Scripture: Luke 13:18-19
Jesus asked, “What is God’s kingdom like? To what can I compare it? It’s like a mustard seed that someone took and planted in a garden. It grew and developed into a tree and the birds in the sky nested in its branches.”
Thought for the Day: A parable about a mustard seed. Unlike some of the other Gospels, Luke doesn’t mention the size of the mustard seed or the size of the tree, for as Luke shares this parable with his community, there appears more emphasis on the need to plant the seed and for it to develop into something in which that birds of the sky can build their nests. As we learned in our parable study a few months back, we should never take the simplest reading and assume it’s the only way to read it. If Jesus wanted us to take away a single idea, don’t you think he would have just said it? This day, as I ponder this parable, it appears to be challenging me in regard to some of my own anxiety – how is this massive and inviting tree going to happen? Too often, I become stuck (and I imagine others do as well) on the logistics of creating the final product when in fact we were asked to plant the seed. Just plant the seed. My control freak nature wants to see the diagrams, make suggestions, and to call a committee meeting to discuss the nature of the tree. Jesus seems to be telling me, “Just plant the seed!”
Prayer: Encourage me to plant the seeds of your love and mercy, O Lord, wherever I go. Discourage my tendency to judge the soil and complain about access to water. The mission you have given me is to plant these seeds. Amen.
