Are There Mushrooms in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Honestly, I couldn't tell you. But I do think that the kingdom of heaven is a lot like a mushroom. Jesus got me started on this track. You know the parable - "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that birds come and perch in its branches."

Bible nerd time out - according to the experts, we don't know exactly what plant Jesus is referring to - and plug for an amazing book on Bible plants: Figs, Dates, Laurel, and Myrrh by Lytton John Musselman.

Even if we could identify the genus and species, there are probably smaller seeds around, so his categorization of the mustard seed shouldn't be taken literally. Hey, he was a carpenter, not a farmer. Regardless of the actual plant type, his point still comes across, namely that the important things in life start small and humble.

And did you know that few things start off smaller than a mushroom spore? A spore is the "seed" of a mushroom, so small that it can't be seen with the naked eye. Spores sit in gills that line the underside of a mushroom's cap, and sooner or later they drop out, blow out, or get a free ride on an insect. Once it lands in a spot with enough suitable organic material, the spore germinates and grows tiny, white, thread-like roots called mycelia. Eventually these threads form the body of the fungus (underground, usually), spreading for miles and in some cases covering the area of a entire county. When you see a mushroom in your yard, think of it as the "fruit" of the fungus under the soil. (Just as you won't harm an apple tree by picking it's apples, you won't harm a mushroom by picking it.) And fungi are environmental powerhouses! Read all about their benefits here: Can Mushrooms Help Your Garden Grow?

But back to the kingdom of heaven. I understand why most people wouldn't automatically connect mushrooms with God's work on earth...but why not? They start small, become huge, form dense networks of organic relationships, benefit the organisms around them, "redeem" matter, and produce fruit. Mushrooms can't save the world, perhaps to the disappointment of Paul Stamets (you should still watch his TED Talk, below). Only Jesus does that. But I'm grateful that He gave us mushrooms to help understand how He's doing it.

Paul Stamets: 6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World