Healing with Mustard

"Did you know," our youngest son is working on a Biology project, "that cabbage is a mustard?"

"No...that's funny, " I say in surprise. I thought I knew quite a bit about both mustard and cabbage, having grown them in my garden for years, but I have never put them in the same family. However, cabbage, turnip, and mustard are all in the Brassica family.

When I was young we ate mustard as a condiment. After I was married we grew mustard in the garden for 'greens' for steaming, or adding it to salads along with spinach as well as lettuce. Little did I know that it had many other uses.

"Ouch!" I said as the hot grease sprayed up onto my thumb.

"Que?" (What?) my Hispanic acquaintance asks.

I show her the burn and she immediately grabs the mustard bottle and gently covers the area with the mustard. I don't know how or why, but yes, it did work.

According to one of my herbal books (Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs) there is black mustard, white or yellow mustard, and brown or common mustard. As a medicine black mustard is preferred over the white-seeded (milder species). In small doses it is said to improve the digestion. In larger doses it will induce vomitting. The seeds can also be used for a laxative, but again it should be handled with special care, as it can be a stomach irritant.

Mustard can be made into a 'plaster' by mixing it with water, or to tone down the mustard--mix with rye flour before adding the water, or use egg white in the place of the water.

The powdered seeds and oil can be irritating if misused, therefore care should be taken. It has been used to relieve: arthritis, rheumatism, toothache, as well as other causes of soreness (and stiffness).

An excellent recipe for Mustard (Sauce) :
1/4 cup mustard seed
1/2 cup vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar, my recipe doesn't say which to use)
2 Tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon each of ground nutmeg, and tumeric (personally not being able to tolerate nutmeg, I omit that, but that is personal) 1) grind the mustard seed in blender at medium speed (approximately 5 seconds) 2) Add the vinegar and water and blend at high speed until smooth. 3) Pour into a small saucepan; stir in the remaining ingrediants and cook and stir over medium -low heat just until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. 4) Pour the mustard into a container, cover and refrigerate.
I use powdered mustard seed most of the time, and mix the ingredients in the small saucepan skipping the blender, but I'm sure the original method would eliminate the threat of any lumps. It only takes a few minutes, and is very good.

Jesus speaks of mustard in two examples one in connection to 'the kingdom of heaven is like', and one in reference to faith.

Luke 13:19 It is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his own garden; and it grew, and became a tree; and the birds of the heaven lodged in the branches thereof.

That is some tree! And when we think about the beginning of the 'kingdom' on the day of Pentecost following the resurrection, we can see the similarities. It looked like a small insignificant group. And yet it has grown and filled the earth. How many people have attempted to stamp it out, how many unbelievers have persecuted it, and as Tertullian said: the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church--the kingdom of Christ is still viable.

Matthew 17:20 And he saith unto them, Because of your little faith: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Pondering on the 'if ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed', makes me realize that as the Apostle Paul states in Philipians 4:13--I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.

No, I don't wish to move mountains, only myself at times. Most of us have things we need to do, as well as need and must overcome. Jesus is saying that if we have faith, we can do things that would look to be insurmountable.

People have done amazing things, invented amazing inventions, overcome incredible odds, however Jesus isn't speaking about the physical, but the spiritual.

One of the most chilling examples is Alexander the Great. He conquered vast amounts of territory, taking Greek culture to new bounds, but...in the end...he sat down and cried because there were no new countries to conquer. In the end...he died...he developed a fever from drinking himself sick. He could conquer and control the 'world', but he couldn't conquer or control--himself.

"And he saith unto them,... for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,"

Hallelujah! What a Saviour!