The Mustard Seed

Consider the Parable of the Mustard Seed.  (Luke 13:18-19, also found in Matthew and Mark)

Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

Certain elements of this story are more or less universally understood in the same light by most scholars, to wit, Jesus is the sower who planted the seed.  The garden may be representative of the planting of the Christian faith in Israel, that is in God's land.  The seed though exceeding small grows into a great tree.  This suggests that from the beginning of tiny faith something vast and different develops.

In retrospect it is easy to see that from a handful of rag-tag followers has grown a world-encompassing Faith, that is, Christianity. The branches are clearly the limbs which have grown from the main trunk.

And now to question the most common interpretation of the fowls that "lodge in the branches." Many commentators suggest that the birds are representative of the flocks that seek shelter in the Shadow of the Almighty.  I respectfully disagree.  Refer back to the Parable of the Sower In Matthew 13:19.  Jesus makes it clear that the birds were "the wicked ones." which endeavored to destroy the planting.  Who could this be but the minions of the evil one, doing his bidding?  They shelter in the shadows of the kingdom but are not a part of the kingdom.

Mark quotes Jesus as saying the "mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth."  It is clear that the world despises the Messenger, the message, and those who accept the message and believe on Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:27-28 says, "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are."

Jesus's parable of the Mustard Seed                 .

We've Done It Again!

For anyone who might be interested, and for the record,  Two days ago I had my second cornea transplant; the first one was done four and one-half years ago.  In that eye I have near-perfect vision.
The specialist advised me that I should not expect that result in this eye due to the trauma suffered this winter.  He did say the vision would be improved, a desirable outcome, but that the pain I have had for weeks would be gone.


Thursday the doctor removed the patch and examined his work.  He pronounced it "good."  I will be treating the eye with solutions until my next visit a week from now.
The pain is gone.  The vision is improved from "blank" to blurry but I can see well enough to navigate across the yard or across a room without bumping into things or stumbling on a step! Would I like it to be better?  Of course, but I am delighted with the vision I have.  Time, and probably glasses, will tell if there is to be more improvement.

 My BBBH guides us up the freeway whilst I recline.  (On my back for 24 hours.)

Almost home.

A huge "Thank you!" to Dr. Robert Deitch, the Midwest Cornea Associates, and Spring Mill Surgery Center and all the kind and concerned staff members that assisted me and the doctor.

Centaurea cyanus

 As I lay in recuperation this winter I dreamed of the "wild flower" garden I had worked so hard to renew and reseed last fall, so anxious to see the results.

I used a mix of perennials and annuals, so I expect no blossoms from the perennials until next season.  I watched the little plantlets come up this Spring.   I thought that many of them looked like what I call bachelor's buttons and what most folk call corn flowers.

Sure enough.  They grew quite rapidly and soon we had a wonderful "field" of blooms.  I was a bit concerned, though, for they are quite tall and I was afraid they would shade the tiny other stuff below.  But they seem to be progressing well now, so it is simply wait and see.  There are a few other smaller plants in blossom.

 Daisies back closer to the trees.

A little black bug on the pink flower.  Next to it an oriental lily which is in bud.

Pretty as the other flowers are there is also the ubiquitous dandelion.  It is a wild flower, too, you know.

Celebration of Life

locally was scheduled from 1:30 to 3:00 with service to begin at three o'clock.  

I arrived about 2:40 and spoke with the children of the deceased and with my grandchildren.  At five til three I told the lady's daughter I would be staying for the service; then I seated myself with my grandson and his family

3:00 and nothing was happening other than the low murmuring of the people chatting with one another all across the room.  3:01 the funeral director  came into the room, moved a podium and microphone front and a bit right of center, stage right and to my left.  He unfolded a tapestry-style antimacassar over the top of a chair near the wall.  It was lettered

 MINISTER

and there sat the chair, empty.

3:30  I exited the room in favor of the small room because an old man can go only so long without going.  In a few minutes I returned to my seat.

3:46 the minister arrived.   She walked to the casket as shown in the first illustration, perhaps to say a prayer.  She then walked to the podium and started by apologizing for her tardiness, which served to delay the service yet longer.

The message itself was appropriate, scripture Luke 16:19-31. 
 The lady's attire consisted of black slacks and white blouse with a short black sweater, the hem of which fell well above her waist.  The blouse hanging outside the trousers was buttoned cockeyed such that the front left hem was three inches below the right and the collar was hiked higher on one side than on the other. 

Was I distracted from the proper focus of the gathering?

Not really.  I am just very observant and good at multitasking.

