A reflection on Matthew 13:31-32
Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
©️2021 Gloria M. Chang
He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”
Matthew 13:31-32
Christ Divinizes the Cosmos
In the Parable of the Mustard Seed, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a tiny seed that grows into a great bush, offering shelter to the birds of the sky. This image reflects the transformative power of Christ’s incarnation. The “universe” in the couplet symbolizes “flesh” (Hebrew basar, Greek sarx), a term used in the Genesis Flood account (Genesis 6:13, 17, 19) to denote all living creation, which is destroyed and renewed through God’s redemptive act. Similarly, in John’s Prologue (John 1:14), the Word becomes “flesh,” uniting divinity with humanity and the cosmos. Conceived by the Holy Spirit as a microscopic seed in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Christ grows into the Mystical Body of Christ, expanding through the Spirit’s nurturing power to redeem and divinize the entire creation.
A mustard seed of mini size
The universe shall divinize!
Dear GMC, I have never heard before the connection between the small mustard seed and the Word conceived by the Holy Spirit as a microscopic seed in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Wow, such truths to ponder! And as the birds of the sky come and dwell on the branches of the mustard plant, we are the branches of the Most DiVine.
And, may our Blessed Mother continue to nurture and expand our relationship with one another, especially the one we meet for the first time.
One last “And,” I received your post via Gmail. Thank you!
Thanks, fdan. Parables are suggestive and speak to the heart in variegated ways. The word leads to the Word radiating infinite rays of light omnidirectionally.
Small bits of goodness,
done with great love,
ripple out far and wide.
In the eyes of God,
the love we spread,
rushes into shore
like the full moon tide.
Beautiful, Ellen! ❤️🌊