amen.