Growth like trees

Matthew 13:31 finds Jesus describing the Kingdom of Heaven with a parable. He says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

Great things often have small beginnings, and the Kingdom is no exception. Jesus’ ministry began with a group of twelve disciples, and will stretch to a kingdom that will never end, populated by people from every tribe and tongue, stretching out like a tree. There is a relentless efficiency to a tree’s growth that we could only hope to imitate, but at a pace that’s quite a bit different from ours.

In this parable, Jesus tells us the Kingdom’s growth is like that. It’s inevitable, organic, and unstoppable. But to us it can also feel incredibly slow. As the seasons change, even the slowest trees will give some indication of their growth. A bud here, fresh green shoots there, and sometimes it takes an eye that is familiar with the tree to see any growth at all.

Where have you seen new life in the Kingdom? Where have you seen small things growing into something new?