The Parable of the Mustard Seed: Matthew 13:31-32
The
primary point of this parable is to draw a contrast between the perceived
humble beginnings of the kingdom of heaven with its final grand and pervasive
ending as the most important kingdom ever. Jesus is telling the disciples and us that the Kingdom of
God will start off small in comparison to all other kingdoms, insignificant as
a small mustard seed, and will eventually become as big as a tree. This kingdom
will be more significant than any kingdom we know now, providing shelter even
for all of creation. We want to
let our minds marinade over this parable as we let the Spirit reveal to us the
vast and pervasive nature of the kingdom of heaven as the only kingdom that
matters.
If
we will let it, I believe this parable speaks to one of our deepest fears about
being followers of Christ; the seeming imperceptibility of the Kingdom of God
in our daily lives and the perceived weakness of a spiritual kingdom in light
of an ever-present world.
From
this parable I drew three main points:
1.
When one considers the humble beginnings and perceived weakness of the kingdom
of heaven we see that this parable contrasts this perceived weakness of the
Gospel in its beginnings with its final strength so that we can walk in faith
believing God’s plan to turn weakness into strength by His power on His
time. This calls us as
Christians to embrace the weakness of the Gospel so that by faith we can hope
in its strength.
2.
When we take a fun walk in God’s garden of trees found in the Bible, we should
put great trust in our God. He is telling us, “You see all these kingdoms of
the Earth? Mine one day will be
shown to be bigger and better than all of them! Hope in that!” In
the mean we are to be faithful to what God has called us to.
3.
Finally, when we understand how large God’s kingdom will be (and already is)
and how much better it will be than any kingdom we have ever experienced, we
should seek to include ourselves in His kingdom. This is done through a life of faith in Christ’s work on the
cross. Have you included yourself
in His kingdom?
Enjoy
the Sermon!
Click Here to Listen to the Sermon
*The image above was used in accordance with the licensing agreements of WikiCommons and in no way reflects the views of the artist that produced the image.
Leave a Comment