RIP  Diane

 

Purity of the Kingdom

Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  (Matthew 13:33)

I have heard (and read) expositions on this parable of Jesus in which the expositor proposes that it teaches that the Kingdom is as leaven to the world and that the world will ultimately be permeated with the goodness of the Kingdom.

This is in diametric opposition to the use of the term and the symbolism of leaven in the scriptures.  From the earliest recordings through the teachings of Christ, and those of Paul, leaven invariably has been representative of evil.

In that light, therefore, Jesus is teaching us that the kingdom of heaven is subject to this danger: evil concepts or error introduced and mixed in will ultimately permeate the entire church, given the right conditions.

What are those conditions?  Anyone who has ever attempted to bake a loaf of bread or prepare yeast rolls for a major dinner knows that the introduction of the leaven is a critically important step, but that it will not accomplish the mission of permeating every portion of the dough unless the conditions are right.  The temperature of the dough must be exactly right!  And what is that temperature?  It must be lukewarm!

If the dough is set in a cold environment, say the refrigerator, the yeast will not work.  If it is heated to "hot" it will not work.  A lukewarm environment is the only one in which the leaven will permeate the dough.

This fact sheds light on God's warning:   “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."  (Revelation 3:15, 16)

Consider also that the parable says the woman hid the leaven in the flour.  I think it is not the mission of Christ's disciples to hide the Gospel in the world.

Scripture further teaches me to "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  (II Timothy 2:15)

This short story of Jesus is an excellent example of the necessity of "getting it right."

News, Opinion, and the Faded Line

 

I subscribe to The Washington Post online edition.  They keep my inbox filled with the latest news and opinions; or as one might accurately say, opinions and opinions.  But I digress.

This direct from the evening edition, June 2, 2016:

The petty things that people shot each over last month

Average Americans routinely shoot each other over minor annoyances, data show.

	One has to wonder how many things an "elite" news source can get wrong in two lines.  The elision of the word "other" in the bold-type headline we can chalk up to typo, i.e., careless error.  But look at the sub-line as an illustration of my "opinion or opinion" shot above.  Ostensibly (just from this slug line) the news is that someone compiled data on shootings in America which found that some (many?) shootings are over "minor annoyances."	The clear thrust of the line is that it is the opinion of the writer and, by extension, the publisher that "Average Americans routinely shoot each other."  Parsing that a bit further, it is the opinion of the WaPo that Average Americans are the perpetrators of shootings in our country, but more they engage in such crimes on a routine basis.	Am I the only person who sees anything wrong with this?  Journalists are often the target of politicians.  As the supposed guardians of truth, the vaunted "Fourth Estate" that will serve to keep us informed and free, it is natural that politicians and journalists will come into conflict.  But I fear that in the moral climate of the day it is a toss-up as to which group deserves our respect.  Full disclosure:  Upon the completion of this diatribe I read the article itself.  It was headed by a full-color photograph of a handgun and several hollow-point bullets lying on a table.  The story itself was pretty much what I expected.  Clicking on the bold line above will take you there.

Artist

My Beautiful Beloved painted these portraits.  Oil on canvas board.  She is very talented and goes through stages of artistic expression.  These were done several years ago.

The Artist's eldest son; her granddaughter, Lisa; grandson Kris; her youngest son.

 Center: her eldest sister, Delores.  The artist's favorite painting.  It is an excellent likeness.

Second son, the artist herself in a rendering she does not much like; her late husband and father of her children; her daughter.

 How long ago?  Lisa is now a matron with four children of her own, the eldest sixteen.  Kris is Lisa's older brother.

Maddening

A bit maddening, not life changing.  Well, except for the roses.  Two of our pink roses, two different cultivars, reverted back to the flower of the root stock.  We already had one such bush which we allowed to thrive because the flowers are pretty.  But the need for such roses is somewhat limited and it is safe to say that we are disappointed.

 This was a miniature pink rose which has graced our front walkway for several years.  It has been gorgeous.  Now this.

 This is a cultivar called "Simplicity."  It is a single pink rose most often used for hedges.  Not so pink anymore.  I think there is one branch of the hybrid rose surviving.  Perhaps by ruthless cutting back of the undesired branches I can preserve the plant.  Worth a try?

This is a part of the "mound" in the front yard.  You know mounds.  In the flat, featureless area in which we live, many people build these things in their yards just for the el-evation of it.

Anyway, I think these flowers very pretty though I've no idea what they are called.  I am sure that most gardeners would simply say "weed."  They are quite invasive and have to be controlled by root removal on a regular basis. They do offer these pretty blooms for an extended period of time.

Happy June First!