Mark 4:26-34
Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come."
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."
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
Faith in a Seed, by Henry D. Thoreau, is the publication of some of Thoreau's last writings and his first new book in more than 135 years. It's been sitting on my bookshelf, unread for the past 10 as I wait for the right time to crack it open. After Sunday's gospel, I believe that time has come.
A seed is an amazing thing. It's got the genetic code for the being it is to become, crammed beautifully into a small package, waiting for the optimal environment so it can begin to grow. But the seed is also shaped in a particular way, through the process of evolution, that is linked to the nature of the plant. Now let us consider for a moment the words of Thoreau:
"What sort of science is it that which enriches the understanding but robs the imagination?"
Perhaps our minds are too weak to grasp even the smallest impression of heaven and this lovely parable gives us a kernel of the truth that is too complex and unknowable by rational thought, by reason. So, imagine, if you will, that the seed of the brassica is like the kingdom of heaven. Close your eyes and picture it: smaller than a peppercorn, round, black or brown. The weight of one in your hand is of no significance. Its particular size and shape are part of its plan for propagation of the species, necessary for the continuation of the species. It has no special mechanism for being carried the air for long distance like the dandelion or attached to a passing animal like the burr. Quite plain and very small.
Now, imagine that small seed dropping to the ground under the parent plant. After it is sown, waiting dormant until the right conditions awaken the life inside. Imagine the rain and sun nurturing and feeding the tiny seed and a root appears, first growing downward to anchor itself and draw vital nutrient from the soil. Imagine this seedling sending out a shoot towards the light. Growing and growing until it reaches maturity at anywhere between 3 and 9 feet, depending on the quality of the soil. Imagine, in due time, it spreading its branches and putting forth flowers, which then produce the seed. Imagine the ample branches shielding the partridges from the gaze of the hawk that hunt it. Imagine the humans collecting its seeds for use as a remedy for a cough or to spice the ghee, and the
How is the kingdom of heaven like a mustard seed that is sown? What does the kingdom of God of your imagination look like?
Perhaps it is a time and place where the ties that bind us all inextricably to the earth: vegetation, creature, humans, soil, air-are honored. And in a deep appreciate for all that was and is and is to be, we treat all of our actions and interactions and reactions with kindness and dignity. Thoreau, ever the poet, says it best:
“The very earth itself is a granary and a seminary, so that to some minds, its surface is regarded as the cuticle of living creature”.
