Kairissi. Some of our readers will once again ask, why are we referencing the Bible if we say it’s not a “holy book”?

Elenchus. Well, we’ve been over this, but to offer a brief statement: Yes, it’s correct to assert that the Bible is not an “infallible” book, and we would direct any who disagree to the “Bible main-page.”

K. There, one will find 100 articles offering much evidence that it’s a man-made document.

E. All this acknowledged, the Bible remains one of the world’s great works of literature, and some of it, here and there, does represent

(1) channeled wisdom from Spirit Guides, and

(2) authentic teaching from Jesus.

K. Elenchus, explain how we can tell the difference. How do we know that certain sections might give us some original teaching of Jesus?

things the real Jesus would never have said

E. We cannot know this by employing the scientific method or any formula. However, as one aligns inner being with Source, we begin to discern that there are things in the Bible that the real Jesus would never have said or condoned; but there are other things in that famous book which fall well in line with highest spirituality and offer a good likelihood of representing actual sayings of Jesus.

K. And we’re looking at what could be one of the authentic teachings with the parable of the mustard seed and the kingdom.

E. And we’ll explain why we think we’re on safe ground to ascribe this teaching to Jesus. Before we get to that, however, I think I should make brief mention of another parable of the mustard seed, which will cause confusion for some.

K. There’s also the teaching of “if you can have faith, even as small as a mustard seed,” then, as the story goes, you will get what you want from God.

E. We will make ourselves very unpopular within certain groups to state that “faith” is not – or ought not to be -- a major Christian virtue. And this other parable about the mustard seed is not likely to be original teaching of Jesus.

K. We’ve just lost a popularity contest, but we have a full explanation of what we mean on the “belief” page.

the Queen of Hearts' version of 'faith'

E. Think of the Queen of Hearts. She’s trying to tell Alice that you can believe anything if you sort of grit your teeth, hunker down, try very hard, and then with this “faith,” you’ll get what you want.

Editor’s note: Krishnamurti made the point that a mind which is concentrating, that is, trying very hard, is in a state of resistance, an internal conflict and strain, a condition of being at war with oneself; and a mind suffused with resistance of this sort will never find ultimate truth. Concentration is very good for many things, like working a math problem, crossword puzzle, or finishing a cleaning-task at home, but concentration can never take us to that elevated field of awareness in which dwells higher creativity and keener perceptions. For this, we need a certain silence of mind, an absence of thought, not more of it; we need to find the off-switch to the “voice in the head” which suppresses the upward percolation of one’s soul energies, an augmented form of intelligence beyond the thinking mind.

K. I would say, too, that there's no such thing as a "small" amount of faith - you either have it or you don't. Godly faith, if it exists, would be an elevated level of consciousness, and you can't divide it up like a pizza. A "small" amount of faith is just a polite euphemism for common doubt and worry.

E. What they mean by "small amount of faith" is just will-power and trying very hard to believe. It's the Queen of Heart's philosophy in another guise.

K. But this is not faith but only the ego's dysfunction of wanting and needing.

E. All this constitues an entirely wrong approach and has no bearing upon true spirituality.

Editor’s note: To reference Krishnamurti one more time, his Jan. 19, 1964 lecture touched on these principles. He was speaking about humility but his instruction applies to faith, as well. Faith is not a virtue, it is a state of being - you are, or you are not, a person of faith. We cannot come by it piece-meal, by degrees, it cannot be cultivated. Virtue dwells not within the field of time nor human effort. it cannot be accumulated over time. It is, for example, ‘being good', not ‘becoming good'. Faith must be an immediate state, not a state acquired gradually.

a thought-form or mental concept about God is not God; the map is not the territory

K. What many do not realize is that, as we learn to “go within” and discover our made-in-the-image soul energies, God becomes for us, more and more, a present reality.

E. And as many thinkers have stated, once we begin to know God in this manner, then there is no need for faith.

K. This doesn't mean that we will know everything -- just the most important thing...

E. ... that God is something real, and not just a thought-form, a mental concept, or a distant entity we read about.

K. Those who’ve not yet experienced the “inner life” will reject this view as folly. All we can say is, when you experience what we're talking about, then it will make sense for you.

E. But let’s get back on track and talk about the mustard seed and the kingdom. Here are the verses in the New Testament:

the great tree

Knowing movie (2009)

the Gospel of Matthew, 13:31-32:

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all 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 lodge in its branches.

the Gospel of Mark, 4:30-32:

It's like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth, yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.

the Gospel of Luke, 13:18-19:

It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches.

