Logion 20
| 20. The disciples said unto Jesus, "Tell us
what the kingdom of Heaven is like unto." He said unto them, "It is like unto a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds. But when it falleth on tilled soil, it produceth a great plant and becometh a shelter for birds of the sky." |
Mk 4:30-32: And he said, "Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it." |
For Mark the great tree with a small beginning was obviously that wonderful social institution of the Church. It was clear from Th. 3 that it would not be in the Church. It was clear form Th. 16 that the fabric of society could not be the repository of it. For Thomas it was the message of truth revealed from heaven. Truth begins in the heart of the believer as something very small and meager and when nurtured grows to become a protection from temptations of all kind.