The Parable of the Mustard Seed

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you all in the name of Jesus, our Risen Lord and Savior Amen!

I am Steve Garrabrant, and I am blessed to serve as vicar here at Gloria Dei and to serve as the Head of School at Lutheran South Academy.

Anyone who knows me really well knows that I am not a fan of heights.

When we were school administrators together in Detroit, Don Justice and I would do paper-rock-scissors with the loser having to go up in the lift to change out lightbulbs in the gym. It was quite comical watching us go up the lift—crouching down and holding on to the sides of the lift basket as if that would have changed anything!

Now, we are together in ministry at Lutheran South Academy, and I thank God daily neither one of us have to go up in a lift at our school. We have awesome and fearless maintenance men that take care of those things and take care of us!

Oh yes, I have a fear of heights. I think it goes back to when I was around the age of 12 and was climbing the big old elm tree in our backyard where I grew up in central Ohio. One particular summer morning when school was out, I was climbing this tree. I was about 15 feet from the ground and as I was steadying myself with a branch above me, the branch below me that I was standing on broke and down I went. The branch that broke hit the ground just before my face slammed into it as I fell to the ground. I don’t know how long I laid on the ground—if I was knocked out or not—but when I came to my senses and touched my face all I could feel was mush and pulled my hand away that was covered in blood.

It must have been a horrific sight for my Mom as I walked in the house. I just remember her running up to me and asking what happened.

I was fortunate not to have any permanent damage—or at least none that I know of from that fall! Well, with the exception that I developed a keen sense of fear of heights!

We found out that the big old elm tree was rotted from insect damage. That big old elm tree did not last much longer. My Dad cut it down. We burned it. Nope, it didn’t last.

Fast forward from when I was 12 years old to when I was 40—7 years ago. You see, seven years ago, my in-laws held a family reunion at a mountain resort in Pennsylvania in the summer. And at this family reunion, we all did a high ropes course challenge—well, at least those that were brave enough to try the challenges!

Silas was 10 at the time and volunteered to get harnessed and climb what we dubbed “the tower of death”— a 40 foot tall terrorizing wooden tower! Rachel said, “Steve, you better hurry up and get harnessed and go up with him.” I said, “Me?” And there was this horrible conundrum that I was facing—my fear of heights and yet not wanting to let my Son down and not going to let myself fail because I was not going to let my brother-in-laws get the best of me. So…while I was suiting up…and frequently asking the workers when the last time this tower of death was inspected...he was already well on his way! And, at one point just as the workers clicked my harness, I heard Rachel gasp as Silas jumped from a pole 30 feet off the ground to a rope ladder a couple of feet away from him. Now…he was in a harness and all, but all I could think was, “Lord, thank you for protecting him, and don’t let me die.”

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Well, I did make it all the way up that 40 foot tower of death—sheerly by the grace of God!

Thinking back to that rotted old tree and the maintenance on that death contraption called a high ropes tower—to build trust—is there really anything that truly lasts? Is there anything that is built that lasts a really long time? O sure, we could say that there are some buildings that are really old. Or there are vehicles that are built to last hundreds of thousands of miles if you take care of them with proper care and maintenance. But the truth is, we live amongst decay. The Law of Thermodynamics talks about how things are on a trajectory of breaking down.

This morning’s study of Jesus’ teaching about the Parable of the Mustard Seed is radical because while we experience things not lasting and breaking down, and decaying, and decomposing, and depreciating, Jesus teaches us about something that is radical and lasts forever.

Listen to these words of Jesus from Mark chapter 4:

Mark 4:30-34 “And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.”

Often times, we want to look at Jesus’ stories and figure out the moral of the story. We want to figure out what we can learn from this story and apply it to our life—and if we just follow the wisdom and the moral of the story our life will be better.

But that’s not really what Jesus was teaching in His parables. You see, Jesus’ parables address either the divinity of God—what God was doing—over the morality of the story—what was expected of man. Or Jesus taught about the kingdom and reign of God over the world in which we live.

While there is some value to understanding the moral of this story, the greater application of the Parable of the Mustard Seed is to understand the divinity and kingdom impact of this story. In order to figure out the divinity and kingdom impact of the parable, you need to look at the absurd—the exaggeration—the anomaly.

What is absurd about this story is the mustard seed growing into tree that has branches that birds could nest in.

There is a reason why Jesus makes a reference of a mustard seed. The mustard seed was known in the culture of its day. It was an unassuming seed that grew into a shrub—and some argue that it grew into a shrub maybe 6 to 10 feet tall but not quite a tree with sprawling branches that birds would nest in.

Three of the Gospels record Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God starting out like a mustard seed, which is what this parable teaches. And, in Matthew and Luke, Jesus preaches about the power of faith in reference to a mustard seed.

Matthew 17:20 “He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For 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.””

Luke 17:5-6 “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “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.”