K. Elenchus, I suggest we explain the meaning of “kingdom of heaven” or “kingdom of God.”

E. Strangely, this term is a battleground for many religionists.

K. That's odd, isn’t it. One would think, what is there to fight about here?

E. Well, as we know, the ego’s radar is always up for any sort of power-haircut, and many see a danger here.

K. Explain this to us.

it's not the 'kingdom of the church'

E. Pastors who are part of a church that’s heavy into power-and-control will try to have it this way: They’ll do their best to make you think that the kingdom of God is the “kingdom of the Church.”

K. Over which, quite conveniently, they rule.

E. This point is not lost upon them. They see this “kingdom” in material terms. The growth of the “kingdom,” for them, is more members, more tithe-payers, bigger budgets, bigger church buildings, and the like.

K. Is this what Jesus was talking about? - more ostentation, more pageantry, more “pomp and revenue,” as Thomas Paine used the phrase.

those who promote the ‘rod of iron’ concept of Jesus do so because that’s how they would love to run things; they have created god in their own image

E. Further, this materialist view will virtually always believe in a “second coming” with Jesus arriving as a military general, to rule with rod of iron.

K. We’re all so charmed and can hardly wait to live in this armed camp.

E. But the other major interpretation of “kingdom” has to do with an interiority, with spiritual growth and maturity.

K. Well, how would that ever work? – you can’t cash it at the bank.

E. The literalists are well aware of this monetary deficit and so they despise any “spiritualizing” of the term “kingdom.” They'd call it "watering down" the meaning of scripture.

K. They’re holding out for a worldly kingdom with four borders, customs officers, toll-keepers at the gate, gendarmes with swords to keep everyone in line – it’s part of the “rod of iron” thing.

E. They’re like Jesus’ men who wanted him to lead an uprising to remove the Romans from their country, to restore Israel to its former glory as a military power as in the days of David.

K. Instead, Jesus said things like, "if my kingdom were of this world, then my followers would fight" - but it was not of this world.

E. We’ll direct our readers to the articles on “why Jesus isn’t coming back.” But, to the careful and objective reviewer of these teachings, it becomes evident that Jesus is speaking of a spiritual domain - one’s inner life, connection to God, and level of consciousness.

an image of the great tree from the book of Daniel

K. There’s something from the book of Daniel that's probably part of the “mustard seed and the kingdom” teaching.

E. The similarities are too close to ignore. Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream about a very large tree. Daniel was called in to interpret the dream:

There was a tree in the midst of the land, and its height was great. The tree grew large and strong; its top reached the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and upon it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, in its branches the birds of the air nested, and from it every creature was fed. (Daniel, chapter 4)

K. Elenchus, explain why this vignette from Daniel should be part of the “mustard seed” parable.

E. There is nothing in the New Testament overtly stating that the account in Daniel is part of the parable. However, the similarities are too isomorphically in line, I think, for there not to be some linkage.

K. What’s really happening here?

E. Jesus was a student of the ancient books. He knew about Daniel. And I don’t think it’s possible for him to have offered his “mustard seed and kingdom” teaching without the image from Daniel to have been on his mind.

K. Is the image of the large tree a symbol of the inner spiritual life?

E. It is not. The text clearly states that the large tree was a symbol of Nebuchadnezzar and his world empire. However, it’s more complicated than this.

like Hamlet’s play within a play, here we have a kingdom within a kingdom

E. Even though it’s stated that Nebuchadnezzar is the tree, there’s another statement that puts it all in a different context. Later, with Nebuchadnezzar in a particularly proudful moment, he hears a voice from heaven which slows him down. He learns that he will be struck with great infirmity, for many years, “until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.”

K. And so, the large tree in the dream was to be eclipsed by a hidden but more powerful “tree.”

E. This is the real tree that fills the heavens – the real empire, the real source of power and might.

K. That would be the “kingdom of God.”

E. And let’s notice how this “real kingdom” was disrespected, not by something external, some military show of strength, but, by a lack of spirituality, a deep hubris. The “real kingdom” is concerned about frame of mind and spiritual orientation.

