The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."   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."  All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world."

- Matthew 13:31-35

 Here in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus has begun to preach to the large crowds in parables.  He began with the parable of the Sower. Later on, He explained to His disciples why He has begun speaking in parables, and also explained to them the meaning of the parable of the Sower.  In yesterday's reading, He put forth another parable to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' "

  Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."   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."  My study bible tells us that the mustard seed and the leaven represent the disciples.  According to the commentator Theophylact, they began as just a few men, but "soon encompass the whole earth."  The parables also tell us about faith entering a person's soul, causing an inward growth of virtue.  Such a soul can become godlike in time -- eventually capable of receiving even angels, figured in the "birds of the air" that can nest in the branches of the mighty mustard plant.   (Interestingly, there are a couple of candidates for which mustard plant Jesus was referencing.  Here's a photo showing birds in a type of mustard tree called Salvadora persica, and another in which we can note the tiny "berries" the birds feed on.  Here's a photo of another type of mustard plant, Brassica nigra, from which we get a good idea of its height.)

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "I will open My mouth in parables;  I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world."  This quotation is from Psalm 78:2, but with a twist:  the things revealed by Jesus' parables (and indeed, by His Incarnation) are mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, things "kept secret from the foundation of the world."

The really tremendous thing about Jesus' parables is that there are seemingly myriad ways they can apply to our lives, and in our understanding.  We can have various experiences that give us glimmers of meanings upon different occasions.  The tiny quality of the mustard seed can be evoked by a chance word that sparks an insight.  We can look back upon a time many years earlier in which a sentence we read, or perhaps something mentioned to us in passing started a personal train of thought that resonates meaning in a continued path of spiritual growth.  What may not have seemed important at all at the time still gives us a solid sense of how our faith grew in us.  Truth can come like that through Jesus' teachings, as we read Scripture and find meanings that grow and evolve and change throughout a lifetime of experience and new struggles with our own faith.  Jesus' parables in today's reading emphasize height and growth from tiny beginnings of mustard seeds, and yet also a depth of permeation from a small amount of leaven.  Both are the action of the "kingdom" or the "word" within us and in our lives.  If we look at the photos of the birds in the branches of the mustard tree (also known as "toothbrush tree," among other names, for the efficacy of its twigs as chewing sticks), they suggest a sense of great freedom, of liberation, in which we are free to live in God's image for us, and by God's word for us.  We're not bound down by the "ruler of this world," but rather liberated in the good nurturing of Christ's truth.  The birds suggest angels (messengers) that are referred to by Theophylact, which spread Christ's liberating truths to others.  There are all kinds of ways in which tiny mustard seeds can sprinkle a good word and bear fruit, and we never know where such will take root and grow.  Let us also remember the leaven, which can do its secret and hidden "enzymatic" work to change the texture of the whole.  (And by the way, "enzyme" comes from Greek, meaning "in sourdough" -- in other words, leaven.)   In this context, Jesus' admonitions about the importance of the words we choose become magnified, too.  Just look at today's reading:  two powerful parables in five short verses, telling us of mysteries kept secret from the foundation of the world.  Small beginnings are in the hands of God!