Subversive Gardening

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
June 11th 2006

Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Subversive Gardening”
Mark 4:26-32
Today’s passage is part of what is often called the “kingdom discourses.” This is the part of the gospel where Jesus is often sayings things like: The kingdom of God is like… Whenever Jesus speaks in this way we can be sure he is teaching with a double meaning. It is expected that each parable conveys deeper meanings which are not always easily understandable.
When Jesus talks about this mustard shrub being a place where “birds of the air can make nests in its shade,” it is safe to assume he is not simply talking about birds and nests. In fact, we know that Jesus is drawing on images from the scriptures. The image of a great tree where birds are able to make their nests in the shade is a reference to the great kingdoms of the world. The use of the image of a mighty cedar tree is a way of talking about the power and might of these kingdoms or world powers.
So when Jesus talks about the kingdom of God being a place where the birds may nest in the shade it is meant to make connections with these other passages of scripture. However, one must ask what comparisons are expected. After all, Jesus is not talking about a cedar tree; he is talking about a mustard seed. It seems that Jesus is busy transforming some familiar images to create new meaning.
In the world of the New Testament the black mustard seed was a plant which did not receive the sort of respect given the mighty cedar trees of Lebanon. Mustard after all, was a weed. It was pervasive; extremely difficult to get rid of and once established would grow uncontrollably. In traditional law, the mustard seed was forbidden from being planted or sown. The mustard plant grows to about three to four feet in height. As such it would have been difficult for one, let alone many, making a nest in its shade. It is this small, unwanted and unglamorous weed which Jesus uses to show the way of the kingdom of God. It begs the question: What is he doing? And, what does it mean?
The kingdom of God is like a weed that no one wants and no one can control? This is not a very positive image of the kingdom, at least at the beginning. The kingdom of God begins with a small unwanted weed but grows in such a way that it will do what is only expected from the mighty cedars, or nations of the world. Each time Jesus speaks about the kingdom of God he is always subverting and challenging the dominant thinking of the day. God takes what is small and insignificant and disrespected in our world to bring glory and healing and good news. Jesus proclaims this boldly and unapologetically.
Many times the teaching of this passage has been divorced from its context and history. It is often used to emphasize that God will take small things to do great things. Such interpretations have given rise to the ever increasing voices of the self-help gospel where we are called to claim our diving power of expand our territory or claiming the riches God has set aside for you. It has become the foundation for the prosperity gospel where if you just have enough faith God will bless you with material goods, health and maybe even help you loose that extra ten pounds. While faith in God can (and does) certainly make a difference in peoples lives, this common distortion is off the mark when it comes to this passage.
Another way this passage, and other kingdom discourses, have been abused is to equate the kingdom of God with the kingdoms and countries of the world. This sort of thinking has been connected with the empires of this world from Rome, to Britain and other western European colonial powers. There is even some talk about the rise of the United States as God’s empire. While that last one may seem like an exaggeration, it is an idea that has gained a great deal of popularity. Whatever you may believe about these new developments one thing is clear. Any nation or empire which confuses itself with, or sees itself as an extension of, the kingdom of God is not only dangerous but simply unbiblical.
When Jesus speaks about the kingdom of God he is contrasting how God works with how the kingdoms of the world work. In this passage, Jesus is making some very clear political statements. The kingdom with which Jesus’ hearers would have been most familiar would have been Rome. However, Jesus had to be extremely careful given the volatile times in which he lived. He was not advocating open rebellion, but was clearly challenging the prevailing notions about the great Roman Empire. So Jesus is participating in some subversive gardening which requires deep engagement with his teaching. However, as the church throughout the ages grew closer to the empires of the world, it has had to domesticate this rather unsettling piece of scripture. As a result these, and other passages, are interpreted as a cute story about a tiny mustard seed with some self-help implications.
Jesus is very clearly contrasting and challenging the bold and arrogant claims of the worlds’ Kingdoms. With this strange mustard weed, Jesus shows that God’s kingdom has nothing to do with human ingenuity, and the use of human greatness and power. We know that the kingdoms of the world, the mighty cedars trees, know the ways of pomp and circumstance, they know the ways of big things and mighty ideas, and they know the ways of shock and awe. This mustard seed image of the kingdom of God- works to challenge any notion that the Kingdom of God will ever be proclaimed through the ways of the empires of this world. The kingdom of God is born out of weakness. It is small, unwanted and even can even be an illegal tiny seed. The kingdom of God is nothing more than a pesky unwanted weed.
As odd as it might seem, Jesus proclaims this message as a word of encouragement. It is meant to give hope to his followers who live in a world which is hostile to this sort of message. It is meant to instill hope and patience in a world where the message of power, domination, hate, violence and death seem to reign supreme. Jesus says: The time is coming when this will indeed end. However, this message is not only about endurance it includes so much more.
This passage is also a word of calling to the Christian community. It is a message which says those communities which seek to follow me are called to be like pesky mustard weeds. In other words, Christian communities are meant to grow and be a place where people may come and be nurtured for the journey of life. Being this sort of community is possible even if you are small and unwanted or insignificant in the eyes of the world. It is a call to provide shade to those seeking refuge from the world and encouragement to continue on the journey.
In our community it can be easy to become hyper focused on the ways we do not believe we measure up. It is easy to become hyper-focused on the way things used to be – the reality of our history and the way our memory re-creates our history. It is easy to become focused on the many details which need our attention. And, it is easy to become overly-concerned about the size of our community. This is completely understandable. Given our cultural baggage regarding what makes a successful church it is easy to fall prey to this way of thinking. Our passage from this morning is a reminder that the messages of our culture do not have the last word on what makes a healthy and growing congregation.
A few weeks ago my own unacknowledged bondage to this cultural baggage became apparent. It was during a lunch meeting I had with our Executive Presbyter Paul Reiter. During lunch I gave a run-down of all our church was involved with. I showed him what was happening with Better Family Life, Genesis House, and Bread of Recovery. We talked about the work and ministry of Union Communion Ministries. I showed him the children’s room and the vision to transform it into a truly welcoming space. I made sure to drive him around the area and showed him the community garden and the many things which are happening. And I even shared with him about the new people who have joined our community over the last few months and years. As I shared with him everything that is happening in our community of faith I found myself energized by our story.
It occurred to me that despite the fact we do not fit with much of our cultural baggage of what it means to do church we are indeed growing like a weed. Have you ever found yourself caught in the day-to-day stuff or bound by that cultural baggage? I want to invite you to take a step back and find an opportunity to share the story of Westminster. Tell the story of how we are growing like a weed for the kingdom of God. It is my prayer that God turn each one of us into a subversive gardener, sowing the great good news that God is still at work in the world and in this community providing shade, hospitality, and growth for all people. Amen.