“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.” Matthew 13:31 ESV1
Read Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32 & Luke 13:18-19
Americans spend thousands of dollars on entertainment each year. Whether it be sporting events, TV, video games, movies, social media, travel, shopping, or eating out, people seem to be able to find money in their budget and time in their schedules for what they really enjoy. Nearly 10% of all Americans have a drug or alcohol addiction. And that doesn’t count those who occasionally partake of these substances or those who struggle to control their indulging in substances and behaviors which aren’t monitored. Reportedly, J.D. Rockefeller, the first billionaire in the United States, was once asked, “How much money is enough?” He answered, “Just a little bit more.” Whether what we desire is legal or illegal, necessary or unnecessary, it seems as if all humans are searching for just a little more of something to satisfy an internal longing. That is because there is an empty space in each of us that was purposely placed there and is intended to be filled. A parable of Jesus reveals that for which we are all searching.
“‘[Jesus] put another parable before them” (Matthew 13:31a). “He said, therefore, ‘What is the Kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it’” (Luke 13:18)? “‘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’” (Matthew 13:31b-32a), “‘and puts out large branches’” (Mark 4:30b), “‘so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches’” (Matthew 13:32b).
A little different perspective
When you see the phrase the Kingdom of Heaven, don’t consider merely a place, think of a Person. Don’t just imagine a realm, reflect upon a relationship. Don’t envision only a promised Paradise, ponder a present Presence. In all of the Kingdom of Heaven parables, Jesus taught something about God and His relationship with humans.
There are a lot of people who talk about the joy they expect to experience in Heaven but some of those same people have little desire to spend time with God here on Earth. If they don’t enjoy hanging out with God now, I am not sure what makes them think Heaven will be so great. The thing that makes Heaven a place worth being is the fact that God is there. What makes our lives now on Earth worth living is that we can have a vibrant relationship with the Ever-Present God who lives in us. The power of the Kingdom of Heaven within a Believer is what this parable illustrates.
A little word of great significance
Before we consider the parable, though, to get the proper context, we need first stop at one little word in Luke 13:18—therefore. In your studies, perhaps you have been alerted to the useful tip: “When you see the word, therefore, find out what it is there for.” If we consider what happened immediately before Jesus told this parable, we will see that He had just healed a woman who was “bent over and could not fully straighten herself” by releasing her from the bondage of Satan (see Luke 13:11-13). The Pharisees were upset that Jesus performed this healing because it was conducted on the Sabbath. At this, Jesus chastised them saying, “‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day’” (Luke 13:15-16)? The backdrop of the parable we will consider now is a focus on the release from bondage and the drinking of water.
The release from the bondage of Satan points to salvation. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1) to sin. “We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin” (Romans 6:6-7). “So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
When one is released from the bondage of sin, he/she is able to drink freely of Living Water. This Living Water is the Holy Spirit. Once in the presence of a great crowd, “Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me … “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’ Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39). After His sacrifice and resurrection, Jesus returned to Heaven, and He sent a Helper—the Holy Spirit—to not live with people to teach and guide from the outside, but to live in His disciples and give them direction and help from within.
A little hard to see at first
The relational connection between God and man which Jesus taught in this parable is how the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead, works in and through humans. A mustard seed is tiny; its diameter is less than 1/16 of an inch. But a mustard tree is quite large. In the proper environment, a mustard tree can grow to a height of 30 feet and have a span of 20 feet. A mustard seed could easily be lost or ignored but no one can miss a mustard tree. A mustard seed may seem inconsequential but when it is planted and cared for, it has great potential.
Although the Holy Spirit is not small like a mustard seed, He is a spirit and, therefore, is unseen by human eyes. Though He is invisible, like the wind (see John 3:8), the displays of His power are observable and amazing (see Acts 2:2). Because the Holy Spirit does not seek to glorify Himself (see John 16:13-14), He can be ignored, misunderstood, or underestimated.
A little work is required.
Notice, in Jesus’ parable, how the man took the mustard seed and worked it into the soil of his field. It wasn’t a haphazard event. It was an intentional activity and a determined decision. To produce a healthy mustard tree that would grow “larger than all the garden plants’” (Matthew 13:32a), “‘and [put] out large branches’” (Mark 4:30b), “‘so that the birds of the air [could] come and make nests in its branches’” (Matthew 13:32b), this man would have had to till, fertilize, weed, and water his mustard plant. He would have had to tend to it and wait for it to reach maturity.
For a Believer to fully benefit from the power of the Holy Spirit, His power must be appropriated through faith. “Without faith, it is impossible to please [God]” (Hebrews 11:6a). “This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4b). When placed up against all of the “seeds” of which this world boasts, faith can seem pretty wimpy. Even in the Church, faith can seem unimpressive, when compared with the outwardly visible gifts. But faith is placed, not in faith itself, but in the power of God, it has amazing results. Like a mustard seed, when it is planted and comes to its full potential is larger than all of the garden plants, faith, when it has matured, when the Holy Spirit is utilized, it can’t be ignored. Its power and influence are obvious and impressive. Faith always grows and bears fruit. What seems insignificant becomes useful and awe-inspiring.
A little belief goes a long way.
Jesus taught, “‘If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you’” (Luke 17:6-10). And again, “‘Truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you’” (Matthew 17:20b). If this is true—and it is because Jesus cannot lie—why don’t we see such wonderful outcomes and expressions of our faith?
The previous comment was made by Jesus when His disciples were unable to heal a demon-possessed boy (see Matthew 17:14-20). “The disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith’” (Matthew 17:19-20a). That means they had faith smaller than a mustard seed! That’s a minuscule amount of faith. Earlier, in that same scene, Jesus, in disappointment, responded, “‘O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you’” (Matthew 17:17)?
I have a feeling Jesus is even more disheartened with our unbelieving and perverted generation. Think of all the promises recorded in the Bible. Incredible promises like: “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it’” (John 14:12-14). And: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them, [we] may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire’” (2 Peter 1:3-4). Or: “‘Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you’” (Luke 10:19).
And practical promises like: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). And: “‘Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:20b). Also: “I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). And: “For those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
A bit of faith the size of a mustard seed appropriately placed in Jesus, plus a growing knowledge of Jesus acquired by spending intimate time with Him, added to the power of the Holy Spirit in us should result in the moving of mulberry tree-sized problems and mountain-sized obstacles. It should be able to trample on serpent and scorpion-like evils and prevail. Mountain and mulberry tree moving and serpent and scorpion trampling should be the expectation, not the exception. Yet, is that our reality?
A little diversion over a distance ends up totally off course.
Could our lack of faith be a direct result of our self-centeredness? Could it be that our belief is built on our abilities instead of Christ’s? Have we hindered the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives by focusing on our places in the world instead of our position in Christ? Has the truth of what it means to be a follower of Christ been so overshadowed by our logic and emotions that we are overwhelmed by that which we should be able to conquer?
The Scriptures tells us, “God has put all things in subjection under [Christ’s] feet” (1 Corinthians 15:27a). And that “God, being rich in mercy, … made us alive together with Christ … and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4a, 5b-6). We have “the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead [dwelling] in [us]” (Romans 8:11a). And we are told that God “is able, according to the power that is at work within us, to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).
If we really believed what Scriptures tell us and actually grasped who we are in Christ, moving “mountains” and “mulberry trees” and stomping on “serpents” and “scorpions” should be commonplace. Such would be a faith that honors Jesus like the faith of the Centurion, who when asking for the healing of his servant acknowledged, “‘Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, “Go,” and he goes, and to another, “Come,” and he comes, and to my servant. “Do this,” and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this, He marveled … And to the Centurion, Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.’ And the servant was healed at that very moment” (Matthew 8:8-10a & 13). With the faith the size of a mustard seed properly resting on the authority of Christ and working through the power of the Holy Spirit, the world could be radically changed.
A little reflection of a very big God
The world is starving for an opportunity to observe a faith that actually makes a difference. Lost people everywhere are looking for something substantial upon which to build their lives. Our faith is intended to be something that so impresses those who do not yet follow Jesus that they want to know how they can get in on it. Too often the faith we have been displaying is closer to a dandelion that has gone to seed than it is a massive mustard tree. The faith of most of us who currently identify as Christians is built on human wisdom and ability and can barely stand against a “slight breeze.” We are supposed to be doing the moving not being moved.
Before Jesus started His earthly ministry, He cited a passage in Isaiah as His purpose in coming. “‘“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”’” (Isaiah 61:1-2a). Christians are supposed to emulate Jesus. Through Holy Spirit-dependent faith no bigger than a mustard seed, we are to mature and “‘put out large branches’” (Mark 4:30b) and provide a place of rest and stability for the poor, brokenhearted, and imprisoned–a place for “‘birds of the air come and make nests in its branches’” (Matthew 13:32b). We are supposed to be outwardly focused and point others to object of our faith. By faith, we are should be becoming more like the One in whom we have faith.
I am preaching to myself as much as I am you. And I am praying that we would get our eyes off of ourselves, our circumstances, our needs, our thoughts, our experiences, our expectations, and our wants and onto Jesus. May the little bit more we desire be to be continually filled by the Holy Spirit. “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). He is the only One who satisfactorily occupies the void we all need to be filled.
1 Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.