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 smalles 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 4:30b-32
"June is bustin' out all over," sang the chorus in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel. And indeed, June does put us smack dab in the middle of that season where things take root, grow, and produce.
I once had a professor who would show up exactly on time for his lecture, and he would end in the same way. Right at 9:05am, he would begin reading from his 3-ring binder. At 9:50am, the binder was closed, and he left the classroom. And that's about all I remember from his class!
Contrast my graduate professor with our Lord Jesus. He was so non-professorial! He lived and ministered among people who were going about the hub-bub and rub-a-dub-dub of their daily lives. Surely, one of the aspects of His personality that drew people in was his ability to tell stories that folks could relate to, tales (parables) that would give His listeners those "aha" moments that are unforgettable. Like June, Jesus was "bustin' out all over" with earthly comparisons to the kingdom of God. He spoke of how little that mustard seed was. Yet, once it was planted and began to take root, it grew up and became the greatest of all shrubs, Jesus said
The Gospel -- the good news of God's dying and rising love for you -- is like that little mustard seed. The world pays little heed. But when planted home by the Holy Spirit, it busts out all over in the hearts and lives of people like you and me. Aha!
PD
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