Becoming the Kingdom

Mustard Tree from SFGate

Imagine you want to change the world.

How big of an impact can you have?

He also said, "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." - Mark 4:30-32

In today's reading, we encounter a familiar parable, one used often to explain the impact of our faith.

With faith so small as the smallest seed on earth, we can move mountains.

But in Mark's Gospel, Jesus doesn't say that.  He uses the parables to teach the disciples and the meaning of them is missing, except, as Mark tells us, Jesus explained them to the disciples.

So, can we change the world with a little faith?

I believe we can, but not because of anything we do alone.  Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of God and how mysterious it can be, since it is not seen as a kingdom at all.

Like the tiny seed, the potential of the kingdom is great, but it needs to be sown.  In today's reading, Jesus tells another parable about scattering seeds.  So, the kingdom may be something we need to be involved in spreading.

I see it this way.  I can be one of those seeds and not know it.  I can be the source of a mighty shade tree that can branch out and shelter many, or I can lay dormant, waiting to be sown.

In fact, we are all seeds of the kingdom in a way.

So, what I gain from this is an understanding of our role in this world.

Like the seeds, we begin small, having little impact on the world around us.  We are takers more than givers, requiring support and nourishment to grow.

But when we mature, when we become the mighty tree with outstretched arms, we become capable of supporting the world around us, becoming the kingdom.

We can do that where we are, without having to be uprooted and reassigned to some distant environment.

We have been scattered and sown, and now, as adults, as fulfilled expectations of life, we need to be what we were created to be.  

Can we do it?  Can we give of ourselves and reach out to others, lifting them up and protecting them from harm, if only for a little while, so they can mature and be on their way?

We can if we choose.

That is the amazing nature of the Kingdom.  It is in our hands.

More to come...