K. And now we’re back to “the kingdom of God” as one’s inner life, one’s connection to God.

E. I will bet you a dollar that some of these thoughts and images from Daniel were part of the background teaching of the mustard seed parable.

the birds singing and rejoicing in the great tree

K. There’s a small detail in this teaching that I really like, and it’s found in every account – all the New Testament verses, in Thomas, and also in Daniel – the birds come and live in the great tree. What a wonderful picture! and I know what this means. It means that, some day, we, the mature and enlightened daughters and sons of God, as we “fill the heavens” with our duties in service to God, our sacred influence, our altruistic plans and beneficence of mind, will become a blessing and source of comfort to all creation.

E. That is beautiful.

the wider context of the mustard seed parable

E. What we’ve determined here becomes all the clearer when we consider the immediate context to Jesus’ teaching. It’s not an accident that just before the sowing of the mustard seed, Jesus delivered the famous discourse on the “parable of the sower.”

K. That’s the one that talks about casting seeds, some on stony ground, some here and there, some on good ground. And it’s quite obvious that there was a focus on mental disposition; one’s receptivity to God’s influence, the cares and distractions of the world and how they stunt one's growth. And all this is spot on with the “kingdom of God” as the inner life.

E. It’s pretty clear, I think. And here’s something interesting, too. One of the ancient church fathers, John Chrysostom (AD 347-407), said that, when we consider the “mustard seed” parable as culmination of a series of parables on sowing seed, another meaning comes into view.

K. This is interesting.

E. In the parable of the sower, so much of the seed is ruined or lost, and if this were to be the final outcome, the work of the sower could appear as ineffective and fraught with failure.

K. I hadn’t noticed that. It could look pretty grim with so much going wrong for the sower.

E. But Chrysostom had it right. If the mustard seed teaching is viewed as part of this entire series, then the extended meaning becomes, “Don’t worry about the apparent failure. These things take time. We’re talking about changing people’s lives and thoughts on the deep inside, and this isn’t done over night. So take courage to know that the little mustard seed, like the tree in Daniel, will yet fill the whole sky, and the cosmos itself. God's realm, God's kingdom, God's purpose, will yet prevail.”

K. Wow – this is a different take, isn’t it? But it’s not an unwarranted extrapolation as we look at all the evidence. I think this really is the extended meaning of Jesus’ teaching here.

'it grows, we know not how'

E. I would draw our attention to a short section of the parable that’s found only in Mark (4:26-29):

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

K. It’s almost a humorous phrase, “whether he sleeps or gets up.” In other words, once the seed is sown, just stand back, you don’t have to do anything, and you can’t do anything, it’s moving forward all on its own, all the way to harvest-time.

E. These statements in Mark might seem inconsequential, almost “throw-away,” but I see them as very important insights to the process of spiritual growth.

K. Elenchus, how often we’ve heard, even from ourselves, “I’m doing my best to grow spiritually, but I don’t see any progress; and sometimes I feel I’m losing ground.”

E. But what this teaching is saying is, Don’t worry about it. The seed will grow all by itself, it doesn’t need any help. Yes, it’s true, growth can be so slow that it could seem like nothing's happening, but just know that, eventually, the “seed of God’s life within” will yet grow and grow to fill the entire heavens.

K. “Filling the entire heavens” means that we will yet become more and more like God.

E. One of our favorite teachers on the inner life is Deng Ming-Dao, and let’s review, one more time, what he says about this – it’s an echo of the “mustard seed” parable:

eventually, you'll experience exquisite, unimaginable things, know things, see things, as if from nowhere, but no one will believe you

"Spiritual practice must be uninterrupted. We may be anxious because we see very little happening on a daily basis, but we must be patient until we can see what the accumulation of our effort yields. Self-cultivation means steady gradual progress…

"After long self-cultivation, one’s accumulated energy reaches a threshold and then bursts out, full, breathing, and vibrant… When one’s spiritual energy emerges, it feels like a swan rising from the water...

"Once you have reached this level of stored energy, you will be a different person.

"If you spend a long period of time in study and self-cultivation, you will enter ... a world of extraordinary perceptions. You experience unimaginable things, receive thoughts and learning as if from nowhere, perceive things that could be classified as prescient.

"Yet if you try to communicate what you experience, there is no one to understand you, no one who will believe you. The more you walk this road, the farther you are from the ordinary ways of society... To speak to them of the wonders you have seen is often to engage in a futile bout of miscommunication. That is why it is said that those who know do not speak." Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao