The Parable of the Mustard Seed

 

He put another parable before them, saying, “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 ESV).

 

The next parable I’ve chosen for our study is the parable of the mustard seed. We may find it in both the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Some perspective is important. A Mustard seed is very small, not much bigger than the head of a pin. Yet, when it reaches maturity if can be as tall as 20-30 feet.  There is general agreement among Biblical scholars that it teaches that the Kingdom of God starts with humble beginnings but grows into something vast and influential, eventually providing shelter for many, just as a tiny mustard seed grows into a large tree. The central message is about the unexpected and powerful expansion of God's work, emphasizing that what begins small can become extraordinarily large and impactful over time.

 

Some interpreters have emphasized the size of the tree is an indicator that “bigger is better.” This has skewed the church’s belief that the size of an individual congregation is an indicator of success. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus’ is teaching a principle that with His coming the true Church will affect the world. His message was not just for the descendants of Abraham; it was for the world. These “birds” that come to nest in the expansive of the “mustard tree” will be from every part of the world. Just as creation is diverse, so is the Church.

 

I wonder if we have done a very good job in our effort to go into “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world” (cf. Acts 1:8)? The seed must be sown by every believer wherever we are, whenever we are there! Prejudice of any kind has no place in the Kingdom of God! The seed is good seed… let’s sow it!