MenuThe Parable of the Mustard Seed
[Jesus] 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 their nests in its branches.” – Matthew 13:31-32
What point does Jesus make in His brief parable of the mustard seed?
As you know, this summer I was blessed to visit Israel on a study tour with my daughter, Laura. One day near Bethlehem we saw an actual mustard tree (about 10 feet tall). Our guide opened a pod of mustard seed grains to show us how small they are – about 1/4th the size of a pinhead.
Jesus gave the tangible example of the mustard seed to explain how God’s kingdom grows imperceptibly until it is complete and beneficial for its intended, created purpose. One might say this reveals the “NOW”, the “NOT YET” and the “LAST DAY” characteristics of God’s kingdom. It’s “now” in the sense that Jesus already inaugurated the coming of His kingdom by His ministry and His suffering, death, resurrection and ascension. It’s “not yet” in the sense that we persist in the time of the Church – we are given the opportunity to participate in God’s plan of salvation – while we await Christ’s return. And it’s all coming to full fruition on the “Last Day” when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.
Jesus’ reference to the “Seed” continues a Gospel theme started in Genesis 3:14 (“the seed of the woman” will crush the head of the Tempter), 2nd Samuel 7:12 (“and I will raise your [King David’s] seed…and establish His kingdom”), Luke 8:11 (in the Parable of the Sower, “the seed is the Word [of God]”), John 12:24 (“unless a seed of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit”) all pointing to the incarnation, ministry, death and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Likewise, Ezekiel 17:23 compares the coming Messiah’s rule to a great tree in whose shade “birds of every sort will nest.”
Jesus parable applies to us, first individually, as the Holy Spirit plants a seed of faith, as at Baptism, and grows it throughout the life of a Christian life as He nurtures it by Word and the Lord’s Supper. Secondly, this parable applies to all believers collectively as the Church, which began with just the seed of Jesus, grew to include His apostles, then Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, and eventually more and more of the whole world. It includes us, together, as part of His Church, here in Western New York today.
God’s kingdom starts small, like a mustard seed. God grows it invisibly, tiny bit by tiny bit, until it is complete and beneficial to its intended, created purpose. One purpose is to create saving faith in Christ in the life of an individual. And like the branches of a mustard tree providing nesting places for birds, the Church provides a home for all the peoples of the world. We thank God that He’s given us a place in it through our Lord Jesus Christ.
-Pastor Nickel