When speaking about His divinity in regard to faith like a mustard seed, it is not one’s faith that has the power to move a mountain, but rather it is the object of that faith that gives its power. You see, faith requires an object. You put your faith in something. Here Jesus is making reference that He is the mustard seed. Faith in Jesus can move a mountain because Jesus is the mountain mover.

In our parable this morning about the kingdom of God, Jesus also makes reference that He is the mustard seed.

Just like an unassuming mustard seed, Jesus had an unassuming beginning. He came from unassuming Nazareth. He was born in a stable. Welcomed into the world by lowly shepherds. Grew up as a carpenter.

But just like the small unassuming mustard seed that grows and grows and grows into a tree with branches, Jesus’ ministry and His kingdom spreads and spreads and grows and grows. The divinity being taught in the Parable of the Mustard Seed is symbolized by Jesus establishing His kingdom here on earth. The one He was sent to establish and rule over. You see, it is God’s people—His family of believers—His church—that is the kingdom of God.

This kingdom begins with 12 disciples. It grows to a group of 120 in Acts. And it grows and grows. It is estimated that by the year 150 AD, the Christian population was around 40,000 people, and by the year 200—just a mere 50 years later—the population grew at a rate of multiplication to about 220,000 people.

It is no surprise that Jesus not only would reference a mustard seed, but would reference a tree coming from the unassuming seed. In the Old Testament, the kingdom of God was quite often symbolized by a tree. Sometimes a cedar tree. Sometimes olive branches. Sometimes vines. Sometimes fig trees. Trees were powerful images. Even the cross is referenced as a tree—the powerful image of Jesus being nailed to a tree—nailed to the cross—for our salvation.

Another cultural significance of the mustard plant that Jesus’ audience would have understood is that as the mustard seed grows into a plant it spreads very quickly, often taking over gardens and other carefully planted areas. Gardeners might even call the mustard plant invasive!

Imagine how the kingdom of God is invasive to the world!

Imagine the power of the Gospel spreading quickly and conquering the darkness of the world—just as the mustard seed grows and its plants spread and spread!

Because of the truth of the divinity of this parable, God cultivates the growth of the mustard seed. He plants the mustard seed of faith in our hearts at our baptism.

You see, our hearts are the fertile ground for the mustard seed of faith that God has planted to flourish. Sometimes your “mulberry tree” and your “mountain” are in your heart and not in your situation at all.

It is in our heart that we call the Lord, Lord. That we just don’t believe in God, but that we believe God—that we believe His promises, we believe what He says, we believe what He declares, we believe what He did and what He does and what He will continue to do.

And, that mustard seed grows and grows and grows and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.

Not surprising that in the divinity story of this parable does Jesus mention birds finding safety and security and rest in the branches of the tree that grew from the mustard seed.

When giving the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

If God takes care of the birds, He most certainly will take care of us. Just as the birds find safety and security and rest in the branches of the mustard tree, we, too, find safety and security and rest in Jesus and His kingdom.

Jesus invites us to find safety and security and rest in Him. In Matthew He says,

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””

This significance is the divinity of the parables in action.

It’s climbing the mustard tree—climbing into the arms of Jesus—climbing into the safety and security and rest of the kingdom of God.

It’s knowing that the branches will not break like my big old elm tree of my youth. It’s knowing that Jesus knows our fears and have overcome the fears of the world. It’s me knowing that even though I am scared of heights, I can by faith in Jesus can climb higher and higher into an abundant life as I abide in Jesus.

Unlike that big old elm tree of my youth that decayed and rotted from insect infestation, we have assurance knowing that Jesus’ kingdom is long lasting.

While everything else on this earth does not last, Jesus’ kingdom endures. He built His kingdom to last. While everything else is cut down, His kingdom endures into eternity.

When we were at that family reunion in Pennsylvania at the “tower of death,” my sister-in-law Leah wanted to try and climb the tower after Silas and I made everyone on the ground tense! So, Leah got harnessed up and began to climb. Now she’s much more athletic than almost anyone else in our family, but when she was only 5 feet from the top, she wanted to quit. She yelled down with a panicky voice, “I need to come down, I can’t go any farther.”

I told her, “No! You are not coming down yet. You are so close to the top. You will be so disappointed if you come down now.”

And so, with some prodding and encouragement, and knowing that she was harnessed in for safety, she pressed on the last 5 feet to the top.

My friends, Jesus wants us to climb that mustard tree…to climb His kingdom…to trust in Him in all things…to press on toward the goal in Him, with Him, through Him. All this is possible only because of Jesus, in Jesus, and through Jesus.

It’s cultivated by Jesus every time we enjoy the feast of forgivenes… the strengthening and sustaining of faith…

Allow Jesus to cultivate your heart to abide with Him as you cling to the branches of His tree—the kingdom of God—and listen to Him with all confidence and assurance:

John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.””

My friends, cultivate your heart to want nothing more than Jesus, to trust completely in Jesus, and then desire the peace found only in God and in His kingdom. Amen.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.