“Another parable he proposed to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. Which is indeed the least indeed of all seeds; but when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come, and dwell in the branches thereof.’ Another parable he spoke to them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened.’ All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes: and without parables 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 hidden from the foundation of the world.’”
While much of Jesus’ teaching is difficult, He in His wisdom and love always soothes the heart with encouragement, that His beloved people may not despair of reaching the goal, which is a life lived entirely on love: “I press towards the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). After having delivered the message that many that hear the word will be gardens in which it does not take firm hold, and even in good gardens the enemy will sow weeds, He balances the caution necessary with the beautiful parable of the mustard seed. A mustard seed can be one little nugget of wisdom, one little act of love that brings warmth and consolation to another, and may take deep root in their heart: “And there shall be life to thy soul, and grace to thy mouth” (Proverbs 3:22). Therefore, when the mind receives the word through teaching or the heart the warmth of love through little acts of love from His people, this can start a radically converted life that aims towards heaven. Or, this can mean that the Gospel message, so little and simple in its demands: “And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ: and love one another, as he hath given commandment unto us” (1 John 3:23), in truth towers above great amounts of knowledge, which is akin to grass, where it may cover much ground but does not lead to true human growth as the love story of the Gospel does. Thirdly, this can refer to Jesus Himself, “Despised, and the most abject of men” (Isaias 53:3), someone so little in His humility but divine in His love, and in His resurrection is the mighty tree in which the hearts of those that need love can take their rest: “Come to me, all you that labor, and are burdened, and I will refresh you” (Matthew 11:28). As pertaining to you, Theophila, think of the moment that Christ truly grasped you, and how seemingly small such a moment was, but this is supposed to lead you into becoming love incarnate, just as Jesus was: “He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6), which makes you into a mighty tree, your stature aimed towards heaven: “Thy stature is like to a palm tree” (Canticle 7:7), with branches reaching out that “the birds” may take their rest. These birds can be seen to be the faithful, who take flight from thoughts of the earth and instead desire the true fruit of the love and knowledge of God: “For my fruit is better than gold and the precious stone, and my blossoms than choice silver” (Proverbs 8:19), and in abiding in the tree of your heart, put forth beautiful songs in their own manner: “The voice of the turtle is heard in our land” (Canticle 2:12). Jesus then moves to the parable of the leaven; now the leaven itself is love, which is put into the dough of your heart: “Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste, as you are unleavened” (1 Corinthians 5:7) by Lady Wisdom: “Because the Lord giveth wisdom: and out of his mouth cometh prudence and knowledge” (Proverbs 2:6), for while love animated by the passions is a mess: “Wherefore God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonour their own bodies among themselves” (Romans 1:24), a well-ordered love that is oriented entirely to God is magnificent: “Behold thou art fair, O my love, behold thou art fair, thy eyes are as those of doves” (Canticle 1:14), and is the bread that others desire: “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, that I may perfect his work” (John 4:34). Now, the three measures of meal are your heart, mind, and soul, that all need love to grow into this bread: “Lord, give us always this bread” (John 6:34), and when these receive the leaven of divine love, will naturally grow to your own perfection of love, if you allow it. Or, the three measures can be a look into Plato’s tripartite soul, in which your emotions and desires are horses guided by the charioteer of reason. When reason is crowned with the magnificence of Sacred Scripture and the mysteries of the faith: “Go forth, ye daughters of Sion, and see king Solomon in the diadem” (Canticle 3:11), it can steer the emotions towards zeal: “In spirit fervent” (Romans 12:11) and rejoicing: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13), and the desires towards righteousness: “He that doth justice is just, even as he is just” (1 John 3:7), that the art of love may be masterfully painted rather than splashed onto a canvas, to make your love something beautiful and admirable: “So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Jesus then, in all of His discourses, used parabolic imagery to describe the old, hidden things of the world, and there is nothing older or more hidden than love, for God’s love in the Trinity existed before the creation of the world and is the reason for creation, but also exists between men from the creation of the second human being onwards: “This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23), and transcends the senses and empirical sciences, instead being something mysterious that cannot be grasped yet freely given: “Give to every one that asketh thee” (Luke 6:30). These parables give visible expression to a reality that the simple and loving know, to help them understand the reality of the heart.