Parable of the Mustard Seed

Today we will begin a brief sermon series and plan to pick up Colossians again in a few weeks. I want to do a three part series entitled “A Mustard Seed Christmas.”

My plan is to look at the Parable of the Mustard Seed today, and then talk about a couple of aspects of the Mustard Seed Parable that I believe are applicatory to the birth of Jesus and what the birth of Jesus accomplished on our behalf. Hopefully when all is said and done, we will never think about a mustard seed quite the same way again.

Today, let’s begin with the Parable of the Mustard Seed. This parable is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Let’s take a look at Mark 4:30-32

Mark 4:30–32 NKJV

Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

As we explore this parable in greater detail there are a few questions I believe are important to answer. First,

What is a Parable?

Someone has defined a parable this way:

An earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

While there is some truth to that I believe that a parable is much, much more. In doing some research on this subject, I came across this definition. It’s a:

Story used by ancient teachers and prophets and frequently by Jesus to convey a profound spiritual truth. It usually has points of contact with everyday life and sometimes contains elements of hyperbole or surprise to arrest one’s attention. Parables frequently require some significant decision on the hearer’s part. (Elwell & Yarbrough)

Another way to describe a parable, and it certainly works for the parable before us today, is to describe it as an ANALOGY. In other words, it describes ONE thing, by POINTING to something else.

Dr. Robert Wayne Stacy says that a parable ALWAYS points to the Kingdom of God.

Whenever you listen to, or read a parable David Platt suggests you keep three things in mind:

Listen to the parable as the original audience would. Seek to put yourself in their shoes.

Look for the main point of the parable. Most parables have only ONE or TWO main points.

Let the parable change your perspective. Most parables were spoken to challenge the hearers on a certain issues.

With that in mind let’s review this parable once again...

Mark 4:30–32 (NKJV)

Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

Listen to the Parable as the Original Audience Would...

Remember the first suggestion David Platt made about parables. He said to “listen to the parable as the original audience would. Seek to put yourself in their shoes.”

I doubt many of you had discussions about mustard seeds this week. It’s not something we typically discuss around the dinner table. However, when Jesus brought up this concept about the mustard seed it would have been something his audience would have known very well.

Charles Ryrie said this about “a grain of mustard seed”:

[it] was a proverbial expression among the Jews denoting something exceedingly small.

Let me give you a few examples of proverbial expressions you might be familiar with:

A penny saved is a penny earned

A picture is worth a thousand words

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Actions speak louder than words

All that glitters is not gold

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Do not judge a book by its cover

Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water

So in the day and culture in which Jesus lived, if you wanted to talk about something “TINY” you might throw out the phrase, “a grain of mustard seed.”

Why do you suppose that was the case? Well the black mustard seed was quite tiny and seemingly insignificant. For instance

It would take around 21,000 of these mustard seeds to equal an OUNCE!

One commentary says that the seed from the “black mustard plant” was around the size of a GRAIN OF SAND!

The second suggestion David Platt mentioned regarding understanding at parable is to ask the question...

What is the Main Point of the Parable?

Remember, a parable is ALWAYS connected to the kingdom of God in some way. Jesus makes this plain in His introduction. Look at Mark 4:30 again...

Mark 4:30 NKJV

Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?

It cannot be any clearer than that! This parable is ABOUT the KINGDOM of God. Jesus is going to use an ANALOGY to help us to better understand the KINGDOM OF GOD.

He goes on to say Mark 4:31-32

Mark 4:31–32 NKJV

It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

So the second question we should ask is this, “What is Jesus teaching us about the kingdom of God from this story about the mustard seed?”

We’ve already discovered the mustard seed is TINY, but notice what happens when the seed is SOWN…when it is scattered in the field...

He says

IT GROWS UP AND BECOMES GREATER THAN ALL THE HERBS,

IT HAS LARGE BRANCHES, AND

IT PROVIDES SHELTER FOR THE BIRDS!

Something that was TINY, SEEMINGLY INSIGNIFICANT, SMALLER than a GRAIN OF SAND BECAME THE LARGEST HERB IN THE FIELD, SO LARGE THAT BIRDS COULD BUILD NESTS IN IT!

These TINY seeds can produce a plant that can grow to the HEIGHT of 10-12 feet IN A MATTER OF WEEKS!

Did you hear me? A SEED the size of a grain of sand, can grow into a plant that is the largest in the field. Other herb seeds may be larger and seemingly more significant, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the mustard seed.

