For two of the classes this week, the focus is on the Parable of the Mustard Seed. This parable can be found in all three synoptic gospels; Matthew 13:31 - 32, Mark 4:30-32, and Luke 13:19. The parable says, "The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed which a man sowed in his field. Surely it's the smallest of all the seeds, but when it grows, it is greater than the shrubs and becomes a tree, so birds of the heavens will come and live in its branches."

The most common interpretation of this parable is that the kingdom of God starts out small, like a little seed, but grows to be bigger than everything else. The problem with this interpretation is that a mustard plant is just not that big. There is a variety that grows in the Middle East that gets to be about small tree-size; but there are many other plants that are larger.

The interesting thing about the mustard plant is that it was considered a weed in Palestine, just as it often is here. So, in fact, the Kingdom of God is like a tiny seed that the farmer may have wished he didn't sow, which grows up to be a huge weed, and dominates the rest of the garden. If one thinks of the way Christianity has spread, this may be a helpful interpretation. Often Christianity has borne the most fruit where it was the least wanted. One has only to look at the history of missions in such places as China, Africa, and the former USSR to see the truth of that. The fact is, the Kingdom of God can grow from a tiny seed, in any soil, and can become a place "where the birds nest" - a safe place for all, no matter what surrounds us. This is indeed a wonderful promise.