Text: Matthew 13:31, 32; Mark 4:31, 32; Luke 13:19 (NIV)He told them another
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 your seeds, yet when it grows, it is
the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and
perch in its branches.”
With The Mustard Seed, we continue Jesus’ teachings along the Sea of Galilee.
Talking about God’s kingdom was the center of our Lord’s discourses, and he often
approached the subject in figurative ways, using powerful imagery to enhance his
messages. As the Creator, he loved to wield nature metaphors to make his points,
which helped his listeners view nature and their spirituality from new perspectives.
The mustard seed could be found in abundance throughout Palestine, both in wild
and cultivated states. The mustard plant grows to a very large size along the Jordan
River’s banks. In comparison with other garden herbs, the mustard plant grows to
the height of a small tree. While the seed is one of the smallest in nature, nothing can
stop its rapid growth. Jesus used the mustard seed to communicate a powerful
message about the kingdom of God. He tells us that, like the mustard seed, God’s
kingdom on earth began small, with little recognition from the world. But analogous
to the mustard seed’s vitality, God’s message of hope endured and spread
throughout the world. The kingdom that began with twelve students and the
invisible movement of the Holy Spirit, has become God’s unshakeable movement on
earth. The catalyst and essence of his growth is found in God’s love, which is
manifested in the life, teachings, and sacrifice of Jesus.
Over the centuries, people have marveled over the enduring power of the gospel and
the growth of the Church. When I think about the Church’s in-ception, the following
images come to mind: the seed of a woman; the birth of Jesus in a stable; an angelic
announcement to shepherds working in a field; the call given to twelve common
men to be followers and itinerant preachers; the movement of God’s unseen Spirit;
and crucifixion rather than coronation. These images, combined with the Church’s
continuous persecution, would make one think that failure was inevitable. History
has seen the demise of many worldly kingdoms built upon military power and force,
which have all crumbled into dust. But God’s kingdom builds its foundation upon
love, and no force can destroy it. Ours is an eternal kingdom where peace rules,
where victory swallows up death. This kingdom begins in the heart of every person
who receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Like the mustard seed plant, as people
continue to receive the seed of the gospel, the kingdom will continue to expand in
strength and size. This recycling process will continue until our Savior’s return. To
have mustard seed faith is not to be understood as having a small amount of trust in
the Lord. Instead, it is to have a rapidly increasing faith that can be realized in one’s
own life, while serving as a witness to others. Jesus never taught that we were to be
followers of little faith. His teachings, which call us to complete surrender, reveal the
opposite.
When pondering the above questions, it is important to realize that our personal
faith in Jesus Christ is the catalyst that brings life to both individuals and the mission
of the Church. It is faith that opens the door to God’s kingdom and brings about its
rapid growth. Additionally, it is personal faith that builds our lives into the image of
Christ
Bibliography
Covert, Henry G. Discovering the Parables : An Inspirational Guide for Everyday Life. Westport, Conn:
Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed May 8,
2018).
This plant obviously was chosen by the Lord, not on account of its absolute
magnitude, but because it was, and was recognized to be, a striking instance of
increase from very small to very great. It seems to have been in Palestine, at
that time, the smallest seed from which so large a plant was known to grow.
is the fact that the magnitude of the mustard-plant, in connection with the
minuteness of its seed, was employed at that day among the Jews as a
proverbial similitude, to indicate that great results may spring from causes that
are apparently diminutive, but secretly powerful. The expression, “If ye had
faith as a grain of mustard-seed,” employed by the Lord on another occasion, is
sufficient to show that both the conception and its use were familiar to his
audience.
The spiritual lesson of the parable diverges into two lines, distinct but
harmonious. By the kingdom of heaven, as it is represented in the growth of the
mustard-plant, we may understand either saving truth living and growing great
in the world, or saving truth living and growing great in an individual human
heart. In both, its progress from small beginnings to great issues is like the
growth of a gigantic herb from the imperceptible germ that was dropped among
the clods in spring.
Never to human eye did the seed seem smaller than at the coming of Christ.
The infant in the manger at Bethlehem is like a mustard-seed—an atom
scarcely perceptible in the hand, and lost to view when it falls into the earth.
Yet there lay the seed of eternal life—thence sprang the stem on which all the
saved of mankind shall grow as branches. Israel was feeble among the nations
—a little child writhing in the grasp of imperial Rome; Judea and Galilee, with
the heathenish Samaria between, constituted his beat throughout the brief
period of his public ministry.
The Christ who seemed so small both in his private life at Nazareth and in the
public judgment-hall of Pilate at Jerusalem; is now the greatest both in heaven
and in earth. As the leaves and branches of a tree tend to assume the form and
proportions of the tree itself, so subordinate parts in the development of God’s
kingdom follow more or less closely the law of the whole kingdom—a progress
secret, slow, and sure, from a diminutive beginning to an unexpected and
amazing greatness.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21328/21328-h/21328-h.htm#III
Title: The Parables of Our Lord Author: William Arnot [EBook #21328]
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21328
Christians do not see history from the perspective of fate, but from the
perspective of hope. It is hope that makes the outrageous claim that
someday the mustard bush is going to be a tree, even a tree like the
Cedars of Lebanon. Hope allows us to understand that the kingdoms of
this world will become the Kingdom of our Lord, and the birds will make
their nests in its branches.
In fact, when he talks about the Kingdom of God, he doesn’t talk about a
cedar at all, he talks about an unimpressive, lackluster bush, sort of a
weed, You’ve seen the mustard plant. It’s unimpressive, which is the way
the Kingdom of God looks right now compared to the great empires and
institutions of this world. But just wait and see. You never know. In fact, this
may be the year.
For the Christian hope is a way of life. It produces at least three qualities,
which can be outlined with alliteration: patience, persistence, and
perspicacity.
Perspicacity is a word, serving to underscore the envisioning power of
hope Perspicacity means keenness of vision. It implies a discriminating
vision, not fooled by appearances, or attracted to what everybody else
notices, but able to see what others can’t see. A person with perspicacity
evaluates the events of his or her life, or the events of history, with
discriminating eyes, a vision that is able to pick out a mustard seed as
clearly as a giant cedar.
http://www.ministrymatters.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/library/#/bibthserm/e50
4c284e63104b8851e994e4217cf62/the-mustard-seed.html
Jesus presents a deeply contrasting message. He seems to counsel that we don’t have to worry about
pursuing unrealistic larger-than-life illusions. Rather, the smallest of things—indeed, wee little mustard seeds
—can be the source of great results. His message suggests that organizations and their leaders should think
twice before they strive for the large, obvious choices, before they pull the ostentatious, shiny, loud-clanging
action levers. Instead, the subtle, seemingly very small but positive and useful actions and things can be the
real tickets to the greatest of results.
the faith Jesus referred to is belief and trust in God. He was talking about a spiritual allegiance and a source
of strength that is beyond human ability.
Jesus suggests that if we have just the smallest amount of faith—the size of only a mustard seed—nothing
will be impossible for us.
the key point of Jesus’ lesson of the mustard seed is to remember that we are, after all, limited human
beings. As such we don’t have to strive for dramatic effect. Rather, if we try our best and concentrate on the
little positive things we accomplish each day, great things may well emerge. William Blake put it well: “To see
a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower, / Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity
in an hour.” Jesus tells us to be aware of the power in little things. Indeed, planting even the smallest of
seeds, a mustard seed, if it is positively alive and planted well, can lead to a great result.
when armed with belief and determination. Roger Banister accomplished what was believed to be
impossible—he ran a mile in less than four minutes.
Thomas Edison achieved the seemingly impossible over and over: he enabled light to be produced in a
hollow tube of glass, recorded the human voice on a piece of plastic, invented pictures that show life in full
motion, and made many other miraculous discoveries. The Wright brothers discovered a device to enable
humans to fly like birds.
Bibliography
Manz, Charles C. The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus : Practical Lessons for Today. San Francisco, CA:
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2005. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed May 9,
2018).
to conceal the truth from His enemies, to provoke interest and belief in
others, and to instruct His disciples, both publicly and privately. But late
in His earthly ministry Jesus employed parables for a very different
reason. It was to convey a message to His enemies, who now grasped the
meaning of His later parables, while keeping His disciples in the dark, so
to speak, regarding coming events:
https://bible.org/seriespage/q-why-did-jesus-speak-parables
Jesus used parables to communicate to both the common people and the religious leaders.
Rather than using the words of the learned scholars, Jesus spoke in everyday language that
connected with His audience.
parables were a common cultural form of communication. Though the religious leaders
regularly resorted to quoting one another or used academic language, Jesus spoke in the
storytelling format already familiar to His culture. In doing so, He connected with His
audience in a way the religious leaders did not, both touching personal needs and
communicating spiritual truth.
Conclusion
was used for a variety of reasons. Among these were the ability to reveal information to
those "ready to hear," to communicate with the common people, and to assert His authority.
These factors and others reveal a Messiah whose love extended to all yet also revealed
information to different people in different ways, something God continues to do in the lives
of individuals today through His Word. https://www.compellingtruth.org/Jesus-parables.html
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