He also said, “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 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.” (Mark 4:30-32)
When Jesus compared God’s scrub-brush kingdom to a mustard plant in which the birds of the air can nest, he was drawing on Old Testament imagery in Daniel and Ezekiel.
In the Book of Daniel, the king of Babylon is represented by a tall, strong, and beautiful tree tree which provides food for all, gives shelter to the wild animals and provides places for the birds to nest (Daniel 4:19-22).
In Ezekiel, the tree is identified as a cedar of Lebanon – the proverbial strongest and most majestic of all the trees – and represents the Assyrian empire.
In its boughs all the birds of the air had their nests, under its branches all wild creatures bore their young, and in its shade all great nations made their home. … It and sent channels of water to every tree in the country Ezekiel 31:6,4
In what sense did powerful ancient empires provide a nest for the birds, shelter for the wild animals, water for the trees, food for all, and shade for the nations?
When an imperial army showed up at your gate and knocked on the doors of your walled city, you had two choices, submit and become a tributary or vassal state, or resist until your food ran out or the enemy breached your walls. Resistance meant almost certain death.
Becoming a client state of a powerful empire had some advantages, at least for the leaders and social elite. Clients of the empire did enjoy shelter from their other enemies, that is until the empire collapsed or a more powerful empire moved in. Those in positions of privilege could benefit economically from the arrangement. As the wealth of the territories flowed to the king, some flowed back to those who kept the wheels of empire well greased, who enforced imperial rule, and who insured that the system worked smoothly and without interruption. Petty lords and their underlings enjoyed the trappings of imperial power and prestige.
Imperial wealth came at a steep price for those it exploited, enslaved and oppressed. Therefore, Daniel appeals to the king, “Atone for your sins with righteousness and your iniquities with mercy to the oppressed, so that your prosperity may be prolonged.” (Daniel 4:27) Furthermore, the empire’s idolatrous pride was an affront to our Sovereign God.
The Lord God says: Because it grew so high, raising its crown through the foliage, and its pride mounted as it grew, I handed it over to a prince of the nations to deal with it; I made an example of it as its wickedness deserved. Foreigners, the most ruthless of nations, cut it down and left it lying. Its sweeping boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys, and its branches lay broken beside every water-channel on earth. All the peoples of the earth came out from under its shade and left it. Ezekiel 31:10-12
In both Daniel and Ezekiel, the mighty tree’s fate is to be cut down. God’s judgments will prevail. A similar fate awaits the archetypical Babylon in the New Testament’s book of Revelation. The kings and merchants and international traders which benefitted from her power weep and wail when she falls, but heaven rejoices because the Lord God Almighty reigns.
God’s kingdom is a scrub-brush, not a mighty cedar. If the Kingdom of God is not like empires of this age, how does Jesus’ scrub-brush kingdom provide a place for birds to nest in its shade? The answer is rather obvious if you look only at the age to come, but what about now?
The church is not the kingdom itself, but the church is the advance guard of the kingdom. The church must be a place of safety, not just for the high and mighty, but for all who seek shelter in our savior. The church must nurture true community and human flourishing for all who live in the shadow of the cross. And while the church cannot meet all human needs, the church’s economic life must still reflect God’s desire to provide for his people.
More on the proverbial mustard plant here.
Mitchell Lewis 