[Jesus] put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” Matthew 13: 31-32 NRSVue
Over time I have shared thought-provoking icons created by Kelly Latimore, images that can be purchased through his website:
The one above reflects a parable of Jesus found in three of the gospels and while Latimore
has chosen Luke as his inspiration I've included the passage from Matthew. His accompanying
reflection on X -- yes, the X owned by Emperor Mump -- is hopeful and uplifting in turbulent times.
Kelly Latimore Icons
It has been a long month. Thinking on everything, I keep coming back to this passage. How do we respond in this time of unrest, fear, and feelings of hopelessness?
Jesus’ vision of a new community….
“Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.” Luke 13:18-19
Jesus’ parables are one of the ways Jesus trains his disciples. The parables, like the sermon on the mount, have always been crucial for the church to imagine the kind of community it is called to be. We discover again and again that Jesus’ parables significance points to everyday life. The parables are meant to be lived.
The original audience may have been perplexed by this story. They would have known that no-one would intentionally plant a mustard shrub. In fact, the Jewish Mishnah forbade the growing of mustard seeds in the garden because they were ‘useless annoying weeds’. In the Hebrew Scriptures the “birds of the air” can be a reference to Gentiles/Non-Jews, the foreigner. This parable suggests that the kingdom of heaven is available to everyone. Even those who may be considered outsiders or not “Worthy”. Jesus is calling us to see the significance in the insignificant. The parables of the kingdom of heaven make clear that the kingdom of heaven is not “up there”. Through the parables Jesus is teaching us to “be for the world the material reality of the kingdom of heaven brought down to earth.” As Jesus is himself the parable of the father so the church is meant to be the parable of Christ. A people in space and time welcoming the outcast, the foreigner, and the stranger. These kind of communities will look like unwanted weeds to the world, or even to other christians. However, this may be exactly the church Jesus is asking us to embody.
Keep going. Keep showing up to the places where you feel loved.
All of the birds in this icon are native to the Holy Land
Prints, Digital Downloads, And limited edition wood prints! kellylatimoreicons.com
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