![]() ![]() PODCAST!!!Ĭlick here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post. Of course, we better make our nest in His tree. Now we see just how radical His kingdom will be. It will be beyond belief.Īfter all, we learned in the Parable of the Sower we serve a radical King. However, when God is done growing it, it won’t be what anyone expected from a mustard seed. It’s beginning is so small, you would never expect much. ![]() Jesus is telling us He is planting the kingdom God foretold in Ezekiel 17. Jesus is not simply making a quaint illustration from daily life in Israel. The birds make their nests in it, and all the other trees learn Yahweh is God. In Ezekiel 17:22-24, what started as a sprig gets planted on the mountain height of Israel and turns into a mighty cedar larger than all other trees. However, in Ezekiel 17, Ezekiel told another one of those pesky parables about eagles, vines, a cedar sprig, and a huge tree. The same picture was used to describe how God blessed Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian empire in his dream in Daniel 4:10-12. This picture was used to describe how God blessed Assyria as a kingdom in Ezekiel 31:5-8. Grassy plains are the ideal environment for Brassica Nigra to flourish. Despite this, it is commonly referred to as such. In fact, the first hearers of this parable would surely recognize the reference to a tree large enough for birds of all kinds to nest from multiple prophecies in the Old Testament. The mustard tree is referred to as such in the biblical parable of the same name, despite the fact that it is not technically a tree. As it grows in the hearts and minds of men and women it brings hope and life eternal. In the story Jesus told, the mustard seed is the word of God proclaimed by Jesus. It’s possible Jesus isn’t saying the kingdom is like any old mustard seed, but rather it is a shocking mustard seed that grows into a shocking tree–even for mustard seeds. The Mustard tree is an image used in the Bible by Jesus to illustrate the Kingdom of God. However, it sure seems His description of the tree far exceeds the size any mustard plant or tree grows into. He may just be making a point about the comparison of the size of the mustard seed and the size of the tree. I wonder if Jesus isn’t doing the same here. They put in a twist, forcing us to wonder what is going on. However, most often, the parables are shocking. A few parables seem to fit into that category. They often claim Jesus was just borrowing from every day occurrences to illustrate His teaching. It may well be this parable just fits along with what most people say about parables. It is also true some strains (not all) of mustard can grow into trees up to 20 feet tall. It is true the mustard seed is pretty tiny. I have a big question about this parable of the mustard seed. In the parables, Jesus refers to the mustard seed again, but this time, He is talking about His radical kingdom. ![]() However, that is usually based on Jesus’s teaching about the amount of faith it takes to move mountains. Most Christians have heard about the mustard seed and how tiny it is. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |