THE CEDAR TREE AND MUSTARD SEED

Recently we celebrated World Environmental Day (5th June) and attention has been drawn to challenge of deforestation in some parts of the world. Today’s liturgy draws our attention to two great plants: the cedar tree and the mustard seed to communicate the message of the Kingdom of God. The first reading represents a big, powerful and exultant tree, while the Gospel gives us the humble beginnings of this tree from the mustard seed.

In the first reading, the Lord says, “I myself will make a spring from the lofty top of the cedar, and I will set it out” (Ez. 17:22). In this, God promised He has not finished with Israel and her kings, he promised to crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and replant it on the high and lofty mountain. The tender one is the Messiah, the Son of God. Isaiah 11:1 says, “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” Isaiah 52:2 also affirms, “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground…” It was a prophecy of Ezekiel on the restoration of Davidic dynasty.

In this passage, the cedar is the metaphor for the kingdom. God is the gardener that will do the cutting from the cedar and start a new from it. He said, “On this mountain height will I plant it… and become a noble cedar; and under it will dwell all kinds of beasts; in the shades of branches birds of every sort will nest” (v.23). The Church is the visible sign of this noble cedar or kingdom that gives refuge to all people. Under this powerful cedar tree (the Church), all shall take shelter (Including Jews and Gentiles) and shall find peace and safety.

God as the gardener over the cedar (the Church), “He Brings low the high tree, and makes high the low tree, dry up green tree, and make the dry tree flourish” (v.24). This is to remind us that whatever appears as powerful or mighty in human eyes becomes an object for God’s penetrating arrows. In the exaltation of the low tree, we recall Joseph in the dungeon, Israel in Egypt, Hannah in the family of Elkanah and David when Samuel would have passed him by. Are not all these instances of God exalting the low tree? So as the gardener, God is sovereign over his Kingdom. No nation, leader or president has ever become so powerful that he cannot bring it down in a moment; and no people is so low that he cannot exalt it. This speaks to Nigerians that the government officials are not in any way more powerful than God that they cannot be brought down from their offices and it gives hope to the masses that the table will turn around soon.

While the first reading dwells on the exultant nature of the cedar tree, Christ in the Gospel makes a comparison of the Kingdom of God using two parables: the growing seed and the mustard seed. These parables indicates that God’s projects always have humble beginnings, but His transforming force cannot be imagined. The parable of the growing seed describes the kingdom of God by sowing a seed of faith in Christ. It describes the kingdom of God as a scattered seed, of which we have no knowledge of how it grows. It shows that the word of God works invisible within us, even when we sleep. It works spiritually, in a way invisible to our eyes. The farmer plants the seed and has faith in the growing process. So it is with the kingdom of God: we work in partnership with God, we plant and trust in the process of growth without knowing how it grows. We play our role by planting and God does his work by giving growth to what we have planted.

The second parable is a refrain of the first parable (the growing seed) and the first reading the (cedar tree). Christ compared the kingdom of God to a grain of mustard seed. “It is the smallest of all seeds on earth but when sown into the ground, it becomes the greatest of all shrubs” (Mk 4:32). This parable represents the big and powerful tree: the cedar tree, which puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. This parable gives us a beautiful picture of the Church growing so large that it provides refuge for all. It accommodates all: good and bad, angels and saints, the beautiful and the ugly.

Most importantly is the Word of God sown into all under the shelter of the Church.  How this Word transforms people remains a mystery to us. All we need to do is to keep sowing this Word through our way of life, which may appear insignificant. Living my life as a priest may attract someone to embrace the priesthood. When you live out your marital life faithfully, it may attract people to marry and even a couples co-habiting to regularize their marriage sacramentally in the Church. Some may quit bad habits to emulate a virtue in you as a Christian. We may not comprehend these insignificant seeds growing in us and in the hearts of others. It is the humble beginning of the Kingdom of God.

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Ken Dogbo, OSJ