So we know a few different things so far:

This parable is comparing the mustard seed to the Kingdom of God

The mustard seed is TINY and seemingly insignificant, but GROWS too become the size of a LARGE BUSH or a SMALL tree and not only provides mustard, but also shelter for the birds.

But WHAT IS THE POINT?

The point is this...

Just as the tiny mustard seed had the potential to grow into a massive plant, the KINGDOM OF GOD, which may have seemed to be TINY and INSIGNIFICANT at the time had the potential to GROW INTO A MASSIVE FORCE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD---and it has!

The next question Platt suggests we ask when looking at a parable is this...

How Does YOUR Perspective Need to Change?

First of all,

We Need to Stop Underestimating the Power of the Gospel

Paul didn’t underestimate the power of the Gospel...

Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

You may feel like sharing your faith and planting the seeds of the Gospel are insignificant, but talk to someone who has been transformed by that seed. Get to know your brothers and sisters in Christ here at Meadowbrook and listen to their stories of how the Gospel changed their life and you will be reminded of the POWER OF THE SEED OF THE GOSPEL!

You may feel like discipleship, and small groups, and leadership development can’t and won’t make much of a difference in Meadowbrook’s future…STOP UNDERESTIMATING THE POWER OF THE WORD OF GOD!

Maybe you’ve been hesitant about sharing your faith with unbelievers because you feel like it can’t make a difference! IT MADE A DIFFERENCE IN YOU!

Secondly,

Never Be Deterred by Small Beginnings

Humanity began with one woman and one man and now there are billions on planet earth.

Conception begins with two microscopic cells.

The destruction of Goliath began with 1 teenage boy’s faith, a sling and a stone, yet God used him to destroy a giant warrior and rout an entire army!

God chose to save the Jews through 1 lady named Esther, who had just seemed to be an insignificant orphan girl, but became queen and influenced King Artaxerxes

God used ONE MAN named Nehemiah to make a difference when the walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed.

The feeding of the 5,000 began with 1 little boy’s lunch…yet when placed in the hands of the Master it was used to feed multitudes.

It matters not how small or insignificant something seems to be…acknowledge GOD in ALL YOUR WAYS and YOU WILL WATCH HIM DO MORE THAN YOU EVER DREAMED POSSIBLE!

I love what Alan Carr said about this parable and how we need to change our perspective. He said:

Now, let’s take a look at you. If you are a child of God today, you certainly had mustard seed beginnings…you were a sinner…under a death sentence…But God, in His grace, looked beyond what you were to see what you could become through His grace. He saved you, planted you in Jesus and now your life is bearing fruit for the glory of God.

Trust God to Grow the Fruit

Today, you and I are beneficiaries of the seeds that Jesus and the apostles planted all those years ago. We have seen, and are continuing to see, the massive impact of the kingdom of God throughout the world.

Alan Carr went on to say...

The Sermon Notebook: New Testament (The Message of the Mighty Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30–34))

Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to that little seed. In truth, most people believed that nothing would come of the Lord Jesus and His ministry. The people could see the tiny seed, but they could not see the great tree. Let’s consider the facts.

• Jesus was born in the tiny town of Bethlehem in abject poverty.

• He was reared in Galilee, and no one believed that a man of God could come from there, John 7:52—NO PROPHET HAS ARISEN FROM GALILEE.

• He was raised in a Nazareth—CAN ANY GOOD THING COME OUT OF NAZARETH. The inhabitants of that city were considered to be wicked and worldly by the Jews.

• He had no family connections. He had no money. He had no support from the religious leaders of the day.

• Jesus was considered to be a nobody from nowhere Who would amount to nothing!

• His followers were, for the most part, the dregs of society.

• His Own people rejected Him.

• He was despised and rejected by men.

• The Romans eventually nailed Him to a cross and buried Him in a tomb.

• His followers preached His resurrection, but most people ignored their message and considered them fools for following a dead man.

There is no question that the Kingdom of our Lord was just like that tiny, insignificant mustard seed in the beginning. No one could see what the tiny seed Jesus was sowing would become!

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE HOW GOD CAN USE YOU…If He can use a mustard seed, if He can use a donkey, if he can use a little boy’s lunch HE CAN USE YOU!

HE CAN ALSO SAVE YOU!

SALVATION

BAPTISM—Dec 31

SPIRITUAL GROWTH—D-Groups