The Kingdom of God is Like...

The Kingdom of God is Like...
by Thomas Keating
(St. Benedict's Monastery, 1993)

Then he said, "What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it?It is like a mustard seed that a person took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and 'the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.'"  Luke 13:18-19

In his chapter on the parable of the mustard seed, Keating adds to the meaning of the parable by providing some historical context to it. For example: 

"For an alert hearer of Jesus' day, the detail about the garden would be a tip-off. In the Jewish view of the world, order was identified with holiness and disorder with uncleanness. Hence there were very strict rules about what could be planted in a household garden...a mustard plant was forbidden in a household garden because it was fast-spreading and would tend to invade the veggies...an unclean image thus becomes the starting point for Jesus' vision of the kingdom of God in this parable." (37-38) 

Frequently highlighting the "shock factor" of Jesus' parables, Fr. Thomas Keating seeks to transform the reader's understanding of them by jarring them in the same way that the average Jewish hearer would have been jarred in Jesus' time. Keating's contribution here is the Jewish historical context of the parables. He takes those two lines and then brings them forward into everyday life, bringing with it the relevant historical context. The chapter's conclusion at the end of this parable: "Can we accept the God of everyday life? If we can, then we can enjoy the kingdom here and now, without having to wait for an apocalypse or someone to deliver us from our difficulties." (41)

One thing that Keating does not do is examine the text's context within the larger scriptural passage, which in the parable of the mustard seed is considerable (Luke 13:1-35); together with the parable it yields a superabundance of other lessons. The two lines of scripture that make up the parable of the mustard seed is deeply embedded in Chapter 13, which begins with a discussion of victims of tragedies, like the Galileans who died by Pilate's hand or those killed when a tower fell on them. Jesus corrects the presumption that these victims are somehow greater sinners because of their misfortunes, and takes his illustration further by healing the crippled woman, setting her free from her infirmities. Hearing the leader of the synagogue protest the healing because it was done on the Sabbath, Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of the objection and adjusts the  audience's lens to reveal the priority of love as demonstrated in his healing act. 

He tells them story after jarring story (including the parable of the mustard seed) to help them with μετάνοια (metanoia), or "changing their minds," that is, changing their old ways.  Towards the end of the chapter, Jesus exclaims, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling!" (Luke 13:34). It is is a foundational lesson in love, requiring a radical change in perspective and continued active participation on the path Homeward.

The book was a good read but is not recommended for the novice bible studier. It is a speculative theological piece, which requires a bit more exegetical and historical training to adequately and objectively parse his messages. Those without the proper formation run the risk of taking away an incomplete understanding of the scripture verses he chose to discuss. With the proper formation, it nicely complements what we already know of the passages, their context, and their placement in our traditions.

C. Pak, Founder
Amicizia Cristiana USA