Mustard seed of faith: Rev. Paul Rasmussen reacts to Chauvin Verdict

April 23, 2021

The mustard seed. It’s the smallest of every type of seed. And Jesus often used the image to teach and encourage.

Once, Jesus said to his disciples, “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

Jesus was illustrating that what seems impossible can be achieved, not with a giant reservoir of faith, but with so much as a particle of hope that things can be better.

On another occasion, Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches” (Matthew 13:31-32).

Again, Jesus was encouraging his disciples by reminding them that a single moment of progress can bloom into wholesale transformation.

I’ve thought a great deal about mustard seeds this week given the extraordinary verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial. This is but one case, but I hope and pray that it becomes a catalyst for genuine change. The jury sent a clear message that right is right and wrong is wrong—no matter the source of power. And that all people must live under an umbrella of legal and moral accountability.

One verdict doesn’t heal all wounds, address all issues, or bring the full realization of righteousness and justice. But it does provide a glimpse—a mustard seed—into the possibilities of all things being made right.

In the meantime, I continue to pray that we will continue to seek God’s wisdom as we address the toxins of the human condition.

I will also continue to pray for all of those who serve in law enforcement. Law enforcement is essential to an ordered society. We need the fruit of their extraordinary, daily sacrifices, and they need our support. I am grateful for the overwhelming majority of men and women who take on the responsibility of law enforcement out of genuine love and concern for the people they serve.

Lord, show us the way. We have much work to do as we strive to “do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with You” (Micah 6:8).