The two scripture readings for June 13th (Ezek. 17: 22-24 and Mark 4: 26-34) reference plants and birds as signs of the kingdom of God. They remind us that nature is one of the ways God teaches us about his care.  Each story uses the life of plants to illustrate the power of God’s unseen grace, but in different ways.

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Ezekiel quotes God as saying, I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.

Ezekiel wrote these prophetic and symbolic words to the captive Israelites shortly after the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem and had taken the leaders captive. They despaired that they had been abandoned by God. In this passage, Ezekiel speaks of God as though he was the world’s gardener, planting trees where he wants them.  

His choice of cedars is notable. Cedars were known for their size, the cool shade they gave, their sweet scent, their use as beams in building construction and as ships’ masts and the nesting place for birds. They have strong, beneficial features and symbolize God’s gifts in creation. However, bearing fruit marks this cedar as different. Cedars are not fruiting trees. The fruit bearing seems to signify the tree of life which God also planted. (Gen. 2: 9)  

The passage is an allegory for hope and the trust in God’s promises of restoration. The shoot from the top of the cedar …will become a splendid tall tree. The shoot represents the re-establishment of the Davidic line following their captivity. 

Most biblical scholars read the reference to planting the shoot on the high and lofty mountain as referring to mount Zion in Jerusalem. 

Early Christians saw this passage as applying to the spread of the good news of Jesus Christ in what is referred to as proof-from-prophecy. 

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In the gospel for this day, Jesus used two short parables drawing on familiar images from nature. They combined straightforward, accessible experiences to illustrate something that was not obvious: the kingdom of God.

The first one he told is that “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.”

The earth nurtures the seed, virtually invisibly. The farmer reaps the harvest. 

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We recognize the story. However, its interpretation is elusive. 

If we assume that we are the farmer, then Jesus says the farmer sleeps while the plants mature. The farmer does nothing to assist the plants’ growth. The farmer’s passivity, combined with fantastic growth, suggests God’s nurturing grace given as a free gift. The growth indicates that the kingdom of heaven is a place where God does the ‘hard work’ and we reap the benefit.

On the other hand, if the seeds represent us, then the grace of God, working out of sight, helps us mature into our full nature. It also suggests that we do so in the community of other seeds, which, when they mature, form the harvest which is a collective state. Yet, again, this interpretation suggests that our role is passive.

Perhaps Jesus meant us to focus on the harvest for what the kingdom of heaven is like. A harvest follows the period of growth and maturation. When the grain is cut off from its life sustaining roots and dies, it is also open to greater transformation. The emphasis here, is on the afterlife.

A difficulty with these interpretations is that, to one degree or another, they represent the kingdom as a sleepy, restful and trusting place. It seems at odds with the world that Jesus lived in. Recall that in last week’s gospel the Scribes accused Jesus of being Satan for healing the possessed man. It is also a lot more passive than the command to take up one’s cross, deny oneself and follow (Luke 9:23) or the mission he gave his followers to Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. (Matt 28:19) Spreading the good news took effort and would face opposition. 

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The second mini parable has similarities to the first. The kingdom of God …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.”On the face of it, this is a simpler parable to interpret.

The mustard seed may be the good news, which has humble origins in the life of Jesus, but takes root and spreads around the world, giving comfort to birds, which are human analogues. We, like the sparrows, “dwell” in the comfort of the gospel-shrub. 

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Trying to decipher the meaning by figuring out which element represents us may miss the point. It may be that Jesus is inviting us to recognize and marvel at how gifted we are by nature in many small ways that we take for granted. He may have intended us to see the growing seeds as representing the mystery of God’s grace active all around us, in our daily lives.

For the past three summers, and during Lent this year, people in St. Aidan’s have had book studies that have focused on the lessons of God in the natural world.  We studied the encyclical, “Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home”, Thomas Berry’s “The Great Work”, and “The Green Bible”. On Thursday evenings this June [1], we are looking at Robin Wall Kimmerer’s “Braiding Sweetgrass”, which marvels at the delicacy and mystery of botanical science, at the same time reflecting on the inherent truths of First Nation’s understanding of all of nature as a gift.

Kimmerer’s poetic reflections and sense of awe suggest a different kind of key for us to interpret these parables. Perhaps the kingdom of God is not a distant place in the future but a sense of wonder at the grace of God, who cares for every element of creation, not just human life, but the earth, seeds and birds and whom he has created and is creating, elegantly and continuously for our benefit… and to remind us of our duty of care. 

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The gospel ends, 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. And we may say, “Oh to be among those disciples and hear the explanation!”

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  • Can you imagine Jesus’ disciples listening to the parables, nodding then, later, discussing among themselves what the meaning was? Did they go to Jesus and ask him to explain, or did Jesus overhear their discussions and intervene?
  • How do you interpret Jesus’ parables? If you don’t find them clear, you are in good company. Biblical scholars have debated their meaning and see different lessons over the millennia. 

 [1]   The discussion of Braiding Sweetgrass continues Thursday evenings from 7:30-9 PM. One does not have to have read the book. Selections from different chapters are shown on the screen, read and discussed. If you would like to join, the zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82995525900  alternatively the phone: 647-374-4685 and the meeting ID is : 829 9552 5900

Peace

Michael