CAMINANDO WITH JESUS: Breaking Down the Parables

[Jesus] also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”

He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

- Mark 4:26-34

Jesus spoke in parables to describe the emergence of a new and beautiful world. Some of his stories were straightforward, others more cryptic. Regardless, he was apt to say, “let anyone with ears listen!” For it is in listening, with all our senses, that we discover hope and healing.

The challenge for us as humans, however, is that our ability to understand the messages embedded within any particular story varies depending on our knowledge, faith, culture and experience. Sometimes we grasp the implications immediately and react with acceptance or resistance to the truth we have heard. Yet, most often I observe that, much like the disciples, we find ourselves in need of further explanation.

“...the smallest of all seeds...becomes the greatest of all shrubs...”

Over the last two and a half years, a small group of residents from the historically Black Walltown neighborhood in Durham, where I live, have been organizing to influence the redevelopment of Northgate Mall. From the beginning, we have understood the negative impact luxury apartments and high-end retail would have on our community. Rising property taxes and rising rents threaten foreclosure and displacement for working-class individuals and families. The wealth so many have worked to build over the years is being undermined without a plan for equitable development, a plan to keep residents in their homes and create economic value for the most vulnerable.

But, the gifts needed to recognize a problem are not the same gifts needed to imagine a solution. As we endeavored to imagine a new way of doing development in our city and community--and take steps to make it a reality--I often struggled to grasp how we could make it happen. Is it really possible for a small group of residents from a historically Black working-class neighborhood to shape and influence a private global real estate firm with more than seven billion dollars in assets? Would people who are not directly impacted in the same way as Walltown residents align themselves with our vision and stand in solidarity with us?

I needed further explanation of the parable of the mustard seed. What is the science behind its growth potential? How does something so small come to provide benefits for so many?

In moments like these, moments when we yearn for private time with Jesus so he can break down parables about the kingdom, Jesus calls us to see that the kingdom is among us. And if that is true, then we come to understand the parables are actually about us. Dare I say, the parables are us. They cast a vision for justice, liberation and love. They illustrate what is possible for life together, on this planet and beyond. They can be a bit abstract at times, but the key to understanding them is always found in our everyday, embodied experience. The question is, are we listening?

“...the smallest of all seeds...becomes the greatest of all shrubs...”

About a year into the work, our organizing committee was developing a strategic vision for the redevelopment of the mall. We wanted to ground our efforts in the history of the neighborhood and were retelling stories of self-determination and resilience. For instance, when Walltown residents wanted a community center in the 1950s, they petitioned the city but only received rights to the land, not the resources to build. So, under the leadership of a “Bronze Mayor” and neighborhood council, residents built it with their own time, labor and materials. Then, in the 1970s, when Northgate Mall, under the ownership of the Rand family, sought to encroach upon residential space, Walltown residents organized to keep their land.

During one of these storytelling sessions, my neighbor, Eunora—a young woman whose family has lived in Walltown for four generations—shared a powerful experience of being involved in community organizing as a kid. In the 1990s, residents were seeking to get a new community center, and she said, “I remember being a young girl standing next to Ms. Audrey [(president of the Walltown Community Association)] at city council meetings as we advocated for a new rec center.” There were many city council meetings, and it would take over 20 years of advocacy for the City of Durham to build the current Walltown Recreation Center (established in 2011).

Eunora knew the parable of the mustard seed. She, along with generations of other residents, had lived it. Given my previous experience leading a youth organization in Walltown, her childhood memory allowed me to connect our current organizing efforts with the larger history of the neighborhood in a new way. I had been searching for an example of how “...the smallest of all seeds...becomes the greatest of all shrubs.” What I didn’t fully grasp was that the parable had been lived out for years by neighborhood residents and continues to unfold in our present moment.

Eunora’s story reminds me that the youngest and smallest among us can effect change that benefits all. She embodies our group’s collective belief that equitable development must begin and end by engaging the residents most impacted by structural racism and oppression. In both her words and deeds, she reflects Jesus’ message that we are the parables of the kingdom, and the kingdom is among us. The question is, are we listening?

Brandon J. Williams is a member of St. Titus’, Durham. To learn more about the Walltown Community Association’s vision for the redevelopment of Northgate Mall, visit https://www.walltown.net.